Gig of the Week: CMAT
Wednesday Mar 9, Cyprus Avenue, Cork, 7.30pm, €19.50; Thursday Mar 10, Dolan’s, Limerick 8pm Sold out; Friday Mar 11, Academy, Dublin 8pm Sold out; Saturday Mar 12, Limelight 2, Belfast 7pm £14.50
CMAT describes herself as a “global pop star who lives in Dublin with her grandparents and is currently recovering from an AliExpress addiction”, and she’s already living up to that description with her joyous pop-country-indie music that isn’t afraid to celebrate hyper-femininity, pop culture and kitsch. Ciara Mary-Alice Thomson has built up quite a fanbase over the past two years of pandemic, and they’ll be coming out of the woodwork to catch her on tour around Ireland and the UK in support of her fab debut album If My Girlfriend New I’d Be Dead. Catch her before she really does go global.
David O’Doherty
March 7/8/9/10/12 Vicar St, Dublin 7pm €28 ticketmaster.ie
The man with the small keyboard and the big funny bone is back for more shows in Vicar St, toting his unique brand of ramshackle comedy, along with his bockety old Yamaha keyboard which he can still, amazingly, squeeze some noise out of. Like a waiter who’s forgotten to write down your order, he’ll be winging it, but you can guarantee the results will be gut-bustingly hilarious, DOD has performed in venues around the world, he’s written children’s books such as the hugely hilarious Danger Is Everywhere series, and he’s won a bronze medal in the 1990 East Leinster under-14 triple jump. Most recently, O’Doherty, a keen cyclist (he once considered it as a career - the Tour de France’s loss is comedy’s gain), filmed his Along for the Ride series for Channel 4, in which he and a celebrity get on their bikes and go off for a cycle while chatting about life, the universe and everything.
Molly O’Mahony
Wednesday Mar 9, Whelans Upstairs, Dublin 8pm €11 whelanslive.com
West Cork singer-songwriter Molly O’Mahony was already well known for her work with art-folk collective Mongoose, but when the pandemic hit in 2020, she returned to her home in West Cork and spent much of lockdown working on material for her first-ever solo collection. The songs were recorded in summer 2021 with help from her musical siblings Matilda and Fiachra, who took on playing and arranging duties. Now O’Mahony will be performing many of her new songs – including Remember to Be Brave and Brother Blue – as part of a short tour around the country, which takes her to the intimate setting of Whelans Upstairs on Wednesday.
Walkinstown
March 9-12, Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin 7.30pm €20/€18 smockalley.com
Even if you’re not from Walkinstown, you’ll laugh your head off at this fast-paced comedy that skips satirically through time and place. Written by Keith James Walker, directed by Rex Ryan and starring Walker and Kieran Roche, Walkinstown is an homage to poetry, monologues and the spoken word as you might hear in the streets of Dublin. Two lad embark on an odyssey through the past, present and future, driven by elemental needs and romantic visions, giving us a running commentary as they head on a cosmic collision course with karma. Sounds like a typical night out in the capital.
Tarry Flynn
Mar 10-12 Townhall Theatre, Cavan, 8pm €20/€18/€16 townhallcavan.com; Mar 15-16 Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge 8pm, €20/€18 riverbank.ie; Mar 18-19 Hawk’s Well Theatre, Sligo 8pm €20/€18 hawkswell.com; Mar 22-23 Backstage Theatre, Longford 8pm, €20/€18 backstage.ie; Mar 25-26 Roscommon Arts Centre, 8pm, €20/€18 roscommonartscentre.ie; Mar 29-30 Mullingar Arts Centre, 8pm, €20/€18mullingarartscentre.ie; Apr 1-3 Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire 8pm, €27/€25 paviliontheatre.ie; Apr 6-7, An Grianán, Letterkenny 8pm €20/€18 angrianan.com; Apr 9-10 Droichead Arts Centre, Drogheda 8pm, €20/€18 droichead.com
The well-loved play based on the novel by Patrick Kavanagh gets a run around the country in the capable hands of Nomad Theatre Network and Livin’ Dred theatre company, starting in Cavan, where the whole hoo-ha began. The novel, set in rural Cavan in the 1930s, was adapted for the stage by Conall Morrison, and award-winning director Aaron Monaghan is giving it an ambitious, physical reimagining. “Maybe it’s because I’m from Cavan and it’s set there, but I feel deeply connected to the book,” says Monaghan. “Kavanagh makes you laugh your face off in one paragraph and punches you in the stomach with the tragedy of the next one. The great un-heroic Irish hero.” Actors will double up as humans and animals to tell the tale of a young farmer and poet in search of love, lust and land. Tarry is on a mission to make hay while the sun shines, and to get a roll in the hay with the local girls while he’s at it. Will he succeed in his quest? We’re promised lots of fun finding out.
Country 2 Country
March 11-13, 3Arena, Dublin ticketmaster.ie
Europe’s biggest country festival gets back in the saddle after a two-year hiatus, and this year’s C2C will take place over three venues in three cities - Dublin, London and Glasgow - over three days. The idea is to bring top-notch country stars together on stage, along with emerging talent from Nashville and other parts of the world. Headlining on Friday is Hootie & the Blowfish leader Darius Rucker, while chart-topping country sensation Luke Combs will top the bill on Saturday night. The weekend is rounded off by a headline performance by Texan superstar Miranda Lambert, who has been dubbed “the most riveting county star of her generation”.
