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December festival has Manchester feeling blue  AN
IRISH musician is hoping to warm hearts and spirits in Manchester as part
of the city’s first blues festival.
Musician Tim O’Connor, whose Irish roots stem from Tipperary and
Kildare, has been selected to play at Manchester’s first Acoustic
Blues Festival weekend on Sunday, December 2.
O’Connor has been compared to the likes of Christy Moore and Van
Morrison and has worked with Arty McGlynn — Van Morrison’s
guitarist.
He was in Manchester’s legendary Celtic blues band Citizen Swing
before moving on to other projects, which have taken him all over Europe.
He said: “I hope to get fiddle player Dezi Donnelly to guest with
me on the night, I know he’s busy with his new album with Sharon
Shannon but I hope to persuade him to get involved.
“My dad, who was also a professional musician, was a good friend
of Val Doonican and they both shared the same manager, Dermot Buckley.”
A number of other musicians with Irish roots are also set to line up for
the festival.
And festival promoter Tony Hennigan said: “Tim’s played
the venue before, he is a first-class musician and the possibility of
him teaming up with Dezi Donnelly will be an awesome combination and one
of the highlights of the festival.
“Ireland has a strong tradition of producing major blues artists,
with the likes of Rory Gallagher, Van Morrison and Thin Lizzy to name
just a few.
“Ireland stages a number of annual blues festivals so we are just
trying to capture some of that spirit over here."
The event is being held on Friday, 30 November until Sunday, 2 December
at the m19 bar in Levenshulme, which is at the heart of Manchester's biggest
Irish community.
Other artists appearing include Robert John, Adriene O’Toole, Martin
And The Manoevres, James Walker, Bob Long, Ian Kenned, and Matt Woosey.
Tickets are £3 or £5 for a weekend pass. Doors open 7pm
on Friday night and at 2pm for the Sunday afternoon session. Email the
box office at bluesfest@hotmail.co.uk for tickets. |
