Quiet Lights for some winter nights

By Finnian Cox

We all need something to warm us up in winter and one of our favourite festivals has just announced its intriguing lineup.

The Quiet Lights Festival will return for its fifth year, with performances from Cormac Begley, Lisa Hannigan, and Lemoncello confirmed.

The winter festival runs from the 21-24 November and aims to celebrate and showcase Ireland’s new wave of folk, traditional, and experimental music.

The festival takes place across a number of venues in Cork city, including St Lukes, the Triskel Arts Centre, and Coughlan’s, as well as many more.

The festival boasts a large-scale, double-header that will see experimental electronic musicians Elaine Howley and Rachel Lavelle performing in St Luke’s on 23 November.

Originally hailing from Tipperary, Elaine Howley mixes both electronic sounds and traditional songwriting techniques to produce her own unique sound. She also performs as a part of psychedelic rock band, The Altered Hours.

Rachel Lavelle is a Dublin-born singer and composer, known for blending classical influences with modern electronic instruments, as well her collaborations with artists such as Villagers and Saint Sister.

Also making an appearance over the weekend is singer songwriter Joshua Burnside, who will be performing at The Kino alongside folk duo Memorial on Friday 22.

Cork natives will also have their chance to perform, with fiddler Aoife Ní Bhrian and pianist Cormac McCarthy delivering a duo performance in the Triskel Arts Centre.

As for international acts, Syrian/Kurdish bouzouki player Mohammad Syfkhan will open the festival in Coughlan’s, with a sound described by the organisers as “ecstatic”.

Headlining in St Luke’s on the Sunday is Corca Dhuihne concertina player Cormac Begley. Known for his mastery of the instrument, the West Kerry virtuoso has also appeared on RTÉ 2’s ‘Other Voices’.

The festival features a wide range of other artists over the course of the weekend, including singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan, genre-defying band Lemoncello, and blues singer Zoe Basha.

Director Jonathan Pearson voiced his delight that the festival is returning, describing the weekend as his “favourite time of year”.

“We’d like to welcome everyone back into some of Cork’s venues to witness the amazing musicians that we have coming to our little festival this year,” he said.

He also placed emphasis on the key role that the venues play, describing them as the backbone of the festival, and thanking them for their contribution.

Quiet Lights is run by Islander, a music company based in Ireland and Los Angeles. As well as the festival, they manage a number of Irish artists, including Ye Vagabonds and Niamh Regan.

Quiet Lights runs from 21-24 November at various venues. See quietlights.net.