Inishowen Maritime Museum granted night-time economy funding for concerts

Inishowen Maritime Museum is to run a series of concerts over the coming months after it received €10,000 from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media as part of the Night-Time Economy After Hours at the Museum scheme. 

The funding was limited to members of the Irish Museums Association or the Museums Accreditation Programme. The aim is to help museums hold evening events to invite people into museums and also to offer alternative venues for performances. 

The grant will allow the Greencastle museum to run a series of concerts titled Music at the Maritime – a play on words from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s, Music at the Met concerts. These will begin on Friday, August 18 with The Sick and Indigent Song Club. The Group was formed in 2004 in The Ha’penny Bridge Inn by Dublin ex-punk/alt-country stalwart Gary Fitzpatrick and wayward Scottish chanteuse and ukulele hero, Angie McLaughlin, following the host of the weekly open mic session’s failure to show. 

The pair took on the night and drew to them a motley collection of talented musicians, Shane McGrath, Christian Volkman, Gerry Fitzpatrick and Sheila Sullivan, quickly making a name for themselves in the Dublin music scene. The group are well known for their sea shanties, so the stage at the museum - a Greencastle Yawl - should make this something of a spectacle. Of particular significance is the fact that Angie McLaughlin’s father hailed from Moville and it was around Moville and Greencastle that Angie spent many summers – so she will be a familiar face to many in the area.

On September 1 the museum will have a performance by Niamh Parsons and Graham Dunne. Niamh has come to be known as one of the most distinctive voices in Irish music. Her voice has drawn comparisons to such venerated singers as Dolores Keane, June Tabor and Sandy Denny. It was described in the Boston Herald as both emotionally haunting and tonally as clear as crystal, Niamh's albums have been must-have collector's items for any lover of songs and singing. Niamh has recorded seven solo studio albums and two live albums to date, as well as being a guest on numerous others. Since 1999, She has been playing in a duet with her partner, fellow Dubliner, Graham Dunne—there is a spiritual bond between Niamh and Graham when they perform, which draws out the essence of the songs.

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On Friday, September 29, the talented Jimmy Crowley and Eve Telford will take the stage. Jimmy has been a central figure in the Irish folk scene since the enthusiastic reception of his debut album The Boys of Fairhill in 1977. With his band Stokers Lodge, the mission was to present the street ballads of Cork city in their native accent, complemented by the ornate folk songs of the rural hinterland of Cork and Kerry in an exciting orchestration of uilleann pipes, concertina, autoharp, harmonium, mandolin, bouzouki and guitar. As stated by Mick Maloney: “Jimmy is a consummate stage performer as well as a songwriter, adding colour to his songs by weaving stories about Cork characters, maritime exploits and daily life into his act. His singing style is truly unique.”

The final concert of the series on November 3 will take a slightly different slant with a performance from Donegal Camerata. The Donegal Camerata String Quintet is led by cellist Victor Yélamo, a longtime member of the award-winning Concerto Malaga orchestra and Director of the annual Donegal Chamber Music Festival. The quintet will play a varied programme with particular emphasis on the maritime theme.

These concerts at Inishowen Maritime Museum will provide a truly unique experience with the stage being situated on a traditional Drontheim, a sailing boat, also known as a Greencastle Yawl. 

Tickets are limited due to seating capacity so it is advised to book early. Tickets will go on sale before each concert on Eventbrite at €15 and details will be posted on Inishowenmaritime.com and its social media channels.