Gifted Gaeltacht Kilkenny raise the roof at a sold-out Set

The Set Theatre roof was under serious threat from the very start of the Kilkenny Gaeltacht concert on Friday night but it lifted off in metaphorical terms at the end, such was the outburst of emotion and joy.
Tickets had sold out well in advance of the gig, with the full house enjoying a night of extraordinary talent.
MC Martin Bridgeman, in his introduction, used a hurling analogy, saying that their performance in Cleere’s Theatre in April 2019 was like a county final, a nod to the group who are also keen hurlers and camogie players.
He went on to say that this night was akin to taking the field in Croke Park. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that this group of musicians brought their A game.
He spoke about how struck he was with their musical ambition and wide range of influences, something Gaeltacht Kilkenny proved to a packed Set Theatre.
The audience were aware that this was also a live recording and were patient and silent as some of the changes needed were made but they did not have to asked to be fulsome in their appreciation when called on and, in truth, this was a spontaneous event.
Each song and set of tunes was applauded in increasing volume to the final notes of the evening.
What is remarkable is that many of the musical pieces are self composed.
It more than showed the musical and artistic range of the performers, all of whom performed to their very best on this special night.
Their musical horizons are wide and they performed songs across a number of genres, including jazz, but their instrumental virtuosity shone throughout, especially in their traditional tunes.
They played as a group, reacting to the twists and turns of the music as each tune or song in their set displayed why people are so taken with them.
While the audience ranged from the proverbial nine to 90, what was also remarkable was the many teenagers speaking Irish unselfconsciously on the night, who also danced and stomped in approval to the very end of a special night of music.
If this is the future of music, culture and the language in Kilkenny then it is in very safe hands.