www.cic.ie

Connemara Publishing Company, Cló Iar-Chonnachta has been awarded €10,000 for the Irish-language book of the year for ‘Mise an fear ceoil’: Séamus Ennis, Dialann Taistil 1942-1946, the travel diaries of piper and music collector Séamus Ennis, which was published in April. Cló Iar-Chonnachta was founded in 1985 by Micheál Ó Conghaile and is the largest private Irish-language publishing company in Ireland. The company is based in the Connemara Gaeltacht just west of Spiddal and has published over 300 books to date. Cló Iar-Chonnachta is also a traditional Irish music label, and has released over 150 albums.
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www.kila.ie

The Garden Wars (published Dec ’07) is a new collection of poems by Rónán Ó Snodaigh. Caught in the crossfire between bracken, bramble, gorse and garden escapees, these are Rónán’s eyewitness accounts of the ongoing seasonal skirmishes, love stories and undercover activities that take place daily in our landscape. This is a subject close to Rónán’s heart, as he spends a lot of time studying the sometimes subversive behaviour of certain species’ in his garden
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www.corasmyth.com

After ten years on the road with Michael Flatley and his shows, Mayo fiddler Cora Smyth has finally put together a solo album. “Are We There Yet?” due out in early February 2008, features mostly original tunes by Cora, inspired by those travelling years. The tunes are arranged on a multi- dimensional backdrop of influences from blues, funk, Dixieland, gypsy jazz and latin via Co Mayo through Manchester. Produced and arranged by her husband, Sean Horsman, this is a real marriage of styles.

The “Are We There Yet?” show features live music from the album complemented by projected animations, stills and a lighting design for a complete sensory experience.

To coincide with the release of the album, she will be performing at the Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow on the 2nd February 2008, followed by a series of concerts in Ireland:
Sat  16  Feb 2008 Town Hall, Galway
Tue  19 Feb 2008 Glor, Ennis
Wed 20 Feb 2008 Siamsa Tire, Trelee
Fri    22 Feb Backstage, Longford
Sat   23  Feb Dunamaise, Portlaoise

“One of the best shows in the Galway Arts Festival… “Are We There Yet?” was very much a fun, energetic and exciting journey”
Judy Murphy the Connaught Tribune

www.corasmyth.com
info@corasmyth.com
www.myspace.com/corasmyth

www.kila.ie

Brrrrr….. hello from chilly Dublin, December is around the corner and Kíla are back out on the road again to help get the Christmas cheer started, starting this weekend with gigs in Ireland and Spain; in The Stables, Mullingar, Dolans Warehouse, Limerick Thursday and Friday before they head off to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria for the Womad festival on Saturday. They will also be playing in Galway, Cork, Dundalk, Callan, Kilkenny, Belfast and finishing with the big Christmas show in Dublin’s Tripod the next few weeks,  please come along if any of these are near you, tickets are selling fast for all shows so early booking is advisable.. full details below and at www.kila.ie/tour_dates/
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www.lukabloom.com
 
Tour Dates 2008
Since 1978, Irish singer songwriter Luka Bloom has produced a canon of fifteen critically acclaimed albums with songs from his catalogue covered by the likes of Moving Hearts and Christy Moore. Two of his compositions ‘City of Chicago’ and ‘You Couldn’t Have Come at a Better Time’ have become standards performed by Irish, folk, roots and acoustic artists
throughout the world of music.
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www.leitrimcoco.ie

Thursday 22nd November at The Dock in Carrick on Shannon sees a special night to celebrate the music of Leitrim’s Ben and Charlie Lennon from Kiltyclogher. One of the best known musical families in Ireland, Ben and Charlie grew up with their father, uncle and granduncle playing fiddles and their mother playing piano, fiddle and accordion. They have had long and influential careers, well-known for their compositions as well as their unique style of playing.
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www.corasmyth.com

After ten years on the road with Michael Flatley and his shows, Mayo fiddler Cora Smyth has finally put together a solo album. “Are We There Yet?” due out in early February 2008, features mostly original tunes by Cora, inspired by those travelling years. The tunes are arranged on a multi- dimensional backdrop of influences from blues, funk, Dixieland, gypsy jazz and latin via Co Mayo through Manchester. Produced and arranged by her husband, Sean Horsman, this is a real marriage of styles.
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www.wkpf.org

The 14th William Kennedy Piping Festival was officially launched on Thursday last at the Market Place Theatre, Armagh by the Mayor Cllr Charles Roleston, with the accompaniment of music from both the Highland Pipes and the Uilleann Pipes. Playing the Highland Pipes was former World Champion Drum Major Laura Jane Lawson while playing Uilleann Pipes was Barry Kerr. The playing of these two different pipes symbolised all that the William Kennedy Piping Festival has stood for since its inauguration away back in 1994 when the Armagh Pipers Club in response to an initiative from Armagh City & District Council aimed at created community events that would reflect the rich and diverse cultural traditions of the area.
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Ireland’s most distinctive voice to undertake extensive Irish tour
www.karancasey.com

One of the most influential and most imitated voices in folk music, Karan Casey is a natural innovator. More than a decade ago American audiences were introduced to Casey fronting the Irish supergroup Solas. Following their groundbreaking early releases Casey struck out on her own. That decision was based on an independent spirit determined to control her touring schedule and committed to maintaining a family life. That familyhas now grown (her second child, Áine, was born in May of 2006), as has her solo discography. Her most recent release is 2005’s Chasing the Sun.
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www.folkworld.eu

The online magazine, Folkworld.de reaches a landmark tenth birthday this month and the site, which has been a bit sporadic over the past few years, was due for a re-launch in November. Over its 10 years, Folkworld has developed into one of the biggest resources for European folk, world and roots music on the internet.
The magazine began in November 1997 and was then edited by German brothers Michael and Christian Moll, who were one time contributors of the then discontinued German print magazine Folksblatt. The magazine features folk and world music artists and genres “from the North Cape to the Mezzogiorno, from the Golden Horn to Finisterre, and beyond.”
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