With the first three songs of this evening, one of the spirits of Ireland presented on this tour was portrayed: Emigration. Sean Keane from Co. Galway along with his 'friends' Frank Kilkelly (guitar) and Brian McGrath (keyboards, banjo) started off the evening with the emigration songs "The Green Among The Gold", "Man from Connemara" and "Home" - and as this was the only act flown in from Ireland, you see that emigration was an important theme of the tour. As we are used to, Sean made all the songs his very own ones; he also did a tune on the tin whistle; and the audience honoured his set with friendly applause. Then we had the chance to see the brothers Christy & Tim O'Leary together on stage, joined by Sean Keane's 'friend' Frank Kilkelly on guitar. Christy and Tim hail from Kenmare, Co. Kerry, and both are now living in Edinburgh. Christy is well known as a piper and former member of the Boys of the Lough (he was dismissed of the band by Dave Richardson because he went on this tour...), his older brother Tim is a great fiddle player who has since shortly his own band A Rún. Besides some great tunes - slights, polkas, slip jigs, reels and a Norwegian Wedding March - we were also treated by Christy to two beautiful songs.
For the last two sets of the first half of the evening they welcomed back on stage Sean Keane & Friends. These two sets were for me the highlight of the evening - two of the best Irish traditional singers singing together "The Rambling Irishman"; and the voices of Sean and Christy blend perfectly. The following set of tunes - a barndance, "Peacock Feather" and a "Reel in G" - proved again the instrumental qualities of the five musicians on stage; their playing together on uilleann pipes, fiddle, concert flute, banjo, guitar was excellent. Hopefully after this tour these two top acts Sean Keane & Friends and Christy & Tim O'Leary get the idea of forming a band like this - then we would have to welcome a new Irish super band on the scene!
The finale act of the night were the Irish American Cherish the Ladies, who were now their second time on the Irish Folk Festival tour. Tonight the audience was again caught by their performance - especially by the two step dancers (this time two ladies: Eileen Golden and Sinead Lawler). The Ladies played the "Essen Polkas" (as they did not remember their real names); and the highlight of their set was for me Aiofe Clancy's a capella version of Fear a Bhata - her singing gets better every time I see them! 