Author Archives: Nick Kelly

Morning all.

Yesterday I asked you to post your favourite memory of an Irish music festival for our competition to win TWO three-day camping passes to this weekend’s KnockanStockan festival in County Wicklow which kicks off today.

You answered in your tens.

Some of your posts made me laugh out loud. Some left me a little confused!

Some were inspirational. And some were really poignant.

This was a tough one to call. So with sincere apologies to Dillon, Rachel, Electriclady and Millie, the tickets go to the reader called The Wha? who gets to bring an old friend to the festival:

The Wha? wrote:

I love music. It was the noughties. It was Oxegen. It was the first time you could buy floral patterned fashionable wellies.
Everyone wanted to go see Richard Ashcroft.
I didn’t. I managed to persuade a bunch of my friends to go see The Who and James Brown on the other stage.James Brown was amazing. It was seeing The Who that made it the best festival experience though.
Nobody knew any of The Who’s songs or why it meant so much for me to see them.
My first love, the guy who brought me to my Debs was mad about The Who. Each song was a memory of the nineties. Remembering the nineties in the noughties through songs of the sixties… magic! I’m back with him now and would love to bring him to KnockanStockan.

Congratulations and thank you all for your great posts.

Last night; Win Nick’s Free Tix

Get your wellies.

KnockanStockan has firmly established itself as the best festival in the land for new music and certainly has the most picturesque setting looking down on the Blessington lakes.

Thanks to my friends at Good Seed PR, I am offering you the chance to win TWO weekend CAMPING passes for the three-day hooley in County Wicklow which starts TOMORROW.

Featuring an eye-watering array of Irish and international acts over multiple stages, including Soda Blonde (ex-Little Green Cars) and ace DJ Donal Dineen, it promises to be one of the highlights of the summer.

To enter simply tell me below about your favourite experience at an Irish music festival over the years. The answer will be chosen by my Burmese cat Peadar.

Lines MUST close at 1am 7.30am.

Nick says: Good luck!

KnockanStockan 2019

UPDATE: We have a winner

Update:

Update:

true that.

Meanwhile..

Colm Henry?

Capper?

Not you again.

This Day In Irish History tweetz:

This day 107 years ago – 18 July 1912 – suffragettes set fire to the Theatre Royal, Dublin, during a visit of British Prime Minister, H.H. Asquith.

For it, Mary Leigh and Gladys Evans were sentenced to five years’ penal servitude, though both were released after hunger striking.

Made their point and kept their figures.

Win win.

archmotors – Lemming

Sean Lynch and Gary Landers are the duo behind archmotors and they hail from the West of Ireland.

A taster from their forthcoming album The Swimsuit Edition, Lemming is an accomplished alt.pop gem that has echoes of Beck and Radiohead.

The video animation by Marc Corrigan is also first class.

Nick says: Motoring along nicely

archmotors

Isaac Jones – Listen

In the mood for some slinky acid jazz?

Then put your hands together for Isaac Jones who was hit on a punchy lounge groove Jamiroquai would give one of his many feathered hats for.

The video, directed and edited by Luke Murphy, is a hoot too.

Actors Ronan Carey and Lauren-Shannon Jones have their date ruined by a sadistic waiter and kitchen staff. But is everything as it seems?

Isaac also wrote the music for the rap drama Beat which was a standout at last year’s Dublin Fringe Festival.

Nick says: Something is happening here, Mr Jones…

Isaac Jones

Oh.

This afternoon.

Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2.

Grattan Healy tweetz:

Electric vehicle not even connected & blocking EV charging point…

Not just an ICE problem. Indeed it seems neither EV is actually charging.

We need amendments to parking laws ASAP if the EV thing is going to work ⁦…

Anyone?

Neil Young posted this message (top) on his archives website.

The duet he sung with Bob Dylan at Nowlan Park [Kilkenny] last Sunday was a tribute to his late manager Elliot Roberts who died earlier this month.

The song ‘Will The Circle Be Unbroken?‘ is an old American spiritual popularised by The Carter Family and was recorded by Dylan in 1961.

Neil Young Archives

Monday: Nowlan In The Wind

Newly elected European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and (very) outgoing President Jean-Claude Juncker.

In fairness.

Yesterday: Shane Heneghan: Electing Ursula

This morning.

The ‘Big Gig’ at Semple Stadium is back.

Via MCD:

The town of Thurles, as well as the original promoters MCD, and the organisers of last year’s sell out FÉILE Classical concerts, are delighted to announce that this year’s festival will now be named FÉILE 19.

Previously titled Tipp Classical, the legendary music event which runs September 20 – 22 has revived its original moniker and with a host of new events and acts added…

Those making the Trip to Tipp this September will feast their ears on music curated by Tom Dunne of Something Happens, who performed at FÉILE ’90, ’91 and ’93, and will this year also be returning to the stage alongside some of the most legendary names in Irish rock and roll, including the one and only Sinead O’Connor.

Good times.

Tickets here