Urban Roots II: update

Dick Gladney, Niall Toner, Tom Kitt, TD, and Clem O'Brien at Airfield, 21 June

Sancho Gallilei, director of Arts & Culture at Airfield, Upper Kilmacud Road, Dundrum, Dublin, reports:

Due to family bereavement the Broken String Band concert scheduled for 6.00 p.m. on Saturday 23 June has been cancelled. We regret any inconvenience that this may cause.

Urban Roots kicks off with a special guest

Adding a blaze of sunshine into a rather damp and overcast midsummer evening, the Urban Roots Festival kicked off with a surprise guest appearance by local TD Tom Kitt, alongside the father of Irish country bluegrass Niall Toner and his band. With only a short time to rehearse with the band before the concert, Tom displayed striking talents not put to daily use in Dáil Éireann. He kicked off with a powerful rendition of 'Magnolia wind', followed up by a stomping version of the Old Crow Medicine Show song 'Wagon wheel'.

At this point the audience were roaring for more, and the TD had to turn to sheet music, and the undaunted band jammed along as Tom delivered a fiery version of 'Jackson', with the audience whooping and singing along. It certainly whetted the appetite for more and left one with the impression that this successful politician might have as easily carved out an illustrious career in the music industry. We can only hope that he may take to the stage again in the near future. To the delight of the enthralled listeners the Niall Toner Band continued long into the extended twilight, and darkness had long fallen by the time that the band abandoned the PA system and wrapped up with a rousing farewell of 'Goodnight Irene'.

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The rest of the 'Urban Roots II: Hoe Down on the Ranch' programme remains as in the BIB post of 29 May. To contact Sancho, tel.: (01) 298 4301; dir.: (01) 296 7609; mobile: (087) 938 3186; e-mail.