Rollercoaster Sessions lineup packed with great acts in Kilkenny

Rollercoaster Sessions return this year to the Kilkenny Arts Festival with a programme of exceptional artists in some of the city’s most-loved venues.

Every year the Festival teams up with legendary local record store Rollercoaster Records, to put together a series of intimate gigs in some of the city’s most atmospheric haunts.

On August 9 David Murphy will take to the stage at Cleere’s Theatre. David Murphy is feted for his unique approach to that most distinctive of instruments: the pedal steel guitar.

Harnessing its mysterious sound, he has taken the instrument far beyond its roots in country music and folk, playing on everything from pop records to experimental soundtracks. His long-awaited album, Cuimhe Ghlinn: Explorations in Irish Music for Pedal Steel Guitar, continues his quest to bring the steel guitar sound to contemporary Ireland, creating captivating new versions of traditional harp tunes.

Another rollercoaster session features folk singer, Niamh Regan who will take to the stage of Set Theatre on August 12. In 2020 Niamh Regan’s debut album Hemet introduced an artist with a gift for crafting folk-tinged songs with a quiet, reflective intensity.

Rozi Plain will perform in Cleere’s on August 18. Plain has established herself as a singer-songwriter to watch, releasing five beguiling albums and working with a range of talented musicians from Sam Amidon to Alabaster DePlume.
Plain’s songs build a dreamlike ambiance, full of tranquil harmonies and deceptively simple lyrics delivered in her gentle, artless vocals. Accompanied by her band (including fellow members of This Is The Kit), Plain showcases her intimate sound in the perfect surroundings of Cleere’s.

Kilkenny-born singer-songwriter Gary O’Neill burst onto the music scene last year when his debut EP, To Those I’ve Missed, garnered over one million streams and he was soon supporting the likes of Villagers, Niamh Regan and David Keenan. The local musician will play Cleere’s on August 17.

A free event will take place at the Barrel Yard on August 10 and 17. After a long day of festival fun or before an evening of culture (or both!), visit Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny’s Barrel Yard in the heart of the city. Music by Rollercoaster Records stalwarts Davy Holland, Edel Crean, and Barry Mullins.

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