I am thrilled to announce that work has begun on the 2nd phase of the ‘Songs From A Witness Statement’ project, entitled ‘Small Behaviours’. A series of collaborative compositional creative sessions have taken place with Seamus Devenny, Victor Yélamo and the Donegal Camerata String Quartet at the Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny. More information on the project and performance dates to be announced soon. Supported by Creative Ireland and Donegal County Council.
I will be supporting Dean Maywood at the Balor Arts Centre on May 17th with Seamus Devenny.
Dean will be launching his debut EP with The Dog River Band – Darren Doherty on guitars, Zara Montgomery on keys, Cormac Friel on drums and Darren Carr on bass. They will be joined by Goats Don’t Shave guitarist Patsy Gallagher and a special guest appearance by Brendan Quinn.
Donegal Songwriter Michael Gillespie will also provide a support slot on the night.
I’m delighted to be invited back to the Balor Arts Centre to open for Jack Lukeman on the 12th Jan 2019. I had the pleasure of supporting Jack a few years ago in the wonderful Backroom at McGrory’s of Culdaff and I’m really looking forward to meeting him again. A lovely gentleman as well as a superb artist.
Tickets can be booked via the Balor’s website here.
We had the great pleasure of recording our song Stone By Stone with the lovely folk at Declan Sessions while we were performing at The Acoustic Yard Festival in Westport, Co. Mayo this May.
What a sound bunch of humans doing an awesome service for Original Irish Music. You can check out their work and the lyrics for the song below:
Website: https://declansessions.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/declansessions
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeclanSessions
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/declansessions
Stone By Stone – Lyrics
Heart open wide
No armour have you built inside
Just stepping stones you place before you
One by one
To bring you forth
And with these stones
So freely laid
You move on fearless
And unswayed
When I look at you
I see the sunrise
And I wish you all the love in this world
No weary eye to cast upon
To shade you in and bear down on
You are the color of the rain
The taste of morning dew
Before the break of day
Mourn not the stolen time
For how could you have known
Just holding you in my arms
Is the greatest thing I’ve ever done
When I look at you
I see the sunrise
And I wish you all the love in this world
Stone by stone
All the love in this world
STONE BY STONE
Kate O’Callaghan 2017 ©
Kate O’ Callaghan (Duo – Irland) – GERMANY TOUR 2016
präsentiert von Music Art Urban Life – Booking
Di. 11.10. Live im Schaufenster: Kate O’Callaghan (Irland) – Cube Düsseldorf
Mi. 12.10. W/Chris Riffle (USA) – Heimathirsch, Köln
Do. 13.10. Bar Caliente – Duisburg
Fr. 14.10. Wohnzimmerkonzert – Wuppertal (bei Düsseldorf)
Sa. 15.10. Konzert von Kate O’ Callaghan im ‘Baristoteles Kubus’ – Bochum
So. 16.10. Wohnzimmerkonzert – Mühlheim
Mo. 17.10. Wohnzimmerkonzert – Dreieich (bei Frankfurt)
Mi. 19.10. W/Line Bøgh – Brause, Düsseldorf
Do. 20.10. Wohnzimmerkonzert – Bochum
Fr. 21.10. Kate O’Callaghan – Kulturcafe Lichtung Köln
Cube Deu
Derry City and Strabane District Council are hosting Northern Ireland’s first Slow Food Festival this weekend in the Guildhall Square and I’m delighted to have been invited to perform as part of the festival at the Guildhall Taphouse – Saturday 8th October, 3-5pm.
The Slow Food Festival will be centred in Guildhall Square from 12noon until 6pm on Saturday, October 8th and Sunday, October 9th with a Harvest Market, Talks & Demos, Tours and Tastings, Street Food Zone and of course great music in the Guildhall Taphouse!
For more information on the festival visit Derry City & Strabane Website.
I’m delighted to announce the release of my New Album, called The Girl With The Beret.
It is available now for pre-order on Bandcamp and will be officially released on Monday 3rd October, 2016.
’The Girl with The Beret’ is a 1916 Concept Mini-Album, inspired by my great-grandaunt Katie, otherwise known as Catherine Rooney (née Byrne).
According to her witness statement, recorded with the Bureau of Military History (Ireland), she was the first woman to enter the GPO in Dublin on the day of the Rising on Easter Monday 1916. Having followed her brothers down O’Connell St., she kicked in a side window of the GPO and climbed in. She tended to the wounded, earning herself the title of ‘The Petticoat Heroine’ in the press in later years.
Katie also delivered several dispatches during the week, including one important note written by Joseph Plunkett and given to her by Pádraig Pearse. She concealed the note in her hair and brought it to the Four Courts. Katie describes running under fire and narrowly escaping death, when a bullet passed by her head leaving two holes in her beret. She also describes her family’s involvement in the War of Independence, in the years following the Rising. Their house, at 17 Nth Richmond St., was used as a secret HQ for a special squad called the ‘Guards of the Active Service Unit’. Firearms and ammunition were temporarily hidden in various secret places in the house, including the first Thompson gun smuggled into Ireland. Her Mother, Mrs Catherine Byrne (née Dowling), provided a safe house during this time, feeding and tending to the many men who were involved and needing a place to hide.
Comprised of a series of songs and spoken word tracks, which flow seamlessly from one into the other, The Girl With The Beret weaves the story of a young woman caught up in the 1916 Rising in Dublin.
A fusion of alternative folk, popular ballad and classical strings. It gives a unique insight into the perspective of an ordinary girl living at that time and what it meant, as a female, to be involved in the Rebellion.
Featured musicians:
Kate O’Callaghan, Seamus Devenny, Tim Jarvis, Declan McClafferty and Martin Smyth (from alt. rock band In Their Thousands), Stephen McDaid, Billy Robinson, Paul Devenny and Kevin Murphy.
Recorded and Mixed by Orri McBrearty at Attica Audio, Donegal.
Mastered by Richard Dowling at WavMastering, Limerick.
On Sunday July 3rd, I will be joining The Henry Girls for a special concert in the Colgan Hall, Carndonagh, Co.Donegal, which will bring a close to the Colgan Heritage Weekend.
This year’s Colgan Heritage Weekend (July 1st – 4th 2016) will focus on the theme of ‘Revolution and Change: 1916-2016’ as part of the national programme of events celebrating and commemorating the 1916 Easter Rising. The programme is filled with talks, poetry readings, musical recitals, concerts, walks and exhibitions which explore the importance of the 1916 Rising in modern Ireland. The keynote lectures on Friday (July 1st) evening come from Senator Marie Louise O’Donnell and recently elected MLA for Foyle Eamonn Mc Cann.
In this theme concert Songs of Revolution and Change, I will be performing songs from my upcoming release The Girl with the Beret, which I performed as part of RTE’s Reflecting the Rising on Easter Monday in Dublin this year. Inspired by my great-grand aunt Catherine Byrne who fought in the Rising in 1916, all the songs are based on stories from her witness statement recorded with the Bureau of Military History. I will be accompanied by Seamus Devenny (Violin) and Tim Jarvis (Cello).
Visit www.colganheritage.com for more info on the weekend of events
I am very honoured to have been invited to perform a collection of songs, inspired by my great-gran aunt Catherine Rooney (nee Byrne), at the centenary celebrations in Dublin this Easter Monday 28th March 2016. As part of RTÉ Reflecting the Rising I will be performing in the wonderfully historic setting that is The Four Courts. Accompanied by Seamus Devenny (violin and percussion) and Tim Jarvis (cello). In addition to our performance at the Four Courts we will also be performing one of the songs from this collection to a live broadcast audience at the Albert Theatre in the Royal College of Surgeons on St. Stephen’s Green, which will be aired on RTÉ Radio One between 3pm and 4pm on Easter Monday. This programme is all about the role of women in 1916 and will be presented by Keelin Shanley.
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