Earlier this month, I had a real treat, when I headed to St. Mary's Church of Ireland in Dungarvan to watch my friend - Dungarvan Singer Songwriter Richie Power - as he performed the fourth of his summer series of concerts ‘An Intimate Evening with Richie Power’.
Richie Power performing in St. Mary's Church of Ireland, Dungarvan
Richie is in the process of recording his third album ‘Time To Let It All Go’, which is the follow up to his wonderful debut album 'If You'd Like To Get To Know Me' and 'Howlin' At The Moon'. He is hosting a series of concerts in the church throughout July and August this year and each show has the added bonus of a different guest musician each week. So far, Richie has shared the stage with Caoimhín Ó Fearghail, Kate O’Neill, Gay Brazel, Donal Clancy, Joe Power, Tommy Mooney, and Manus McGuire.
I attended the concert, which featured Donal Clancy as guest artist and I have to say it was an absolute triumph from start to finish. The church itself is a really relaxing setting with gorgeous acoustics. Richie played some of his vast repertoire of original songs, including ‘Butterflies’, ‘Sanne and Me’, and his latest single - the brilliant ‘I Just Wonder’.
Richie's performance of his original song 'Butterflies'
'I Just Wonder' is available on all digital platforms now. Richie's performance featured intricate finger picking on the guitar, beautifully emotional vocals, and delightfully self deprecating wit in between songs. It really was a stunning evening of entertainment, which I cannot recommend highly enough.
Donal Clancy performs at St.. Mary's Church of Ireland
When Donal Clancy took to the stage, he performed a selection of traditional songs, which he delivered with fantastic guitar playing, then Richie joined him to perform duets of ‘The Dutchman’, and ‘The Garden’ song, which the audience joined in with enthusiastically.
Richie Power and Donal Clancy perform together
I took a second opportunity to take in show 7 of the series. It was another wonderful show, in which Richie seemed more relaxed, but was just as entertaining and enjoyable as the previous show I saw. Richie shared a similar set but there were variations in the setlist, with the inclusion of Richie's poignant song 'The Last Cowboy Picture Show' a particular highlight.
Richie performs during show 7
Benny McCarthy was Richie's guest star on this occasion. When he came on stage, he shared a number of wonderful tunes on a selection of accordions, making some great jokes in between his exquisite playing.
Benny McCarthy
In the final section of the show, Richie played Shenandoah, The Dutchman, and Richie's own song 'Waltzing My Baby Home' with accompaniment from Benny, which was really enjoyable.
Richie and Benny perform Shenandoah
There are just two opportunities to see Richie's show. The next one takes place at 7:30pm on Friday 23th August and will feature sean-nós singer Ann Mulqueen. There will be a special celebratory show to close the season, which will take place at 7:30pm on Friday 30th August. Both evenings promise to be a brilliant evening of entertainment.
If you'd like to enjoy the wonderful experience of ‘An Intimate Evening with Richie Power’, tickets are €15, with a donation going to St. Mary’s Church of Ireland. They are available on the door or in advance from Eventbrite.
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