While counties all around took major shows on board, some folks in Carlow decided the waiting game was over at this stage. Now it is full steam ahead for a sparkling weekend in the lovely surroundings of Oak Park, when the town on the Barrow will be alive to the sounds of country music in a few weeks’ time.
While counties all around took major shows on board, some folks in Carlow decided the waiting game was over at this stage.
Now it is full steam ahead for a sparkling weekend in the lovely surroundings of Oak Park, when the town on the Barrow will be alive to the sounds of country music in a few weeks’ time.
Summerfest Carlow, with headline acts Derek Ryan and Nathan Carter, will be staged on Saturday and Sunday, 21-22 July, and it promises to bring a whole new dimension to this region which, even in the showband era, never quite captured the imagination of the country.
But all that is set to change and Ollie and Walter Hennessy of the Summerfest Carlow promotion team, in association with the Carlow Rugby Football Club, have their hearts set on rectifying this matter. It could hardly happen to nicer folks.
The Hennessy family are heart and soul Carlow people, as organic as they come. Ollie, who is also musical director for the annual RTÉ production of the Rose of Tralee Festival, is a renowned Carlow GAA supporter and travels the country to support the hurlers and footballers.
Hometown hero
On Saturday night, 21 July, Derek Ryan and his band will top the bill in the top-of-the-range marquee with a spacious dance floor.
This will be very much a home gig for Derek, who comes from a few miles out the road in Garyhill.
“I am very excited that this big country music weekend is coming to my hometown and it will be a great thrill for me to perform and headline at the opening night of the festival with my good friend Cliona Hagan,” says Derek Ryan.
“This is huge for Carlow, and Ollie and the team behind it deserve the greatest credit for this venture. All of us who know Ollie are aware of his great love for Carlow and its people.
"He is a genius of a musician and arranger, but above all he is an absolute gentleman.”
Tyrone singer Cliona Hagan has got a special endorsement from none other than X Factor judge and Mayo native Louis Walsh ahead of the Carlow event.
Cliona is so good. She has what it takes to make it to the top in country, but she could also cross over and be a huge pop star. She has a lot going for her and knows how to relate to people
.
“I like the look of this Summerfest in Carlow and I might well pop down for the weekend,” says the Dublin-based Kiltimagh man.
Nathan Carter.
Nathan Carter.
Nathan Carter tops the bill on Sunday night, 22 July, and the Liverpool-born artist is looking forward in a special way to the event. “
This will be my first major gig in Carlow town and it should be some party. I am aware there is a good team behind it and that means so much to any festival,” says Nathan.
Barry Kirwan from Tyrone, who is a son of country singer Dominic Kirwan from Omagh, as well as rising country star Ben Troy from Magheracloone in Co Monaghan, are also on the bill for the Sunday night show.
They should have the folks jiving and dancing in the marquee.
Top-notch facilities for comfort and safety will all be in place for the big weekend.
A successful Summerfest in Carlow will put down roots for other events in the times ahead. The Follow Me Up to Carlow series of shows in the hotels in the town has already shown there is a huge appetite for live music in this part of the country.
• Tickets for this weekend festival in Carlow are now available from ticketstop.ie, Swans Electrical, Carlow Rugby Club, or by visiting summerfestcarlow.com for further details about the country music weekend and accommodation in the Carlow region. Read more
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