Please check before making a journey: coronavirus rules may affect some of these events
GIG OF THE WEEK
Tommy Tiernan: Tomfoolery
January 6th-8th, 6pm; Vicar Street, Dublin; €40, ticketmaster.ie
In these strange times, you need a comedian who can fully capture the madness and incongruity of it all, and no better man than Tommy Tiernan. He brings his brand new show, Tomfoolery, to the Vicar Street stage – Covid restrictions and all. Tiernan has now hit 50, but you get the sense that he's only really starting, and this show promises to be a wild rollercoaster ride through the Tiernan psyche. The only filters here will be one on your face mask, as Tiernan will let fly on every subject under the sun, going where few comedians dare to go – and coming back to tell the very entertaining tale. Tiernan's run of Vicar Street shows continues until February, after which he'll be off on tour around the land. Storm Tommy? Better batten down the hatches.
Christy Moore
January 3rd and 9th, 6pm; Vicar Street; ticketmaster.ie
The bould Christy has come through a lot in his 50-year career, and he's not about to let Covid restrictions come between him and his loyal audience. Like everyone else, Moore has rejigged his shows to comply with the 8pm curfew, so the remaining shows in his Vicar Street run (two more on January 11th and 17th) will see doors opening at 5pm and the man himself hitting the stage at 6pm sharp. Moore will be digging out nuggets from a glittering back catalogue, but will also be tossing out a few gems from his latest album, Flying into Mystery. The album, released in November, earned four stars from the Guardian, who called it a "masterclass from a unique talent".
Session with the Pipers
Monday, January 3rd, 5.30pm; The Cobblestone, Smithfield, Dublin; €13/€9
One of many traditional events that has been upended by Covid, the famous Session with the Pipers, organised by Na Píobairí Uilleann, returns to the Cobblestone on Monday with a line-up of fine musicians, all performing at the earlier time of 5.30pm to comply with the 8pm curfew. Never mind the cold January evenings – this session featuring flautist Anna Friel, fiddle player Clare Friel and uilleann pipers Shiela Friel and Fiachra O'Regan is bound to send you home with a warm and toasty feeling inside.
Dublin Castle has fallen! The Handover
Thursday, January 6th, 3pm; Chapel Royal, Dublin Castle; Free (booking required)
The Royal Irish Academy is hosting the launch of a new book, The Handover: Dublin Castle and the British Withdrawal from Ireland, by John Gibney and Kate O'Malley with this special event, part of its Hedge School series, featuring Tommy Graham in conversation with the authors, along with Edward Madigan and Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc. The handover in question took place on January 16th, 1922, and saw a provisional government led by Michael Collins tasked with overseeing the transition of power to the Irish Free State, which came into being in December 1922. So what happened during this transition period, and who was involved? The book will cast light on this little-known period of Irish history, and the panel discussion promises to be illuminating. Signed copies of the book will be available at the event.
An Evening with Sharon Shannon, Frances Black and Mary Coughlan
Friday, January 7th, 5.30pm; National Opera House, Wexford; €33.50, nationaloperahouse.ie
Three of Ireland's finest musical women combine for a memorable evening of entertainment, just in time to celebrate the 30th anniversary of A Woman's Heart. the album to which all three contributed. But it goes much deeper than that. These three women have had a close friendship spanning many decades, and their close rapport will be on display as they perform separate sets with their own bands, then join together at the end for a big, heart-warming finale. As Sharon Shannon elaborates: "The three of us have a strong bond of deep friendship and music and craic for over 30 years. I'm hugely honoured to share the stage with these two iconic legends of Irish music." And we'll be honoured to see them together on stage.
Queen Extravaganza: Celebrating 50 years of Queen
Sunday, January 9th, 8pm; Waterfront Hall, Belfast; £34 (€40.50) ticketmaster.ie
No self-respecting band can be without their own retinue of tribute acts, and Queen have their fair share. But the band for this Queen Extravaganza has been hand-picked by Roger Taylor and Brian May – who have got a bit of an ear for the Queen sound – as their "official" tribute band. "I'm incredibly proud of these guys and it's going to be a nostalgic and stunning night out for anyone who goes along," says Taylor. These shows have been rescheduled from April 2021 and original tickets are valid. The band has been wowing audiences since 2012, and even performed on American Idol in front of 20 million television viewers. The fast-moving show features 20 classic Queen hits, including Bohemian Rhapsody, Another One Bites the Dust, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Under Pressure and We Are the Champions, so get ready for a sore throat from singing along. The show is at the 3Olympia in Dublin on Tuesday, January 11th.
