In The Lamplight

This month's episode is heavily theatre-themed, as the lads chat about Luke's recent All-Ireland win, Mícheál's experience performing in "Hairspray!" with Pop-Up Theatre Sligo, as well as his April foray onto the "streets". April's guest rounds out the theatre theme as the guys chat to Karen Gordon, the creative force behind Pop-Up Theatre. Rory asks the lads how they got on with last month's challenge and gives his April recommendation.

The guys get down to brass tacks discussing a controversial question that Mícheál took to the people on the streets, have a chat with Irish filmmakers Paul and John Murphy, and talk about the things they challenged themselves with after Rory's recommendation last month. Rory also brings us his recommendation for this month.

Kieran, Luke, Rory and Mícheál catch up with a chat about their Valentine's Day escapades, with some big news from Rory. Mícheál has been on the streets again, asking people for their opinions on the renaming of "Knock" airport. The lads welcome Brendan Tierney to the show for a chat one week removed from his successful SO Funny Sligo Comedy Festival, and Rory recommends introducing a bit of discomfort into your life.

Kieran, Luke, Rory and Mícheál catch up after some months away from the podcast and the studio. After a chat about the extracurricular physical activity of people under the age of thirty, the guys challenge Kieran on his long-held belief that Ballygowan bottled water is inferior, and Rory gets all deep and meaningful.

Kieran, Luke, Rory and Mícheál get chatting about their favourite songs from movie soundtracks, talk to Deirdre O'Kane about COVID life and her currently touring stand-up show, and try another left-field delicacy on Rory's recommendation.

Kieran, Luke, Rory & Mícheál are joined by previous podcast guest Niamh Crowley to chat about the recent "FREEDOM! Theme Night 29". They discuss their favourite moments, performances and other highlights, as well as Niamh winning the coveted Golden Jacket. Mícheál brings us some post-show reactions from punters, while Rory brings us his latest recommendation.

Kieran, Luke, Rory and Mícheál are reunited for a catch-up chat. The guys talk about death row meals, are joined by Collette Sheerin for an introspective chat and a song, and Rory gives his recommendation for the week. Hint, it rhymes with "clean white pickets".

The lads have a chat about what derailed their plans for last week's episode. We have a listen to Mícheál's latest chat with the people, where he asked the folks on the street what animal they would choose to be. Mícheál hosts a quiz reflecting on the last few episodes, while Kieran gives us a sneak preview of some tracks from his upcoming Theme Night album, "How Can I Keep From Singing?". Rory delivers some sage advice this week on "Rory Recommends".

Our featured guest this week is our very own Mícheál Kearney! Kieran, Luke and Rory have all been in the Lamplight hotseat, now it's Mícheál's turn. Also featuring the lads discussing their greatest fears, a Lamplight house band version of "Dreams" by The Cranberries, and a recommendation from Rory along with a story about getting lost on a mountain and eating some magic beans to find his way home.

Kieran has a hypothetical business proposition for Luke and Rory. Mícheál has been asking the Irish people what their favourite home-grown film is, a hot topic for Rory. Kieran and Rory chat to Tommy Higgins, the man responsible for modernising the ticket industry in Ireland, and the current chairman of Sligo Rovers Football Club. Luke runs into more accent-related difficulties after Rory recommends a Sligo business-related experience involving lap blankets. Kieran tells the lads how he wants to put a grand piano in the middle of the Garavogue river.

Kieran, Luke and Rory check in with Mícheál, fresh off the plane after his mission to Berlin. Hear what question Mícheál put to the people on the streets of the German capital. Kieran and Rory have a chat with Westlife star, surfing enthusiast and proud son of Sligo, Kian Egan. Hear an original song of Luke's that was featured in a video by TemperHound Productions, and get Rory's Recommendation for the week.

With Mícheál away in Berlin on a mission for the Lamplight team, Kieran, Luke and Rory discuss saying no, scouse accents and more. Mícheál managed to squeeze in a trip out among the public before he left, asking them about their favourite holiday destinations. Listen to their responses, and hear the lads share some of their own thoughts and experiences.Michael Rooney is this week's special guest. He joins Kieran and Rory for a chat about music, education, composing, and life experiences. He also performs one of his own pieces with Kieran, a tune called "An Cruitire".For this week's "Rory Recommends", Rory decided that the team would go to the Sligo Senior Football Championship final, contested between Tourlestrane and Coolera/Strandhill. Listen to the lads give their thoughts on the experience.

Kieran, Luke & Rory open the show with a chat about getting into a flow state, or getting "in the zone". Mícheál joins the guys for this week's "Mícheál on the Streets" segment, where he asks people about their favourite live entertainment experiences.Kieran chats to Eamonn O'Hara, a comrade from his days playing GAA football Sligo. Their chat includes in-depth discussions about the game and some of their classic moments, as well as some healthy slagging about a big upcoming match. Eamonn chooses "The Parting Glass" for the house band to perform, which Rory leads on vocals.For this week's "Rory Recommends", Rory has the lads watch the 2017 official music video for Elton John's classic hit, "Rocket Man". The guys discuss the video and the story behind it.

Kieran, Luke & Rory kick of season three by adding a fourth member to their team, the Ringo to their John, Paul and George. Mícheál Kearney comes on board to join the lads in all of their general craic, and also to host a weekly segment called "Mícheál On The Streets". This week, Mícheál has been out talking to people in the crowd at the "Music's Coming Home" outdoor gig in Sligo town. Kieran and Luke were involved in one of the gigs and Mícheál asks them for their favourite moments.This week's special guest is Ian Dempsey. Ian chats to Kieran and Mícheál about his career highlights including Dempsey's Den, his long-running breakfast show on Today FM, Gift Grub, the ever-changing role of the radio DJ, and his love for David Bowie. Ian's choice of song, to be performed by the In The Lamplight House Band, is Paul Brady's "Crazy Dreams".The lads introduce another new segment called "Rory Recommends". Each week, Rory will recommend a new movie, some new music, or maybe a new experience. This week, Rory took the team cliff jumping. Have a listen to see how they got on!

Johnny Gallagher, Pauric Gallagher and Seán O'Reilly (three quarters of the Boxty Band) join us for an absolutely rocking episode of In The Lamplight to wrap up season two. Hear the lads tell stories from the road, and talk about their experiences playing gigs from arenas to cow sheds.The lads play a set with all of the trademark wildfire energy of a live Boxty show. They start with Johnny's trademark version of Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" before belting out two originals, "The Loser" and "Mr. George". The set also features Kieran on keys and Duane Gallagher on bass.

Callum Wall becomes the first Lamplight Spotlight guest as he joins Kieran for a chat about his recently released debut EP. Callum talks about how his first year of college has been going, how he recorded and produced his EP himself, and also takes the opportunity to plug some of his self-designed merchandise. Callum performs his song "Limbo", featuring Ash Stevenson on the drums along with Kieran on keys and Luke on bass.Following on from Callum, the guys are joined by Corcra, the new name for the vocal trio of Naoise Devaney, Jayne Feehily and Gillian Brennan. A regular staple of Kieran's teenage and adult Theme Nights over the past number of years, the group have just released their debut original single, "Waiting". They chat to Kieran about college, pandemic life, the writing of the song, and how eleven years of singing together have given their harmonies a tightness that even siblings would be jealous of. They perform a stripped back version of their new single.Luke, Rory and Kieran break down their work on the girls' song, from the birth of the project as an idea of Rory's to the release of the final track and music video. Luke talks about the process of arranging and recording the song, while Rory opens up on the creative thought processes behind the song's video, available now on Corcra's official YouTube channel.

Cathy Jordan, long-time Dervish frontwoman, singer, bodhrán player and all-around musician extraordinaire, joins Kieran, Luke and Rory for craic and tunes. Cathy chats about fronting Dervish, their prolific recording output, collecting relatively unknown Irish songs and her new project with her collaborator, Peter Crann, "Crankie Island Songs".

In The Lamplight brings you its first original song, titled "Moments". Join Kieran, Luke and Rory as they discuss the creation and development of the song. Hear about where the initial idea and melody came from, how the lyrics were written, the attempts that were made to steer the song in a different direction over fears that it was "too musical theatre" and more. The lads talk about the way that different instruments and performance styles were used to give the song its final form. Rory discusses the shooting of the music video, giving us an insight into his approach to the shoot, the intent behind the video, and some of the creative decisions he made during the editing process to make sure the video reinforced the songs' lyrics and meaning.

Leon Mooney, ex-Rackhouse Pilfer and a renowned musician in his own right, joins Kieran, Luke and Rory for a chat. Hear Leon talk about how music has always been in his life, from jamming in sheds after school to touring Ireland and Europe with a hot, in-demand band. Leon discusses his taste in music, the positives on the pandemic and his personal and musical plans for the future.

Kieran, Luke and Rory are joined by Marie O'Byrne, the director of Sligo's Hawk's Well Theatre. Hear about Marie's musical origins, how she came late to traditional Irish music after a classical upbringing, and how she came to Sligo (and ended up staying longer than she had planned). Marie discusses her work developing the theatre as a community resource and as a place that nurtures Sligo's amazing artistic scene in parallel with its role as a performance venue for national and international touring acts and productions.

Legendary Irish Band Those Nervous Animals join Kieran, Luke and Rory on the season two premiere of In The Lamplight to discuss the past, present and future of their musical career. The band discuss the music scene in Sligo in the 1980s, breaking onto the national stage with hit singles such as "The Business Enterprise (My Friend John)", their fabled residency in The Baggot Inn in Dublin and their disappointment at missing out on the chance to put out an album at the height of their success. Over thirty years later, the Animals' story comes full circle as they release their debut album "The Mission Sessions". Barry, Eddie, Pádraig, Susan and Tom chat about the album and perform some of its featured songs live on the show.

Kieran sets the scene for the episode, alluding to the rancour that has been created between the three lads regarding the theme tune vote. The tension rises as the vote results get ever closer.The lads then chat about their highlights of the season. From indelible images of Rory and Luke's childhood to some masterful guitar playing, some amateur violin playing, and finally a pleasant surprise for Rory, the season has been full of learnings and fun. Finally, it's time for the big reveal as Luke takes us through the results of the vote, starting at no. 6 and counting down to no. 1. There is no doubt about the big question - where will Kieran's piano theme tune rank and how many of Luke's tunes will it beat?We finally get the answer, and there is some controversy as there are mixed feelings about the legitimacy of the vote.The lads wrap-up by saying how much they are looking forward to Season 2, and giving out the much-anticipated start date for the Season.

This week's show opens with a version of our theme song that we made up especially for our guest, "Famous" Dave Flynn. This leads to a bit of chat between Kieran, Luke and Rory before they welcome Dave to the show.After reaffirming his hatred of first-beat-third-beat clappers everywhere, Dave takes us through his musical twenties, a time when he played bass guitar with some of Irish music's most famous names, most notably Paddy Casey and Dave Couse. He recalls the many big shows and venues they played, opening for legendary acts such as Bob Dylan and often appearing higher on the bill than some other legendary acts including Gary Moore. Although he found considerable success as a bass player, Dave tells us that he couldn't shake his desire to be a guitarist which led to him going back to music college to hone his skills.Dave talks about forming a Stevie Ray Vaughan cover band during his time in college, a band that Kieran was also in. Kieran and Dave remember the confusion caused by Dave forgetting to tell the rest of the band members that his guitar was down-tuned one half step. The musical and personal relationships formed during his time in college with Kieran would ultimately lead to Dave leaving his native Wexford behind and moving to Sligo to be closer to a music scene that he enjoyed.We listen to Dave, Luke and Kieran perform a version of Paul Simon's "René and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog After the War", recently arranged by Luke and Dave and performed as part of Kieran's show "Not A Theme Night".On the subject of Paul Simon, Dave tells the story of the time he and his friend engineered an encounter will Paul Simon, accosting him while he was doing his grocery shopping. Kieran then hits Dave with a philosophical question, presenting him with the theory that all musicians dream of making it big and then asking him if he has had a reckoning with himself over whether or not this might still happen for him. Dave assures Kieran that he's still fully intent on being a rock star and that he'll never give up hope.Dave discusses his work as a choirmaster, how Sligo's Hawk's Well Theatre initially gave him an opportunity to do something he hadn't done before and how it eventually led to him appearing on TV in the show "David Brophy's Choir Of Ages". We take a listen to a choral arrangement of one of Kieran's songs that he co-wrote with Kate Winter. The song, called "Meadhbh's Call", is heard here performed by the Heart's Desire Choir with an arrangement by Dave.In the final segment of the interview, Dave talks about what he would do if money was no object before Luke and Dave reveal their mutual desire to obtain a private pilot's license which leads to a small bit of aviation chat on our otherwise music-centred show! We close out the interview with a blues piece called "Tore Down House" recorded and performed by Dave, friend-of-the-show and previous guest Sinéad Conway and drummer Steve Kohlmann.In the post-interview, Kieran, Luke and Rory discuss their plans for season two of the podcast and ask the listeners for their opinions on a few things, namely the numerous variations on our theme song that we've featured over the last nine episodes. The show closes with a short snippet from each of those theme songs.

In part one, we heard about Sandy's upbringing, her musical roots, her early family life and her work and friendship with Johnny cash, a friendship borne out of him hearing her on the radio one night when he was in Ireland on tour.In part two, we hear about Sandy's reluctance to record some of her biggest hits such as her highly successful version of "Crazy". The song was originally written by Willie Nelson and she would have the chance to record it with him as a duet. The guys, along with Sandy, discuss the importance of being ready to take opportunities to present themselves.Sandy and Kieran discuss a song that they collaborated on which was featured on Kieran's "Our Place" EP. The song, titled "Ordinary Boy", was written by Kieran and was inspired by his own son who was two years old at the time. Kieran asked Sandy if she would like to sing the song as he thought she might relate to it as she has a grandson of the same age. Sandy was delighted to lend her voice to the song and we get a listen to the result on the show.Sandy chats about life in the present, the positives that the pandemic has brought to her life, if she has any regrets about a life lived on the road and about her contentment with where she is at now. She also reveals that she is writing a book about her life which will explore her origins as a travelling performer with her family and detail many of the ups, downs, struggles and triumphs that she has encountered throughout her stellar career. The chat with Sandy finishes with a listen to her performing a beautiful version of the old standard "What A Wonderful World".In the post-interview chat, the lads reveal their guest for next week as Kieran and Rory confront Luke with a question about the theme music for Órla Sweeney's episode.

Kieran and Luke use the lads' intro to have some fun at Rory's expense by poking fun at some innocent ignorance that was exposed in the St Patrick's Day Special when revealed that he had never heard of embroidery before. Rory tells us about a recent near-death experience he had while out surfing.Sandy sits into the guest seat as Kieran asks her about her origins as a performer. Hear Sandy talk about her childhood, her family, her musical and cultural heritage and how her upbringing shaped her life as a performer.Asked to tell the story of how she came to work with the late Johnny Cash, Sandy takes on an amazing storytelling journey. Hear about the moment that Johnny happened to hear her singing on the radio one night as he was in the car preparing for a concert in Omagh and how it led to him inviting her to the concert, asking her to sing with him that night and ultimately record their famous duet "Woodcarver" after a trip to Nashville and a visit to Johnny's home.We take a listen to "Woodcarver" to close out part one of our chat with Sandy.

Luke talks to Catherine Rhatigan about her ongoing musical projects and work. Having been involved in various projects of Catherine's together over the last few years, Luke and Catherine aren't strangers to each other. Catherine's roots are in Sligo but she is now based near Zürich in Switzerland. Luke and Catherine discuss her upcoming musical endeavours, how the pandemic has affected her both personally and professionally, how this St. Patrick's Day might be different from others, her work on the collaborative piece featured at the end of the podcast and her own work as a composer. We hear The Atlantic Orchestra Project perform one of Catherine's compositions from the show "Cannon in Sea", a piece titled "The Inishmurray March".Kieran chats to New Jersey native Dan Mulqueen. Dan has a deep interest in traditional Irish folk music, an interest borne out of the deep Irish roots on both sides of his family. A percussionist and rhythm maker by trade, Dan is no stranger to a melody; he has mastered the handpan drum, a new instrument that has only existed in its current form since the early noughties that combines rhythmic and melodic sound output to create an extremely unique instrument. Dan and Kieran discuss how they first encountered each other, the technicals of the handpan drum and how it's played, Dan's setup where he uses more than one handpan drum, Dan's gigging life and his work with Irish music, his local St. Patrick's Day traditions as well as his work as an original artist, work which has been impacted by the ongoing pandemic. We hear the title track from Dan's latest album, an electronica track called "Real Life" with acoustic handpan as the lead instrument.Rory sits down for a virtual chat with Stephen O'Dowd. Although he is our youngest guest on the show so far, he already possesses musical wisdom and technical ability far beyond his years. After a brief chat about surfing, Rory asks Stephen about the multitude of instruments he plays, the emotion and musicality he brings to his interpretations of various songs and how he approached the collaborative piece that we're featuring at the end of this episode. Being the last to put his stamp on the piece, Stephen had the benefit of context that Catherine and Dan did not in that he could hear the rest of the piece and try to figure out how to best fit himself into it. Stephen has put together a version of Thom Moore's "Turn The Corner" for the show today and we get a listen to that at the end of this segment.Finishing off the show, we take a listen to the collaborative piece, a version of "Sí Bheag, Sí Mhór" featuring Catherine Rhatigan on the harp, Dan Mulqueen on the handpan drum and Stephen O'Dowd on fiddle, mandolin and guitar.

Órla Sweeney is In The Lamplight! Hear all about Órla's amazing life starting from when she was a newborn baby and her dad placed her next to a record player for a musical christening by Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin. As a child, Órla attended more gigs than most people will in their entire lifetime, accompanying her dad, Oliver, who worked as a journalist for the music magazine Hot Press.As a child, Órla had the opportunity to meet many renowned musicians and artists. As a teenager, while Órla's peers were going to popular club nights in Dublin, Órla often found herself at a traditional music session in Whelans or a folk gig in Vicar Street. The songs of Richard Thompson have remained lifelong favourites of Órla's. We get a listen to Órla performing his classic "The Dimming of the Day" alongside former In The Lamplight guest, Seamie O'Dowd.In her early twenties, Órla recorded and released an album of original material co-written with her father. The opportunity arose out of a recording session for a separate project on which Órla was providing backing vocals and the resulting album led to her being signed to the Warner Bros. record label and she completed several successful tours and performed as support for some of the all-time greats of Irish music.After listening to a track called "Donegal Rain" from her debut album "The Blue Note", Órla opens up on whether her exposure to the music industry and music journalism as a child gave her a heightened awareness of any criticism she received as a performer. Órla gives a very honest insight into her struggles with confidence when it comes to performing in front of an audience.Aside from her career as a performer, Órla has been involved in many behind-the-scenes musical projects, chief among which is her involvement with the phenomenally successful "Ceol" album series in which popular artists record Irish-language versions of their hit songs.Órla produced several albums in the series in the mid-to-late noughties working with artists such as Des Bishop, The Coronas and Eddi Reader. Her work with Reader on a Gaeilge version of the Fairground Attraction hit "Perfect" led to them forming a lasting friendship. Órla performed a song written by Eddi's husband and sung regularly by Eddi - "Wild Mountainside" as part of Kieran's "Not A Theme Night" and we take a listen to that performance here.Rory asks Órla about the emotion she brings to her perfomances, something evident to anyone who saw her perform in the recent "Not A Theme Night" show. Following up with a tough question, Luke asks Órla about the special pair of headphones she's wearing for the interview.The three lads wrap up by reflection on their chat with Órla and reveal some plans for next week's episode which will be released on Saint Patrick's Day.

The show opens with this week's variation on our opening theme, a merging of Kieran's original melody movement with a chord progression and instrumentation similar to The Saw Doctors' hit "N17". The lads discuss the feeling of finding yourself in the middle of a performance with someone unexpected in the crowd, be they a famous person or a musical peer whose opinion you value and respect, and the way that this can influence your mindset and your performance.Kieran introduces Leo Moran of The Saw Doctors and the lads get chatting about the band's early days. Leo recounts one of the key moments that led to the band breaking out in Ireland and abroad, that being the endorsement of Mike Scott of The Waterboys. Leo chats about their early experiences touring and the sacrifices they had to make when they decided to fully embrace a future as a working band.Kieran ask Leo about his songwriting process. Leo gives us an insight into his workflow when writing songs with fellow Saw Doctors bandmate Davy Carton. Leo praises Davy's compositional ability and creativity.Leo performs a Saw Doctors song, "Same Oul' Town". The performance features Leo on acoustic guitar and lead vocals with Luke providing banjo, dobro, accordion and backing vocals.Kieran brings up football and he and Leo swap stories of how their musical lives intertwined with their mutual love of the sport. Hear about Leo performing impromptu gigs outside his house on matchdays in Tuam and about how The Saw Doctors song "To Win Just Once" will, for Kieran, be forever associated with his biggest win while playing for Sligo.The lads, along with Leo, listen to Sarah Crummy's spine-tingling reimagining of the song which earns high praise from Leo.Elsewhere on the show, Leo recites a piece of spoken-word prose that he wrote during the first Covid-19 lockdown. The piece is centred on his native town of Tuam and reflects on his life, his travels, his dreams and where he finds himself now in the middle of a global pandemic.The lads wrap up their chat with Leo with the promise of some in-person tunes together at some point in the future. The episode ends with Kieran, Luke and Rory reflecting on their chat with Leo. We also get this week's "In The Rantlight" segment featuring Kendy and Raybo of The Kendy and Raybo Podcast.

It's Luke's turn in the Lamplight hot seat as he becomes the last of the show's trio of hosts to become a guest on his own podcast. The show opens with a swing jazz interpretation of the theme song, arranged and recorded by Luke. In lieu of the usual poem, Kieran (along with some help from friend-of-the-show, "Famous" Dave Flynn) presents a version of Pat Shortt's "Jumbo Breakfast Role", rewritten to run through some of the instruments Luke plays...and take a dig over the ones he doesn't.Luke's musical childhood is the focus of the first part of the show where he tells us how he became fascinated by the piano accordion at the age of four, inspired by the music of Foster & Allen. Hear about a childhood spent performing at various functions around the country and about how Luke started his recording career at the age of six. Kieran and Rory, having thoroughly done their research, play a clip of six-year-old Luke singing "Red Haired Mary".The conversation moves on as the lads discuss how Luke's one instrument turned into many more while Luke talks about his own limitations as well as the advantages of being a multi-instrumentalist when it comes to being a music producer. Luke talks about his time in college and how his experiences with the Maynooth Drama Society and his social development were as much a part of his college education as his course.Luke discusses songwriting, outlining what he likes in a song and how it feeds into his own writing. We hear one of Luke's original songs, "Dancing Lucy".Kieran asks Luke about a song Rory performed two episodes previously, a brand-new arrangement of Hozier's "Movement". Kieran asks Luke to break down his though process and workflow when it comes to taking an arrangement from an idea and turning it into a finished, polished recording. The lads discuss musicianship and the value of of picking your spots and self-discipline when performing live or in the studio.Wrapping up, the guys discuss their work on Kieran's show, "Not A Theme Night". With part one of the show having already been broadcast, the lads reflect on the feeling of sending work out into the world.The show finishes up with another original from Luke which was featured in part one of "Not A Theme Night", a song called "The Ballad of Puss In Boots".

The proverbial tables are turned on this week's episode of In The Lamplight as Kieran becomes the interviewee. Rory and Luke ask him all the tough questions, questions like "Why did your football friends call you five-ninety?" and "How do you feel about your brother beating you every year in the Warrior's Run?", a statement that Kieran assures us isn't true.The episode opens with a longer intro, a full-fledged piece of music newly written by Kieran and based off our theme music. Rory and Luke present Kieran with their best attempt at poetry before diving into the questions.Rory takes the reigns to ask Kieran about sport. Kieran discusses finding his passion for sport, what it meant to him to be involved in various teams over the years and how it brought him a sense of community and belonging.We listen to the original studio recording of Kieran's composition "The Match", a tune co-written with Steve Wickham, also featuring Junior Davey on the Bodhrán. Kieran wrote the tune after being challenged to write a piece that combined his love of music with his passion for sport.Luke takes over to ask Kieran about all things music. From the lightbulb moment that ignited his desire to play the piano again to his methods as a music teacher, Kieran offers up insights into his thoughts on music in general and its place in his life. He talks about his realisation that he didn't want to do anything else with his life and that music was his calling and how he forged a career as a professional musician.Kieran performs an original piece called "Something Beautiful" alongside Niamh Crowley on the violin. The piece, along with many more from various well-known Sligo artists and performers, will be featured in an upcoming two-part show called "Not A Theme Night", details of which are available on the Hawk's Well Theatre's website.Wrapping up, Rory asks Kieran how he found his way back to Sligo after a well-travelled youth. They discuss Kieran's Teenage Theme Nights and the importance of presenting young people with the opportunity to grow and develop through music.Eoin Troy features on this week's "In The Rantlight" segment with his breakdown of an epidemic that's been plaguing the music industry for some years now...the dreaded Curly Vowels.

After a Covid-imposed break, In The Lamplight returns with Season 1.5 and one of its own as the special guest, barber extraordinaire and cinematographer supreme, Rory Maitland.Hear about Rory's experiences in musical theatre growing up, including the time he swore on stage as a child a production of "Oliver!" where he first crossed paths with Luke. Luke and Rory re-enact one of the scenes they shared. Kieran asks Rory about the time he was co-opted into a production of Grease after someone pulled out in the late stages of the rehearsal process which lead to Rory's first meeting with Kieran who was the musical director of the show.Rory talks about his work and work ethic, about how he feels its important to be true to yourself and find something that you enjoy doing in live, something you have a passion for.Other topics discussed are favourite albums, songs, favourite theme night performances, and more.The lads premiere a new podcast slot called "Lamplight Pet Peeves" featuring "Famous" Dave Flynn, a good friend of the podcast. In this slot, the lads will be giving musicians free reign to rant about the things that irk them the most.Rory performs twice for us in this episode. First, he does his on-point Ed Sheeran impersonation, improvising an Ed Sheeran-style song after being given three random words by Kieran and Luke. Rory breaks down Ed Sheeran's songwriting formula with a live demonstration. Rory's second performance is a beautiful reimaging of Hozier's "Movement" with Kieran providing keys with Luke providing guitar, organ and a string arrangement.

Part two of In The Lamplight's End-of-Year Special for 2020.Kieran, Luke & Rory continue where they left off at the end of part one, discussing the imminent streaming of Theme Night 26 - Ireland In Song. Hear about the last minute hurdles that cropped up shortly before the show.The lads move on to Theme Night 27, chatting about how it differed from Theme Night 26. Hear stories about how they ended up losing a day of recording time, about Kieran and Rory's scouting mission to find a location for a night-time shoot and about how they almost got rumbled by the guards.Featured audio clips from Theme Nights 26 & 27 include...- "Running To Stand Still" - Joe Hunt- "Your World" - Sam & Ollie White- "Dancing In The Street" - Jamie Callaghan & Sinéad Conway- "Summer Medley" - Niamh Crowley & gang- "What A Wonderful World" - Barry Brennan- "All I Ask" - Chris BaillieAll of the above performances are available to watch on Kieran's YouTube channel, along with all of the other songs from both shows.

Luke opens the show with a gentle Christmas lullaby written by John Denver called "Christmas for Cowboys", playing guitar and harmonica and delivering the vocal.Aileen joins the guys to discuss her job and how it fits into the bigger picture of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.Aileen chats about her memories of working on the two Kieran Quinn Online Theme Nights that took place this year, those being "Theme Night 26 - Ireland In Song" and Theme Night 27 "Summer & Sunshine". In the former, Aileen performed "No Frontiers" along with Gráinne McCarthy and in the latter, she performed "La Vie en rose" with the Old Market Street Swing Band, the classic, signature song of Édith Piaf. Hear about how the songs were recorded, the challenges that were faced as a result of Covid-19 restrictions and how the recording of the two tracks differed.After chatting about how they felt on the night that the completed show was streamed, Aileen performs an original song called "Grateful". The song has Christmas themes but also features a broader theme of thankfulness. Aileen delivers a beautifully emotive performance, wrapping up her time on the show on a poignant note.The lads move on to chat about their broader experiences of working on the first online Theme Night, swapping stories about the problems they encountered, late night phone calls, all-night marathon mixing sessions, the benefits of recording vocals under a duvet and much more.Other recordings heard during the show are the Theme Night Choir performing "Flying Without Wings" and Sandy Kelly singing "Katie", both of which were recorded for Online Theme Night 26 - Ireland In Song.

The lads bring season one of the podcast to a close, opening the episode by swapping stories of encounters with famous people which leads into a discussion about how Irish people treat famous people and whether or not we might just be a little bit unique.Kieran, Luke and Rory are joined by their guest, Steve Wickham. From fuzz fiddle to traditional Irish fiddle, from John Prine to Country Jack, Steve has led a well travelled life and has seen many corners of the world through the eyes of a touring musician. Hear him talk about his experiences meeting and playing with names such as U2, John Prine and Bob Dylan, as well as how he views himself within the context of his own gigging life with his highly successful band, The Waterboys.Steve opens up about how he came to call Sligo home. Although the move from Dublin was jarring at first, Steve now finds sanctuary and solace in Sligo and has climbed more of the county's many peaks and mountains than most Sligo-borns ever will.Steve chats about his experiences with the Covid-19 pandemic, how it has affected his life as a touring musician and his current studies in fine art.Steve performs three pieces during the show. The first is a self-composed jig called "The Whispers of New England". He is joined by Kieran on keys and Luke on bass guitar while he plays the fiddle himself. Hear the story of how the tune got its name. Next up is an original song that reflects on the lockdown experience but also looks forward with tentative optimism. Steve is on vocals and guitar here with Kieran on keys. Finally, Kieran (keys) and Steve (fiddle) perform their co-composed tune "The Match", a piece of music that sweeps through the highs and lows of an intense Gaelic football match.The lads wrap up the episode with their usual reflections on their chats with their guest and throw around the possibility of a Christmas special...

Before introducing this week's guest, Kieran asks Luke and Rory if either of them could recall saying yes to a question which had much further-reaching consequences than they could ever have imagined at the time. This week's guest, Brian Devaney, certainly could.Brian joins the podcast to talk about his life on and off the stage as one of the pillars of the Coolera Dramatic Society, a group who produce a yearly pantomime in the Hawk's Well Theatre in Sligo. Hear about his theatrical origins as well as what led to him taking on the role of the dame.Brian recalls various productions that the group produced over the years and tells stories of their time touring the All-Ireland Festival Circuit with both one-acts and full-length productions.Hear some absolutely hilarious stories about the various ways that Brian has made an entrance onto the stage over the years as well as some dubious plumbing solutions that helped them stage the pantomime elsewhere when the Hawk's Well was undergoing renovations in the mid-nineties.Kieran and Luke perform Dire Straits' 'Walk of Life' with Kieran on keys and Luke on electric guitar and vocals, a favourite song of Brian's. Brian performs a version of 'A Boy Named Sue' with the guys on the same instruments, before rounding his time on the podcast off with a solo rendition of 'The Canon's Dream', also known as 'The Boys from Ballysadare'.Kieran, Luke and Rory chat over the episode with Brian and what he brings to the stage and indeed the greater table as a performer and company member. The lads talk about the possibility of a season two before signing off.

Kieran kicks off the podcast with a story from his GAA days, telling us how his off-pitch life as a piano player became a target during an on-pitch butting of heads. Kieran introduces Mabel Chah, a former asylum seeker from Cameroon who has lovingly adopted Sligo as her new home. Mabel talks about the process of seeking asylum and how, after being placed in other direct provision centres elsewhere in the country, she was eventually placed in Sligo.Mabel opens up about the circumstances that forced her to leave Cameroon and the impact it had on her family still living there. She tells us of the inspiration she found in her great-grandmother, a woman she viewed as invincible until her unfortunate passing.The guys, along with Mabel, reflect on Mabel's debut theme night performance as part of Kieran Quinn's Theme Night #25 - The Bee Gees & the Disco Era. Mabel performed "I Will Survive" but all was not as cool and calm as it appeared from the audience!Mabel talks about her work with the "Global Food Kitchen", a series of periodic events ran in The Model in Sligo pre-Covid. The events bring together immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees and those living in direct provision centres to cook meals from their home countries, something they are often unable to do elsewhere. The events are open to the public and people are invited to join them and experience some of their culture through their food.Mabel performs three songs on the podcast. The first two are originals with Kieran on keys, Luke on bass guitar and Mabel on vocals. They are called "Burning Coal" and "Yassi". They guys round up with a cover of Bob Marley's "One Love" featuring the same line-up but with Kieran and Luke also singing backing vocals.Kieran, Luke and Rory finish with some thoughts on Mabels interview and answer a question from a listener in Boston, namely...how did the podcast get its name?

Luke opens the show with an update on the lads' ongoing legal troubles resulting from their accidental infringement on the intellectual property of Mark Kennedy and Ray McAndrew of 'The Kendy & Raybo Podcast'.Mark Kennedy (also known as Kendy) joins the lads as their guest and wastes no time generating an atmosphere of absolute craic, while Kieran wastes no time asking Mark his first question...was the foundation of his music career built on a lie? Mark speaks of his experiences with his first band, 'Lick My Stereo', and tells us how he ended up moving to Sligo.We get Mark's views on his own musicality and strengths as a live performer. He tells us what he believes is important when it comes to playing live music and how he goes about injecting fun into his live performances by engaging with his audience.The lads discuss Mark's own podcast which he produces with co-host Ray McAndrew (also known as Raybo). Mark takes us through the origins of their podcast, their approach to podcasting and the vibe that they set out to create each time they record an episode. The guys chat about a prank that was pulled on Mark during Kieran Quinn's Theme Night #25 - The Bee Gees and the Disco Era.Mark performs three songs during the course of the show, playing acoustic guitar on two and playing bass on the third. The first song is the Beatles' classic, 'The Ballad of John and Yoko', a staple of Lick My Stereo's early gig sets. The song features Mark on acoustic guitar and vocals, Kieran on piano and Luke on bass guitar and backing vocals. The second song is called 'Ode to an Instagram Young One', an original of Mark's that contains his observations on a certain demographic of social media influencers and prolific Instagram posters. The song features the same lineup as the first number. Finally, the guy's perform 'September' by Earth, Wind & Fire with Mark on bass guitar and vocals, Kieran on keys and Luke on acoustic guitar and backing vocals.Kieran, Luke and Rory wrap up the episode with some thoughts on their session with Mark.

Kieran dives straight into the chat with a story about how he and his wife almost moved their family abroad a number of years ago before asking Luke and Rory if they had ever had any similar intentions or ideas, leading Rory to reveal a fantasy.The guys welcome Felip Carbonell to the podcast to talk about his journeys musical and geographical. Felip takes us through his childhood on his native Island of Majorca which, at the time, was still under the rule of General Franco. Hear how Franco's rule and the protest-songwriting movement it inspired was hugely impactful on Felip as a teenager.Asked by Kieran about how he came to live in Ireland, Felip tells Kieran about forming a connection with Sligo through Irish band Dervish, a connection that eventually led him to meet his wife and leave Majorca's sunny beaches for Sligo's windy shores. Felip recalls a good friend of his that sadly passed away in early 2020 and tells several stories about how his friend helped him in both his personal life and in his music career.Over the course of the episode, Felip performs three pieces of music. The first is an original composition originally written and performed with a band while he was still living in Majorca. The song is called "Fer Cantó". Next up is an instrumental version of "Misty", a classic jazz standard. Finally, we have another original composition called "Entre Tu I Jo".The lads wrap up the episode by reflecting on their session with Felip. Rory poses a question to Kieran before the guys read out some more of the feedback they've received from listeners.

On this week's episode, Kieran, Luke and Rory open with a chat about the merits of "making it big" versus finding personal fulfillment working at something you enjoy. The lads welcome Sinéad Conway to the podcast to talk about her career as a singer. Sinéad takes us from her childhood right up to the present day, stopping to talk about the major musical milestones that shaped her into the vocal powerhouse that she is today. Sinéad chats about sharing her musical childhood with her sisters and of her own dreams of one day making it big. We get a glimpse into the hectic, glamorous and ofttimes shallow UK pop scene as Sinéad discusses her time on The X Factor, before explaining how she came to settle back in Sligo working in a bank. Sinéad tells us about her vocal training, about the lessons she took as a child and teenager and her decision to go back to college in 2008 to further her study of the classical vocal technique. She discusses her work as a vocal coach, in particular her work with teenage girls, with whom she feels a vocal connection. Luke and Sinéad are put on the spot by Kieran as he challenges them both to a sing-off...who can sing higher?!Sinéad performs three songs on the show. The first is "Time To Say Goodbye", a duet made famous by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman. She follows this with a moving, almost spiritual version of "Song of Bernadette", a song originally performed by Jennifer Warnes but of Leonard Cohen's pen, before finishing up with a throwback to the golden days of '70s soul with "Midnight Train To Georgia" by Gladys Knight & the Pips.The lads finish the show by reflecting on the episode with Sinéad.

Kieran, Rory and Luke open with a discussion on abrupt changes in career direction and Kieran asks the lads if they had always wanted to be doing what they currently do. Kieran welcomes Niamh to the podcast to tell her story including how she made her own career pivot following a realisation in her early twenties that didn't want to continue going down the path she was on. Hear about how her life has been shaped by music since the age of five, how she trained to become one of Ireland's premiere violinists as well as an extremely accomplished pianist, and how she came to settle back in Sligo where she established the Sligo Academy of Music. Niamh performs three pieces of music on the violin throughout the podcast accompanied by Kieran on the piano. The first is a piece called 'Csárdás' by Italian composer Vittorio Monti. The piece, a rite of passage for aspiring violinists, holds a nostalgic place in Niamh's heart as she performed it on the The Late Late Toy Show as a twelve-year-old child. She follows this with a composition of her own called 'Glór Shligigh (The Glory of Sligo)' before finishing with an instrumental arrangement of 'Don't Leave Me This Way', a song recorded by various artists including Thelma Houston and the Communards. The lads then reflect on their chat with Niamh before addressing the fact that they may have ruffled the feathers of another Sligo-based podcasting team.

Kieran, Luke and Rory chat about how they are feeling after the launch of their podcast and some of the feedback they received from listeners. Kieran and Rory confront Luke with something they noticed when listening back to the pilot episode. The lads welcome their first special guest, the legend that is Seamie O'Dowd. Seamie chats about his musical upbringing and the influences that led him to where he is today. He talks about his experiences playing with some of the greats of Irish music including Dervish, The Chieftains and Christy Moore. Seamie performs three pieces of music with Luke and Kieran, the first being a Thom Moore song, 'Carolina Rua'. Seamie then performs one of his own songs called 'Travelling Nation' before finishing up with a hornpipe called 'City of Savannah'.

Kieran, Luke and Rory introduce themselves and discuss the concept of the show and their reasons for starting it. Luke performs an original song called "Telescope Love" while Rory performs a song by Dermot Kennedy called "Rome".