In 2002, after 10 years working in the music business, Martin Byrne hit a wall. As a cofounder of Friction PR, Byrne decided it was time to change course.
“I was wrecked and exhausted. I got quite ill and I decided enough was enough,” says Byrne. He went back to college to study homeopathy, but five years into his practice, he realised he wasn’t enjoying that anymore.
Shortly afterwards in 2013, the producers of the music TV show Other Voices called him to ask if he would like to book the acts for the second year of the music trail in Dingle as the original booker Tríona Duignan (and current production co-ordinator on the show) was on tour with local band Walking On Cars. Four years on, and what once featured 20 acts, now features 65 this coming weekend in the Kerry town. Byrne likes the dynamic of his new job compared to his old one.
“I’m not trying to flog people bands,” he says. “It’s the other way which is kinda nice. I wouldn’t have the energy for media. It’s a different beast now. At this stage in my life, I’m only going to work on things I like.”
No vacancy
Other Voices, now in its 15th year recording live sets for broadcast in St James' Church in the town is expected to attract a few thousand music fans to the small town over the course of three days. "You can't get a bed in the town for love nor money," he says.
“The music trail was born out of necessity because so many people were coming to Dingle to try and get into the church,” says Byrne. “It only holds 80 people so they couldn’t get in. So we needed something else.”
The music trail has also served as a draw for A&R types in recent years. A few years ago, The Academic’s small show in one of the pubs was swarming with UK industry. Dingle is a long but attractive proposition to travel from London to see a band.
“It’s grown into a showcase thing – not by design – just a lot of industry and media come to Other Voices anyway. It’s a trek to get down there to Dingle in December, yet so many people do it.”
While the church gigs feature main draws like Lisa Hannigan, Girl Band, Margaret Glaspy and Le Galaxie, the free music trail takes place in the pubs, venues, shops and buildings around town,featuring a line-up of up-and coming-Irish acts of all persuasions including Toofools, Farah Elle, Fangclub, Bad Bones, Soulé, AE Mak, Rosa Nutty and Slow Riot, with some appearances by a few church acts.
Dingle has a magical pull already but its appeal expands for Other Voices, where famous musicians mingle with everyone else.
“There’s no security floating about the place, there’s no backstage passes, there’s none of that,” Byrne says. The town of Dingle is capable of facilitating musical magic.
“It has a magic to it. It’s the scenery, It’s the people, it’s the pubs. People have to travel a great distance to get there. It can be hard to convince bands to come to this place, and they’re reluctant as they don’t know where it is. Then, they arrive and they don’t want to leave.
Selection process
For Byrne, the selection of acts is based on one main criterion - quality.
“That’s the bottom line,” he says. “Yet we look for enthusiasm for their art. There’s so few places on the trail, there’s no point in giving someone a slot whose doing it for the craic. We prefer to have people who are serious about their art, who have a plan in mind, for a career in music.
“There’s something in the water at the moment around Irish music. The quality of production is really strong and the quality of songwriting is something else. It’s exciting for us to have some of that in Dingle.”
Byrne and event producer John Kennedy travel down to Dingle from Dublin six or seven times a year for meetings and to check out new places to host the trail. “You do have to be on the ground to ‘let the dog see the rabbit’, so to speak.”
Music trail west
This year's trail will take advantage of the loop around Slea Head with a Music Trail West stopping at five venues on the Saturday afternoon from the Dingle Distillery to the Blasket Centre. A bus of 100 people will make the journey and the acts are a surprise.
Limerick hip-hop trio Rusangano Family will also be visiting the local school on Friday to participate in a workshop with the children.
“Last year, Sample Answer went to the school and it was to encourage the kids to come along to the music trail and it worked, as they were all at his gig later that day.”
Despite the many strands of activities on the trail, there is a small team of people involved. In addition to help from volunteers at non-pub venues, there’s production manager Gareth Stewart, stage managers Terry Power and Damian Bolger, two backline technicians and for the first time, a production manager in Sandra O’Mahoney.
“The furthest walk between venues is 10 minutes no matter what the weather. You can nip across the way to another pub to see another band. It’s winter, it’s cosy, it’s dark and the fires are on. There’s magic in the air down there.”
Other Voices takes place this weekend in Dingle. See othervoices.ie for details.
