THOMAS KEANE
Lovers of Irish music, song and dance are invited to St. Michael’s Hall on the outskirts of Ballyduff Upper over the next number of Wednesday evenings for the return of ‘The Booley House’.
The organisers of the event, which has run for the past number of years, have stuck with a winning formula with lots of music, dance, storytelling and some poems.
The event showcases the area’s best singers and dancers and it a wonderful opportunity for visitors in particular to see some traditional song and dance and see how people were entertained in their homes and pubs in the past.
Three more shows remain in this year’s programme which starts at 8.15 p.m. Tickets are competitively prices and can be booked on the group’s website www.thebooleyhouse.com, by emailing thebooley-houseshow@gmail.com or phoning 086-8208242. With the hall almost full to capacity for the first two shows in this year’s programme, it is important that tickets are booked in advance.
Prior to the show, those that are booked in are served up some traditional Ballyduff hospitality with tea / coffee and refreshments served. The organisers also run a raffle on the night and have some excellent prizes to be won.
This year’s cast includes Becky Fennessy (Singer), Amy Kenneally (Singer), Stacy Cronin (Singer), Tony Dunne (Button Accordion), Claire Fennell and Caoimhín Ó Fearghail (Flute), Sean Ó Fearghail (fiddle), John Joseph O’Donovan (Guitar) and JJ Cooley (Keyboard).
In the past Booley House has featured dancers like Abigail Browne, Donnchadh Howard, Paula Goulding, Michael Donegan and Catherine O’Brien, all of whom went on to spend years in the service of Riverdance and similar shows, as well as musicians like Ciarán Galvin, Donnchadh Gough, Benny McCarthy and Donal Clancy from Danu, the latter in recent times who joined up with Rory Makem to form a group like their fathers Liam [Clancy] and Tommy [Makem].
Mick McCauley from Irish-American music group Solas and Uilleann Pipe player David Power are also among the musicians that have entertained audiences at The Booley House.
