Cork flavour to new TV music show

WITH an appearance by Mick Flannery, and a visit to Connollys of Leap, a new RTÉ music series will have plenty of appeal to Corkonians.

Called An Seisiún, it begins on RTÉ1 next Friday, September 1 at 8.30pm.

Four iconic live music venues synonymous with traditional and folk music are opening their doors to musician Muireann Nic Amlaoibh, showcasing the best and brightest of bands, musicians and singers who have proud associations with these much cherished family run venues.

The Saw Doctors, Mick Flannery, Stockton’s Wing, Lisa Canny and The 4 of Us will help celebrate the rich musical heritage of Campbells Tavern in Galway, The Cobblestone in Dublin, Connollys of Leap in West Cork and McGrory’s of Culdaff, Donegal.

The first episode heads to Campbells Tavern in Headford, a family-run music venue that has been a staple of the scene for over 50 years.

Musicians celebrating the venue include The Saw Doctors, the esteemed Galway fiddle players, The Kane Sisters and John Blake. Plus local artists The Whileaways and jazz aficionado Matthew Berrill grace the stage.

The series will begin on Friday, 1 September, 2023 and the Connolly's of Leap programme will broadcast on Friday, 8 September at 8.30p.m. on RTÉ 1 and programmes 3 and 4 will air Friday, 15 and 22 September at 8.30p.m.

Connolly’s of Leap has served a loyal regional audience right across Munster attracting some of the most famous names to this small family run venue. 

Independent venues such as Connolly’s don’t receive state funding and yet manage to platform the very best of music, giving national promoters and large-scale institutions a run for their money. Seisiún seeks to highlight the significance and importance of these isolated rural venues as cultural linchpins and social spaces that contribute so much to local communities and to regional music culture.