Your Big Night Out

You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone…

t’s a struggle to leave the house these days, given our big feck-off tellies and endless online distractions… 

The good news is, to help those tired of living la vida sofa, there’s plenty on offer around de town.

Up and gunning for a little more rock agus roll now, The Whale has been playing a blinder, bringing the good, the superbad and The Hothouse Flowers to town.

And given that The Hot Spot is no longer among us, and Pluck’s in Kilmac’s old school cabaret gigs sadly came to an end last July, supporting your local rock’n’roll chancer has become something of a life or death situation. For your local venues.

So, put on your drinking pants before it’s too late – and party like it’s 2019…

When it comes to the Friday sessions at Dann’s, July kicks off with the bould Woodsy and co on the 3rd, followed by The Big Muddy on the 10th, The Myle Hi Klub on the 17th, poor oul’ Johnny Rayge on the 24th and Take 2 on July 28th. August kicks off Steve Belton’s Mojo Sessions on the 7th, Sue Tomelty & Friends on the 14th, KJ McEvoy & Garvan Gallagher on the 19th and Take 2 take 2 on the 28th. Details here.

The craic is 91 over at Lee’s Of Kilcoole every Saturday night, where live music can still go all the way up to 11 – and people aren’t afraid to sing along to the old songs they grew up on. The fun always kicks off at 9.30pm, and you can check out the latest line-up right here. There’s also a new Sunday session at Lee’s of Kilcoole from 7pm to 9pm, with Shay Dunne & Thomas playing all the old singalongs we love. Warning: There May Be An Accordion.

The long-running Dann’s diddley-aye is moving to The Beach House with their new Tuesday night Snug Sessions, led by Liam Ruth and the notorious Eddie Dunphy. Kick-off is 9pm, nod-off is 10pm, and details are right about here.

The diddley-aye will be turned up to 11 at The Horse every Wednesday as their weekly Seisún by the fire makes a welcome return. Fiddles at dawn, people, kick-off at 9pm. More details here.

There’s also a new trad session every Wednesday night at Lee’s in Kilcoole, from 8pm to 10pm. Like all good trad sessions, it’s a free-form expression for all, baby.

And even more diddley-aye is on offer, with The Castle Inn having started their Saturday night sessions too. Contact them here for further details.

And if you’re looking for your trad fix on a Thursday night, The Grove Bar is the place to be, with the diddley-aye there kicking off at 9pm. We’ve been assured by regular Tony McGowan that the sessions are “always good, sometimes brilliant”. We reckon he’s on the fiddle.

The Sunday Setlist At The Horse offers up a series of afternoon double-headliners for de summer, with June 28th kicking it off with The Woolly Jumpers from 2pm to 4pm and Robbie Doyle from 4pm to 6pm; July 5th sees Brian and Emily at 2pm and Woodsy at 4pm; July 12th has Brian and Emily at 2pm with Robbie Doyle at 4pm; July 19th, it’s Ed Keating at 2pm and Luke Carrig & Band at 4pm; July 26th sees Ed Keating at 2pm and The Woolly Jumpers at 4pm; on August 2nd, it’s The Woolly Jumpers at 2pm and Robbie Doyle at 4pm; August 9th has Ed Keating at 2pm and Lisa Kavanagh at 4pm; August 15th sees The Woolly Jumpers at 2pm and Robbie Doyle at 4pm; on August 16th, it’s Ed Keating at 2pm and Woodsy at 4pm, whilst closing the run on Sunday, August 23rd, it’s The Woolly Jumpers at 2pm and Robbie Doyle at 4pm.

FRI3-SUN5JULY26 Kaleidoscope Festival Rossborough House
Ireland’s largest family music festival hits Rossborough House once again, with the big guns this year including Pete Tong, The Saw Doctors and, hey, Dustin The Turkey. Running from Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th, you can find out more here, or jump straight to de tickets over here.

20JUNE-9AUG26 3PM-5PM €26.72 Music In The Forest Dorlindon Nature Reserve
Running on Saturdays and Sundays, 3pm to 5pm, through June, July and August, Music In The Forest takes place in the rather beautiful surroundings of the Dorlindon Nature Reserve, just outside Kilmacanogue. And the impressive line-up for these afternoon delights is Liam Ó Maonlaí on Saturday, June 20th, the Dynamics Vocal Ensemble on Saturday 27th and Paul Dooley with Kseniya Rusnak on Sunday 28th. In July, it’s The Dublin Trio with Kevin Conneff (The Chieftains), Joe McKenna and Tony Byrne on Saturday 4th, Earls Of Ormond on Sunday 5th, Traditional Arts Collective (TAC) on Saturday 11th, Seán Ryan and Ciara Callanan Ryan on Sunday 12th, Gay McKeon, Mary Corcoran, Roma Casey and Tom McDonagh on Saturday 18th, Ancient Music Ireland’s Simon and Maria O’Dwyer on Sunday 19th, Catherine Rhatigan, Treasa Ni Mhaoilean and Eileen Carr on Saturday 25th and Eternum on Sunday 26th. In August, it’s Mary Bergin and Mick Conneely on Saturday 1st, Cappella Felsinea on Sunday 2nd, Ravensdale on Saturday 8th, and, closing the festival, Kathleen Loughnan and Cormac Cannon on Sunday 9th. You can find out more here, and check out that full line-up of tickets here.

FRI26JUNE26 8PM €16 Rory’s Stories: Work In Progress The Whale
Rory’s story is a pretty sweet one, making his way from struggling at school to becoming a bestselling author, stand-up comedian and mental health advocate. Thanks in no small part to over 1.2m followers on social media where he has garnered over 2 billion video views. And as the lad prepares his latest stand-up, Rory swings by The Whale to do a little work in progress. So you can let him know what works and what doesn’t. Tickets here.

SAT27JUNE26 8PM €26.50 David Kitt: The Big Romance 25th Anniversary The Whale
Hard to believe that sometimes Greystones resident David Kitt’s breakthrough album is 25 years old, and to mark the big birthday, the lad is celebrating not only with a special edition reissue of his debut offering but also a nationwide tour. A tour that includes, of course, a visit to his beloved Whale. Interview here, tickets here.

SUN28JUNE26 4PM €17 (€10 students & players) Greystones Jazz Jam The Whale
Dara MacMahon rounds up some more jazz musicians for another session covering swing, bossa, bebop, funk and beyond. The plan, as always, being a set from the house band followed by that jazz jam covering much-loved standards. Rather than inflict pure improv. It’s €17 at the door, €10 for students or players. Find out more here, daddio.

FRI3JULY26 8PM €25 Emma Langford: Ten Years On And She’s Still At Feckin’ Music, Isn’t She Very Brave All The Same, In This Economy
Bejiggers, what a title. Think the t-shirt for this tour will only be available in XXXXXXL. Limerick lass Langford has indeed being singing agus songwriting for ten years now, having made her debut in 2016 with the home-recorded Tug Of War single before her 2017 debut album Quiet Giant launched her well beyond those bedroom walls. You can find out just how the last 10 years of “a haphazard amble from one achievement to the next” have treated young Langford when she plays The Whale for a third time. Interview here, tickets here.

FRI3-SAT4JULY26 9PM €20 Wicklow Comedy Club: Fred Cooke & friends O’Shea’s Corner
It’s three-for-one for the latest Wicklow Comedy Club night at O’Shea’s Corner, Fred Cooke being joined by Gar Murran and Paul Marsh, the latter taking on the role of MC. The boys are there over two nights, Friday tickets here, Saturday tickets here.

SAT4JULY26 8PM €12.50 Whale Film Club: Dirty Dancing
The 1987 hit that made Patrick Swayze a star and Jennifer Grey a really tough question on Trivial Pursuits, Dirty Dancing returns to the big screen at The Whale for one night only. So we can all feel that first rush of love again, and remember all those Cabana’s nights that ended with some poor drunken chick falling flat on her face as she attempts a swan-in-flight dive with her equally drunk boyfriend. Magic. Tickets here.

THURS9JULY26 8PM €30 David Nihill: Taking Tangents Tour The Whale
Having left Dublin with a thirst for new adventures – and just a thirst – David Nihill’s many travels and ready wit led him to not only winning the annual San Francisco Comedy Competitions (joining such previous champs Robin Williams and Ellen DeGeneres) but also founding the FunnyBizz Conference, becoming a bestselling author, and selling out stand-up shows around the globe. And you can find out why as he hits that Whale stage. Tickets here.

FRI10JULY26 8PM €22 Playback: Bowie’s Station To Station The Whale
Taking the blueprint of Greystones band UFO by tackling a classic album along with an encore of hits from the artist, Bray’s Playback return to The Whale with David Bowie’s 1976 classic Station To Station, the album that produced Golden Years, Stay and TVC15, plus a dodgy salute at London’s Victoria Station. Which may have just been the side effects of the cocaine. It’s a beautiful album so, this should be a treat. Tickets here.

SAT11JULY26 8PM €16 Mute The TV
Greystones’ hardest working band return to The Whale for what might just be their 100th gig in the last five years, having also seemingly released 100 singles over that time. Because that’s how these highly prolific feckers rock’n’roll, man. With the Crampton brothers up front, David Heffernan on drums and Oscar Hackett on bass, the foursome make for a fearsome pop thrill. Just in case anyone out there would like to feel young and alive again. Tickets here.

SAT25JULY26 8PM €35 Chris Holland: The Maestro Is Back Newcastle Parish Centre
Growing up in Birmingham, and singing since the age of 3, the idea of actually making a living from belting out a tune never crossed the young Chris Holland’s mind.  The only trouble was, this kid could really, really belt out a tune. And that meant it was really only a matter of time before that career in music found Chris, Kings College Taunton offering the somewhat surprised 12-year-old a music scholarship. A few years later, he won The Lloyd Webber Trophy at the national 1989 Eisteddfod festival in Bristol. In 1993, after learning how to handle a crowd by touring pubs, clubs, hotels and holiday camps, Chris auditioned for Miss Saigon on the West End. And, bejiggers, he got it. And you can find out just why by joining the lad as he returns to the Newcastle Parish Centre on July 25th, tickets on 012819300 or email here. Interview here.

MON17-SAT22AUG26 Ethno Ireland Roundwood Parish Centre & Mermaid
Organised by the non-profit Roots In Tunes, the Ethno Ireland workshops covering folk, world and traditional music are all about bringing young musicians from all corners of the globe together. To compare diddley-aye notes. Having taken over Lough Dan last year, for 2026, it’s Roundwood’s parish hall from August 17th to 22nd, with a grand finale concert in The Mermaid to close. And the call is out for Irish trad musicians between 18 and 30 with the €350 signup covering accommodation, transport, meals and events. You can find out more here, and here, follow on Instagram here, and get in touch directly on [email protected].

THURS3SEPT26 7PM €17 Edwin Sammon & Friends The Horse & Hound Comedy Club
Kicking off on September 3rd and running every Thursday throughout the month, The Horse & Hound Comedy Club aims to bring together some of Ireland’s most-acclaimed comedians along with some young punslingers, and, you know, have a laugh for a night. Headlining that debut show is Keego lookalike Edwin Sammon, star of Bridget And Eamon and The Republic Of Telly, the wayward priest being joined by the award-winning Fiona O’Mahony and comedy magician Alex J Byrne, all held together by MC and club founder Keego. Details here, tickets here.

We’ll be adding more gigs as the weeks progress, and we catch up with our sleep.

In the meantime, you can check The Whale here, and whatever else is going on in this town here.