Sibéal to be guest star at Danesfort’s centenary celebrations in Ballykeeffe

Guest performer Sibéal Ní Chasaide to perform her haunting and emotional song Mise Éire as part of a very special celebration of the centenary of Danesfort GAA, which will be held at Ballykeeffe amphitheatre on Friday (July 15).
The renowned musician holds Kilkenny close to her heart and has many happy childhood memories of visiting family here.
“We used to come to Kilkenny every year to visit my uncle and cousins,” she said. “I have very fond memories of being in Burnchurch with my extended family.”
The singer specialises in the centuries-old melismatic Irish singing style of sean-nós. She is best known for her collaboration with Patrick Cassidy, singing his arrangement of Patrick Pearse’s Mise Éire at the official commemorations of the 1916 Rising in 2016. The poem was set to music composed by  Patrick Cassidy  and performed by the  RTÉ Concert Orchestra  with vocals by  Sibéal, for the score of the  PBS documentary series 1916: An Irish Rebellion, curated by the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame.
Sibéal will also perform other numbers from her new album on the night.
“I have learned so much from my family,” she added. “My cousins’ band Burnchurch is an up and coming group with a bright future ahead while my uncle Seathrun has inspired me both musically and also to study to be a doctor.”
Sibéal is busy studying medicine full time and also working in music with a new EP due out at the end of this month.
“I am really looking forward to being part of the Danesfort GAA centenary celebrations,” she said. “I spent so many happy holidays in Burnchurch and Kilkenny and was always welcomed by the wider community. This will be a lovely occasion to celebrate local history, music, sport and of course our language.”
The newly-formed Danesfort GAA Orchestra are in the advanced stages of preparation for the concert, which will celebrate 100 years of Danesfort GAA Club. In the winter of 2019, a group of club members set about envisioning how the club would celebrate its centenary and commemorate its founders and the people who have been part of its 100-year journey.
Initial meetings focused on seeking out and tapping into musical and acting talent within the club and wider community. The seed was sown - then Covid hit. A global pandemic, whose only certainty was uncertainty, cast a cloud over any plans for celebrating a centenary.
However, this did not deter the visionary group of people who kept hoping and kept planning.
Local talent
As society slowly emerged from the pandemic the Danesfort Centenary Committee re-engaged their plans with renewed hope and vigour.
In May of this year a small group of musicians and actors had their first rehearsal in the newly reopened lounge of Toby’s Bar and Bistro in Danesfort.
Gradually the shoots of local talent began to pop their heads over ground and flourish to form an orchestra of 34 musicians, 11 actors and one dancer ranging from age seven to 82.
As the weekly rehearsals have progressed it has become obvious to the group and the revelers who patronise Toby’s, that something special is happening.
It has been inspiring to see young hurling and camogie players coming to rehearsals straight from training, swapping their hurleys for their instruments. Joined by their parents, mentors and other community members who are taking part in the show, younger musicians are being coached by mentors, older players and peers in a symbiotic manner driven by their connection with club.
All are welcome to attend at Ballykeeffe Amphitheatre at 8.30pm on Friday. Admission is €15 for adults and €10 for children. A pre-show barbecue will be held from 7 to 8pm.
For more see www.danesfortgaa.ie