Those who managed to get a coveted ticket to the\u00a0“Samhain Sing Song with Damien Dempsey<\/a>“<\/strong>\u00a0on the 18th of October at the Galway Community College auditorium certainly weren’t disappointed. The atmosphere was vibrant for the sold-out event, a perfect start to Galway\u2019s celebration of the ancient Samhain Celtic festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The event was the brainchild of the Galway-based platform\u00a0“Inspiring You,”<\/strong>\u00a0which encourages real-life engagement and empathy, often urging people to put down their mobile phones and connect with each other “In Real Life”<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The evening was part of the\u00a0“Gaillimh Ah Boo” festival<\/a><\/strong>, a nationwide initiative to reconnect with our ancient Celtic and Samhain traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Galway Bay FM’s very own\u00a0Ronan Lardner<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0was the evening’s MC, keeping the audience entertained with his trademark wit and charm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before the main event, the crowd was treated to insightful talks.\u00a0Dr. Daniel Curley<\/a><\/strong>, director of the Rathcroghan Centre<\/a><\/strong> in Roscommon, delivered a fascinating lecture on the origins of Samhain in Celtic times, including some chilling insights into the\u00a0‘Gates of Hell’<\/strong>\u00a0found at the historic site. Galway historian\u00a0Brendan McGowan<\/strong>\u00a0then intrigued the audience by explaining the quirkier aspects of Samhain traditions, tracing how the American pumpkin carving tradition evolved from our original carved turnip ‘Jack O’Lantern’ concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bringing youthful energy to the first half were\u00a0An Tri\u00far Ceolt\u00f3ir\u00ed<\/strong>\u2014Emily Feery Quinn, Aoife Cribbin, and Orla Casey<\/strong>\u2014a dynamic traditional music trio from Claregalway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Damien Dempsey has worked with the Inspiring You<\/strong> team for over a decade on projects that encourage young people to step away from screens and engage in real-life activities. “The Samhain Sing Song”<\/strong> was devised by them to encourage a reflection on our Celtic roots and the old culture of songs and stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adding local star power to the line-up was\u00a0R\u00f3is\u00edn Seoighe<\/a><\/strong>. Fittingly, the Galway girl had won a song competition organised by Inspiring You and Damien back in 2015. Her haunting rendition of\u00a0“The West’s Awake”<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0“Cailleach an Airgead”<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0earned a rapturous reception from the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As it was an all-ages concert, it was wonderful to see young and old alike joining in with Damo, belting out beloved folk classics like “The Cliffs of Doneen”<\/em>, “The Fields of Athenry”<\/em>, “The Galway Shawl”<\/em> and, of course, the iconic “Rocky Road to Dublin”<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The true magic of the night lay in so many people enjoying a simple, shared sing-song, peppered with stories and craic<\/strong> in a phone-free, alcohol-free environment<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The project was supported by\u00a0Galway City Council<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and the\u00a0Gaillimh Ah Boo festival<\/a><\/strong>, with\u00a0BYD Galway<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0as sponsors. Guests were also treated to a gift pack from\u00a0Foods of Athenry<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n All the memorable moments from the event were captured by\u00a0KamilFilms<\/a><\/strong>, with content set to be shared soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\nA Night of Craic, History, and Song<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Damo’s Phone-Free Vision<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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