Kieran Beville

Buskers Bring O’Connell Avenue to Life Cha Haran (Organiser) A spontaneous gathering of Limerick buskers brought music, singing and a welcome sense of life to the city. Sometimes the best events are the ones that are barely events at all. There are no committees, no glossy programmes, no carefully curated line-ups and no lengthy funding applications. Somebody has an idea, puts out the word and people turn up. That was very much the spirit on O’Connell Avenue on Friday 21 st of August when Limerick man Cha Haran invited buskers and musicians to gather at the Crescent and simply play. And a host of veteran musicians came. Singers arrived, guitars appeared, drums and congas and before long the area had become an informal outdoor stage. The weather, mercifully, stayed dry and people began to stop. Some listened for a few minutes before continuing on their way. Others stayed. There was singing, conversation, applause and, inevitably, that wonderful moment when the distinction between...

                                                    John Liddy -  True to Form A new collection of poetry by John Liddy finds the extraordinary in the ordinary and confirms the enduring strengths of one of Ireland’s most accomplished poets. Over many years he has quietly built one of the most substantial bodies of work in contemporary Irish poetry, earning the respect of readers and fellow writers alike. His poems are rooted in close observation, drawing meaning from landscape, memory and the ordinary experiences of everyday life. Born in Cork and raised in Limerick, Liddy has spent much of his life in Madrid. His poetry is rooted in familiar landscapes while never losing sight of the broader human experience, moving naturally between memory, history, travel and the small moments that reveal something lasting about our lives. Hi...

  Joe Malone’s A Lost Pub, a Living Legacy Portrait of Joe Malone by Kieran Beville I remember the first night I went to Joe Malone’s pub on Denmark Street. It was an October evening, 1975. I had returned from living in Belfast where I bought an embroidered Afghan coat in Shaftsbury Square. Long hair was worn as a declaration of rebellion against social norms. I laugh now to think that at the time I thought I was the bee’s knees. One might think my appearance was conspicuous but nothing could be further from the truth. I blended in like a chameleon, camouflaged with other hippies in similar attire. There are places that never made a record but still shaped the sound of a generation. Joe Malone’s pub was one of those places. No stage lights, no booking agent. Just a door that opened, a counter worn smooth by elbows, and a room that understood that music does not have to be something you present to people; it is something you let happen. In 1970s Limerick, that distinction ma...

  Ger Costello The Soul of Limerick Still Sings Few musicians become so closely associated with the spirit of a city that their name alone evokes memories, friendships and entire eras. In Limerick, Ger Costelloe is one of those rare figures. For more than half a century, the acoustic guitarist, singer and songwriter has occupied a cherished place in the musical life of the city. His story stretches from the spontaneous musical gatherings of Denmark Street in the early 1970s to celebrated performances with The O’Malleys in Dolans decades later. To generations of music lovers across Limerick and Clare, Ger Costelloe represents authenticity — a musician who never chased fashion, never lost faith in the emotional power of music and never forgot the connection between performer and audience. Now living quietly in County Clare, he remains one of the most respected and warmly regarded figures on the Irish live music scene. Ger Costelloe   Denmark Street years The stor...

  The Poet Who Reinvented Rock Patti Smith turned King John’s Castle into a cathedral of poetry Some concerts entertain. Others linger in the memory because they feel like cultural events rather than performances. Patti Smith’s appearance at King John’s Castle last night belonged firmly to the latter. In the magnificent setting of one of Ireland’s finest Norman fortresses, Smith transformed a summer concert into something far richer: an evening where poetry, rock music, history, politics and spirituality coexisted with remarkable ease. On a beautiful sunny evening the ancient stone seemed to glow in the long midsummer evening, providing a fitting backdrop for an artist who has spent more than half a century illuminating rather than conforming. To describe Patti Smith simply as a rock singer has always been inadequate. She is equally poet, memoirist, visual artist and cultural icon. Long before audiences spoke about artists crossing disciplines, Smith was already dissolving ...