Clonmel to host a new festival of music over two weekends

Clonmel World Music is introducing a new festival of music.
The inaugural Suirfest event will take place over two weekends in late January and early February this year.

Tim O'Brien will play this Friday January 27 to kick-off the festival at Moynihans while the following weekend starting on Thursday February 2 there will be  performances by Donal Clancy at Moynihans followed by performances on Friday February 3 by Clonmel Story Slam at Moynihans  and Special Consensus on Saturday February 4 at Raheen House.

Suirfest will be a music event offering folk, bluegrass, blues and the spoken word.
Clonmel World Music is proud to be returning, in 2023, for its 14th year of promoting gigs in Clonmel.
The highly successful gigs are run by local music promoter Gerry Lawless, along with Chrissie Moylan, Tom Moylan, Angela Lawless and Roisin Lawless. Pat Doheny has provided the sound and lighting for all the shows.

LOCAL VENUES
Local venues used over the years for shows include Raheen House Hotel, Moynihans Bar, Hotel Minella, Bakers Bar and Hearns Hotel.

Clonmel World Music has brought top-class bands to Clonmel from all over Ireland, the UK, Newfoundland , the USA and Canada.

Gerry Lawless says: “I have promoted 121 shows in Clonmel for the last 13 years. It is a real pleasure to bring the artists to Clonmel, especially the musicians from America. Most of the artists had never heard of the town, and they all leave with great memories of Clonmel and its people. The most important aspect of it all for me is to foster a music listening environment. We look after the artists as well as possible, and we are able to get the best quality musicians to come to Clonmel because of the great public support from the people of Clonmel. I have also booked full Irish tours for selected artists from America, and I have booked four Irish tours for the new Makem and Clancy shows (Rory and Donal).”
The Clonmel World Music audience is comprised mainly of locals from Clonmel and its surrounding towns and villages, many of whom come to all of the gigs. The shows have also had music fans travelling to Clonmel from abroad and from all over Ireland for the gigs, bringing great exposure for the town amongst music fans who may not otherwise have come to Clonmel.
“A couple even travelled from Hungary especially for the last gig in December,” says Gerry.

SUIRFEST 2023
Clonmel World Music starts its 2023 programme with its own festival, Suirfest, running over two weekends in late January/early February.
“It’s a great way to banish the winter blues, and end a long January on a positive note. The second weekend coincides with the new St Brigid’s Day Bank Holiday, so we hope to make It an annual event at this time,” says Gerry. The Festival features two American acts and two Irish acts, between Raheen House Hotel and Moynihans. Suirfest last ran in 2019, before the “pandemic years”.

All tickets are on sale on clonmelworldmusic.com.
Book early to avoid disappointment, as Gerry expects the shows to sell-out.

Friday, January 27 Tim O’Brien – Moynihans 9pm
Suirfest starts with the American legend Tim O’Brien , with Jan Fabricas
Gerry Lawless says: “I got the opportunity to put on the great two-time Grammy winner Tim O’Brien in Clonmel, while he is over for Festivals in Dublin and Cork – I couldn’t say no to that!”

Tim O’Brien is from West Virginia, USA. He moved to Nashville in the nineties, where he became a first-call mandolin, guitar, fiddle and banjo player on Music City sessions, and collaborated with artists like Steve Earle, Sturgill Simpson and Dan Auerbach.

Kathy Mattea, Garth Brooks, and the Dixie Chicks recorded his compositions. In 2015 he won his second Grammy award as a member of the bluegrass super group the Earls of Leicester, a nice companion for O’Brien’s first Grammy in 2005 for Best Traditional Folk Album Fiddler’s Green.

He has released more than ten studio albums, in addition to charting a duet with Kathy Mattea entitled The Battle Hymn of Love, a No. 9 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs.