Beamish Cork Folk Festival :: 30th Sept - 3rd Oct

27th Sep 2010

The Beamish Cork Folk Festival takes place over this weekend with stacks of gigs across the city. You can see the full list here but in case you're overwhelmed by choice and the quality of acts on this year's programme don't sweat.

Allow PROC to boil down a few of the bigger gigs and issue a few recommendations. That said, there are bags of gigs around town over the weekend to choose from and don't miss the infamous open air Céilí Mór on Grand Parade on Sunday with the Kilfenora Céilí Band and free Irish dancing lessons for those who want them!

Friday Night - October 1st
Sharon Shannon Big Band with Shane McGowan@The Savoy 7.30pm

If you're looking for high octane, foot tapping ferocity look no further this weekend than the Sharon Shannon Big Band.

The quiet low key persona is almost at odds with the high tempo trad mania that ensues at her gigs - and that was before the big band was built around her!

Click here for tickets, video and more info

Saturday Night - October 2nd
The Imagined Village@The Savoy 7.30pm

When English people play their own traditional folk songs, their own think they're playing Irish music. Not so with Imagined Village who have weaved their own up beat toe tapping take on traditional English tunes. But this isn't some obscure group - it has caught the wandering eye of mainstream British musos and landed them several prestigious awards and an appearance on the BBC's Jools Holland.

Say you saw them first - in Cork!

Click here for tickets, video and more info

Sunday Night - October 3rd
Alan Kelly Quartet w/ Eddi Reader@The Pav 8pm

To round off a perfect weekend this gig is our top tip for Sunday night. If your attention was partly occupied by the Beamish tap at previous gigs then this one is a master class in folk that may take over your lower body and see you involuntarily river dancing around the dancefloor of the Pav whilst perfectly balancing a pint of the local black stuff.

Guest Eddi Reader is your one from Scotland who is responsible for the hit 'Perfect'. She went away and learned Irish (there's an Irish version of Perfect performed on the Late Late Show on Youtube) and has been plugging away on the underground folk scene ever since.

Click here for tickets, video and more info

And if you simply can't wait until the weekend….

Thursday Night - Sept 30th
As well as our own Irish language club night at The Roundy, trad group Beoga perform at the Pavilion. It's not often you get to quote The Wall Street Journal but they were so impressed with this group of trad mad Nordies they called them the "most exciting new traditional band to emerge from Ireland this century".

This will be a fantastic introduction to the festival, guaranteed to whet the musical appetite for the weekend. ~
click here for tickets and more info