A €1.1 million funding package to music venues during the pandemic resulted in 405 live shows at places such as the Workman’s Club and Grand Social in Dublin and Róisín Dubh in Galway, according to a
Looking ahead - Cork musicians talk about their hopes for 2021
With a year of challenges, opportunities, and rebuilding ahead for music in Cork city, Cork s musicians, promoters, venue heads and journalists talk with Mike McGrath-Bryan about their hopes for the near future. Elaine Malone: I can t wait to be in a room again hearing my friends play. Picture: Bríd O Donovan.
STEVIE G (DJ, radio host, promoter, columnist, producer)
I hope we get physical gigs back, and I can t wait to DJ to actual people again. I hope more of our artists manage to get recorded too, as i think Cork is a little behind the rest of the country, especially in zones that I specialise in, such as hip-hop and soul. Limitations and restrictions and struggles are always bad, but good music often manifests itself from bad times, and I m always optimistic for tomorrow.
Cork musicians talk about resilience and moving forward in 2021
While most of us are glad to be rid of the year 2020, everyone has emerged on the other side with valuable life lessons, if nothing else. Mike McGrath-Bryan with some of the artists, promoters, writers and venue owners in Cork s music scene about what they ve learned, and how they re looking at moving forward.
Ray Blackwell in DeBarra’s Folk Club, Clonakilty. Picture: Bríd O’Donovan STEVIE G (DJ, radio host, promoter, columnist, producer)
We ve all spent a lot more time thinking about how we spend our money, especially when we have less of it. Supporting independent artists and music is gonna be important as we try to build a sense of community going forward. Cork is a small but colourful and diverse city and we have a good opportunity to benefit when this all ends eventually.
Coughlan’s is back live and online
Ronan Leonard has been looking forward to the return of an institution in Cork as it takes its first steps back to a full return to live music
‘It’s our first time having SON [aka Susan O’Neill],’ says Edel of Coughlan s, who describes her as a ‘brilliant artist’.
“I’ve missed having our doors open it’s like a part of you is missing.”
Not seeing customers or having live music has been very difficult for Edel Curtin, who runs Coughlan’s (current holders of the IMRO National Live Venue of the Year award).