If you’re in the hunt for a night of pure singing, story-telling and good old-style entertainment, in the heel-of-the-hunt you’ll find it all at The Poet’s Inn tonight from 9-30pm.
No group anywhere takes its singing more seriously or treats the ancient craft with more reverence than the West Limerick Singing Club.
And, to give them their due, they have founded and firmly established a festival in honour of a Kerry-man, the late Gary McMahon in Abbeyfeale each October.
The Ramble Inn in Abbeyfeale is the seat of the group and the host there, Philip Enright is a former All-Ireland champion singer. Keel native and another All-Ireland winner, Micheál Ó Sé is also a member.
Scartaglin singer and song composer, Pat O’Sullivan has won a couple of competitions for newly composed ballads at recent Gary McMahon festivals.
Glin flute-player, Donie Lyons – another former All-Ireland singing champion – is a regular with the group as is well known and award winning traditional singer and Lyre native, Karen Trench.
The West Limerick Singing Club was founded in 2002 and has been running monthly singing sessions at The Ramble Inn in Abbeyfeale on the first Friday of every month.This, they use in promoting singing and story telling in English and Irish.
Tonight’s session at The Poet’s Inn will get underway at 9-30pm and is being used as a fundraiser for the Ray of Sunshine Charity to help send locals: Charlie Farrelly, Martina O’Mahony and Hannah Curtin on a charity mission to Kenya in early 2016.
Admission is free and fundraising raffles will be held in the course of the night.
The seventh annual Garry McMahon Singing Weekend will be held in Abbeyfeale from October16th. to 18th.
Anyone hoping to enter the annual ballad writing competition would want to be shaping the quills now.
