A cultural love letter to Cavan
A cultural celebration of Cavan will see a host of wonderful acts- old and new- take to the Townhall stage.
Titled 'The Sound of Time Flying' after a Dermot Healy poem, the event is organised by musicians and mates Josh McClorey and Daragh Slacke.
Originally the plan had been for Josh's new band Soft Launch to headline, but factors beyond their control have seen them pull the plug on a planned Irish tour.
“We've just had to take a bit of time out unfortunately, but we're all really good friends and we just thought it was the best thing to do now, to look after each other and thankfully we've been able to get this show together.”
He's chatting to the Celt while on the number 30 bus from the airport on his way back home. Not wanting to let the festival down, and with a limited window of time, Josh worked tirelessly to pull together a show that will definitely put bums on seats.
“Reaching out to people has been incredible. How enthusiastic everybody is and up for the gig. It's coming along really nicely.”
This show brings together a proverbial who's who of the current Cavan music scene.
“The thing is, we love Cavan,” he says of himself and Daragh. “The more I travel, the more I realise everyone from Cavan seems to really love Cavan, no matter where they go.
“A musician from Dublin said it to me recently, 'How do you know someone's from Cavan? They'll tell you’,” he quips. “It's because we're a proud place and there's always been so much great art, and culture and music in the town and county.”
Initial thoughts about forming a “really cool house band” of favourite musicians, quickly saw them call upon Sean O’Reilly, Mike Paterson, Emil Kapusta, as well as The Greenhorns. That conversation of favourite musicians rapidly expanded to include the work of other artists too- such as poet Noel Monahan, filmmaker Philip Doherty and the work of the late Tom McIntyre and Dermot Healy.
“It became like the famous naming game, so we were thinking how do we put something together that showcases all of those people who have certainly been a huge part of mine and Darragh's lives and the county in terms of the progression of music and arts.”
The special guests now includes Doherty, Rita Perry, and Liam McCabe, with a mixture of songs and poems penned by Healy and McIntyre. But there is also room for the next generation.
“It's not that long ago I was 17, 18 years ago playing in the Townhall for the first time, and getting to work with people like Darragh and Phil and Joe Keenan for the first time.
“They helped me come through so much, so we thought can we help the next group of people come through and that's why it's so exciting to have people like No Vendors, The Dukes, Ellen O’Brien, Shane Walsh and Robert Mulligan and all these young people come through Cavan,” says Josh. “I spoke to Philip Doherty on the phone yesterday and he said, 'Essentially this is a love letter to the place, or at least an ode to'.”
Josh hopes the event has an immersive feel.
“I found a lot of archival footage online of Cavan throughout the years, from the '50s and '60s up until now, and there's a lot of that we wanted to include in the show as well. It's the same thing in the video, there's so much nostalgia, but there's so much youth in all of the videos, so the Sound of Time Flying seemed like an apt title for the whole thing.
“I would look at it more as a theatrical performance moreso than a variety line-up gig.”
Josh is bowled over by the response from artists he approached, and knows it's going to be a great celebration.
“We could have had a six hour show if we waned there's so much talent in Cavan and I think it's important to showcase that because we're a small place but we've a big voice.”