Carrick-on-Suir man to sing songs from his new CD at trad session this weekend 

Musician and singer Kevin Power will perform songs from his new CD of Irish language songs from his native Carrick-on-Suir and its Suir Valley hinterland at Power's Pub in Tullahought on Saturday, February 23. 

Kevin will be joined by local musicians and singers, at the trad session celebrating  the Ceol na Siúire CD at the well known Irish music pub near Carrick-on-Suir. 

The CD features 12 traditional Gaelic songs from Carrick-on-Suir and the Suir Valley sung by Kevin, who is accompanied by guitarist Paul Grant, fiddle and mandola player Martin Murray and Suzanne Rowe on keyboard. 

Kevin, who is a nephew of the famous Clancy Brothers and son of actress and singer Peg Power, said nearly all the songs on the CD have a reference to Carrick-on-Suir in them.  The best known are Slievenamon and Kilcash and the oldest is Cailin Ó Cois tSiuire, which Kevin says is mentioned in one of Shakespeare's plays. He believes Black Tom of Ormond Castle fame brought the song over to the court of Elizabeth 1. 

The retired teacher is an Irish language enthusiast and has spent a lot of time in Co. Waterford's Ring Gaeltacht where he was struck by the fact  many of the Gaelic songs being sung there were from Carrick-on-Suir and Co. Tipperary.   He was back in Ring  last weekend to perform  songs from the Ceol na Siúire album at Mooney's Pub.     

Kevin  recorded the CD at Martin Murray's Ashville Studio in Carrick-on-Suir over a period of a year and a half. 

Ceol na Siúire was officially launched at Carrick-on-Suir's Brewery Lane Theatre in December. Kevin sang  at the event with Martin Murray, Paul Grant, JP King, Maria O'Shea Enright, Kristof Robert and young French harpist Divna Racunica. 

The CD is on sale at the Tudor Artisan Hub and The Cabin Newsagents at  Main St., Carrick-on-Suir. To check out its songs pop into Power's of Tullahought on February 23 from 9.30pm onwards.