Author: the blackpool sentinel (incorporating Voices from The Glen)

The Blackpool Sentinel [incorporating Voices From The Glen] is a music blog by Martin O'Connor and Colm O’Callaghan. We deal mostly with alternative music from the 1980s and 1990s, much of it Irish and much of it long lost. And with good reason.

THE TRIUMPH OF FÉILE, 1990

Almost 60,000 spectators fetched up at Semple Stadium in Thurles on September 2nd, 1984, for that year’s All-Ireland hurling final between Cork and Offaly. It was the first time since 1909 that the decider had been played outside of what has long been the sport’s traditional home, Croke Park in Dublin, marking the centenary of the founding of the Gaelic... Continue Reading →

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THE ROLLING STONES VERSUS IRELAND’S SHOWBANDS, 1965

The Rolling Stones bring their ‘No Filter’ tour to Croke Park on May 17th next for what might well be the band’s final ever bumper pay day in Ireland. The group has been visiting this country in various iterations and to various effect for over fifty years and one can confidently claim that the nation... Continue Reading →

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THE THRILLS

To my mind, far too much contemporary music writing – and indeed arts coverage in general – has become identity politics by another name. Show me your Amazon, Spotify and Twitter history and I’ll tell you who you are, what you’re thinking and who I think you should be, basically. Maybe it’s always been thus and the growth... Continue Reading →

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THE STARS, THE THRILLS AND THE CLOCKS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2cBnVx_F2w One of the more attractive and visceral away trips for many of those involved in Gaelic games in Dublin is the winding drive up to Johnny Fox’s pub in Glengullen, the short walk across the wild mountainside and over to Stars Of Erin, one of the smallest clubs in the county and one of... Continue Reading →

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‘AFTER ALL’ AND THE YOUNG OFFENDERS

  I've written previously and at no little length about The Frank And Walters, to my mind the best pound-for-pound pop band the country has ever produced. It’s a story I know as well as anyone: I have a long and proud association with the group, especially with Paul and Ashley, that dates back to... Continue Reading →

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