Remember Palestine Donal Lunny & Friends fundraising gig

by Aine - IPSC - IPSC Tue Sep 19, 2006 23:59

Regrettably, we're not aware of any Palestinian singers or musicians living in Dublin. We did bring Reem Kelani over from London for a gig last year and hope to do so again in the near future. Check www.ipsc.ie for future developments on that front.

As regards Monday's gig, there will be other performers in addition to those advertised ... so make sure you get your ticket over the weekend.

by Caitriona Tue Sep 19, 2006 18:46

Well done Donal & Co. It's great to see Irish musicians standing up for the rights and freedoms of the Palestinians. Are there any Palestinian singers in Dublin who would perform on the night?

by Aine - IPSC Mon Sep 18, 2006 22:37

The first traditional musician to be elected to the government-sponsored artists' academy Aosdána, Donal Lunny has been associated with such groups as Planxty, Moving Hearts, the Bothy Band, Coolfin and Mozaik, thus earning the description "the man with the longest CV in Irish music".

Andy Irvine is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, traditional musician and advocate for social justice who has been making music with Donal Lunny for almost 40 years.

Roisín Elsafty is a singer from Connemara. Her father is Egyptian, and her mother is the singer and songwriter Treasa Ní Cheannabháin. She has worked with Donal Lunny and Sharon Shannon.

Graham Henderson has been described as a "keyboard wizard on piano, keyboards, accordion & Hammond Organ". He worked with Lunny and Irvine in the group Coolfinn.

Cork-born Sean Nós singer Iarla Ó Lionáird has been described as Ireland's "hippest traditional music figure - ever!" He is a regular member of the Afro Celt Sound System.

The evening will also feature a number of other performers, up-and-coming and established.

"For as long as the Irish have been making songs they have been making political songs." While this sentence from the programme of a 1980 Planxty concert in the same Olympia Theatre might seem particularly relevant to this "Remember Palestine" gig, the emphasis will be on music, not on
politics.

Nonetheless, in a media landscape in which the daily humiliations and atrocities visited upon the Palestinian people by the illegal Israeli occupation are consistently pushed out of sight, the very act of
"remembering Palestine" cannot but be political. According to Donal Lunny: "The more that the people of Europe are made aware of the crisis, the sooner the men, women and children of Palestine can return to having a normal life which, just like the rest of us, they deserve."

If the present spurious "War against Terror" implies the modish notion of a "clash of civilisations", music by its nature demonstrates how civilisations can flow together to generate meaning and beauty, particularly when made by such musicians as Lunny, Irvine, Elsafty, and Ó Lionáird.

Donal Lunny says "it's possible that music is the only and sometimes best way to influence certain aspects of the world. Music can change the way people feel about themselves, and how they feel towards others. When music is crossing borders and leaping language barriers, the message is often abstracted, but I believe it's never quite lost."

by Spaceman3 Mon Sep 18, 2006 21:47

Not really a trad head meself, but sounds like it's a worthwhile cause. Fair play to ye and to the college lecturers who signed the statement last week.

by Dermot Dillon Mon Sep 18, 2006 09:28

Saw Andy Irvine with the excellant Patrick Street last Friday in Whelan's. Terrific show. I didn't hear Andy plug the Palestine gig but I might have missed that. I'll definately be going along next week.

by Aine again Fri Sep 15, 2006 12:03

Sorry, meant to say that the gig is on Monday 25th September, not the 20th as mentioned in the posting above.

by Aine Ni Dhuibhir - IPSC Fri Sep 15, 2006 12:02 aine_devir at yahoo dot co dot uk

Tickets available now from the Olympia box office which is open from 10am. The IPSC can't hold tickets, you have to get them from the Olympia or Ticketmaster.

Call to the box office in person or buy over the phone (on 0818 719 330) or online at www.ticketmaster.ie

I understand that you can also get tickets in the ticket booths in Stephen's Green and Jervis St Shopping Centres.

We will be organising leafletting sessions at traditional gigs over the next week. If you can help out , or would like leaflets or posters to promote the gig in your area, please email me at aine_devir@yahoo.co.uk

The gig features Ireland's leading trad musicians and will be an extremely enjoyable night. Please forward details to friends & colleagues.

by Antoinette Fri Sep 15, 2006 11:38

Sounds like it'll be a great night. Andy Irvine is playing around the country this week. Where can I get tickets for the 20th?

by Aine - IPSC Tue Aug 29, 2006 21:26

Leaflets & posters will be available shortly.

If you are living in Dublin and would like to help promote the gig pls email aine_devir@yahoo.co.uk