I recently had the opportunity to attend one of the jewels in the crown of tourism in Co. Waterford - The Booley House. If you are looking for great entertainment for all the family this summer, with a real flavour of Irish tradition, it won't disappoint.
The Booley House
Located in Ballyduff, Co. Waterford, The Booley House gives its audiences, which consist of both local people and visitors, a weekly summer extravaganza of Irish culture. It showcases the very best of the skills learned by local people, including traditional Irish music, dancing, song, and storytelling.
Created in 1991, The Booley House is a stage version of the ancient tradition of Booleying. In years gone by, people used to bring their cattle to the hilly areas of Co. Waterford in order to let the animals graze. In the evenings, people would come together to entertain themselves. Each attendee would bring a song, a piece of music, a dance, a story and the entertainment would alternate between these different art forms.
The age range of The Booley House's cast is vast. They range in age from 4 years old upwards. By providing a platform like this for young people to learn, display, and appreciate the traditional artforms of their forbears.
I thoroughly enjoyed my evening at The Booley House. St. Michael’s Hall, in Ballyduff Upper is a comfortable and welcoming venue filled with posters of past events that show its impressive history of artistic endeavours. I experienced from start to finish. The show opening with a set of tunes from the house band, which consists of J. J. Cooley on keyboard, Tony Dunne on the accordion, Claire Fennel on flute, Clodagh Kelly on fiddle and harp, John Joseph O'Donovan, on guitar, and Seán Ó Fearghail on fiddle.
The Booley House Band
The band were soon joined by dancers of all ages, who took to the stage to perform a range of traditional dances. The show included step dancing from students of the Michael Ryan School of Dance, broom dancing, set dancing, and box dancing. These were carried out by dancers that had been trained by Tom Hyland. It was a fantastic spectacle to behold.
The Booley House step dancers
Next, there was singing to enjoy from singers Stacey Cronin, Becky Fennesey, and Amy Kenneally. They sang a selection of songs by modern Irish songwriters. They have beautiful voices, which blend amazingly, whether they were singing in unison or in harmony, and this was only enhanced by the beautiful accompaniment provided by The Booley House's house band.
The Booley House singers
The music then ceased for a comedic moment of story telling from resident seanachaí James Lenane, who entertained the audience with a story which was delivered in a most engaging way.
Seanachaí James Lenane
This cycle was repeated three times, occasionally interspersed with musical performances from some of Ballyduff's younger residents, then, towards the end, the individual members of the house band demonstrated their individual musicianship, including a stand out performance by Clodagh Kelly on the harp, which was utterly beautiful and spellbinding.
Clodagh Kelly delivers her solo harp performance
The Booley House runs every Wednesday night until August 21st 2024 at St. Michael’s Hall, Ballyduff Upper P51 E09N. Doors open at 7:30pm and the show starts at 8:15pm. You've just one more chance to see the show this year, and I'd thoroughly recommend it!
Tickets are €20 for adults, €15 for senior citizens, and €12 for children under 12, and include complimentary light refreshments before the show. They are available to purchase here.
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