Stockton’s Wing set for nostalgic St Patrick's Day gig in Kilkenny

Stockton’s Wing are returning to Kilkenny as part of Kilkenny Tradfest 2023. 

They are set to light up the floors of the Skyline in Hotel Kilkenny on St Patrick’s Day. Those that are old enough will remember the days when Stockton’s Wing played the same venue when it was the Rosehill Hotel. 

The popular group will be taking people down memory lane to bop the night away. Kilkenny Tradfest  welcomes them back as a headliner for this year’s festival. 

Stockton’s Wing began their career in Ennis sometime in 1977 with Kieran Hanrahan on banjo, mandolin and harmonica, Paul Roche on Flute and whistle, Maurice Lennon on fiddle, Tommy Hayes on Bodhran, spoons and bones and Tony Callinan on guitar and vocals. 

The name Stocktons Wing came from a Bruce Springsteen song, Backstreets from the album Born to Run:

“Slow dancing on a moonlit street at Stockton’s Wing, where desperate lovers park to meet the last of the Duke street kings.”

In the summer of 1988 they shared the stage with Michael Jackson in Cork. The following year they made a guest appearance with Sammy Davis Jnr  in Dublin as part of his world tour with Frank Sinatra and Liza Minnelli. 

In 1990 Stockton’s Wing went on location to take part in the Noel Pearson/Jim Sheridan film production of the John B Keane play The Field which featured Oscar nominee Richard Harris and John Hurt.

These days this collective of musicians hosted by founding members Mike Hanrahan and Paul Roche. For the past several years they have been joined by fiddler extraordinaire Tara Breen, Karol Lynch on banjo and mandolin, guitarist Paul McSherry.

With one of the top names in Irish Trad music, this is an event not to be missed and a great way to celebrate Irish music on our national holiday. 

Festival manager  Marian Flannery recalls the Stockton’s Wing gigs back in the day: 

“I have great memories of fantastic Stockton’s Wing gigs back in the eighties in the old Rosehill Hotel, now Hotel Kilkenny where this event will take place some 40 years later!

“Stocktons Wing were always the highlight of our year! Its great to see the band return to the stages as vibrant and energetic as always.  Kilkenny Tradfest, now in its 10th year is thrilled to ave them as one of the main headline acts for this great festival.”

TICKETS

Stockton’s Wing play on Friday, March 17 at 7.30pm in the Skyline in Hotel Kilkenny. Tickets are €26 plus booking fee and available on www.kilkennytradfest.com   

This event is part of a wider Kilkenny Tradfest programme of events, taking place between  March 15-19. The programme features 16 headline gigs and over 90 free sessions on the Bulmer’s Music Trail.