Damien O'Kane and Ron Block in Ireland, Oct. 2022 (updates)

Ron Block (longtime banjoist with Alison Krauss & Union Station, who was featured on Deering Live on 9 June) has been touring in Britain during the past two months with Damien O'Kane (tenor banjo) in support of their second collaboration on record, the album Banjophonics. The duo performed in Ireland several times in the six months before the onset of the pandemic, and are now scheduled to play a short tour here this coming October. The schedule, as it appears at present (with links for online booking) on Damien O'Kane's website, reads:

Damien O'Kane and Ron Block with Aoife Scott
Thurs. 13th Oct.: Glórach Theatre, Abbeyfeale, Co. Limerick
Fri. 14th: Monroes Live, Galway city
Sat. 15th: Seamus Ennis Arts Centre, Naul, Co. Dublin
Sun. 16th: Hawk’s Well Theatre, Sligo town

Damien O'Kane and Ron Block with Michael McGoldrick
Thurs. 20th: Dún Uladh, Omagh, Co. Tyrone
Fri. 21st: Flowerfield Arts Centre, Portstewart, Co. Londonderry
Sat. 22nd: Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin, Derry city
Sun. 23rd: The Duncairn, Belfast

Update 23 Aug.: The dates shown above in red have been added from information sent by the Moving On Music organisation, which adds that the tour will be by a four-piece band: Ron (banjo, guitar, vocals), Damien (tenor banjo, tenor guitar, vocals), Duncan Lyall (double bass, moog), and Stevie Byrnes (guitar, stomp). Links for online booking of the Ulster shows are given in the Duncairn link.

They will be playing three distinct shows at the Hawk's Well on 16 Oct. - two forty-minute 'Banjo babies' shows, at 1.00 p.m. for children in their first twelve months, and at 2.30 p.m. for those aged thirteen to thirty-six months, each at €10 for parent+baby; and a 'The Nashville connection' concert (with Aoife Scott) at 8.00 p.m., at €20/10.

© Richard Hawkins