Folk duo Ye Vagabonds have been planning a very ambitious and novel trip for over a year now, and this month will take to the inland waterways of Ireland. They will travel by barge alongside the filmmaker Myles O’Reilly, and will perform small, informal ‘happenings’ of many different strands throughout the smattering of counties that encompass the River Shannon, the River Barrow, and the Royal and Grand canals. It is an exercise in slow touring – rejecting the planes, trains and automobile for a slow moving barge, as well as getting to know about the history, folklore and song of some of Ireland’s lesser heralded gems.
Ye Vagabonds will meet up with friends for performances and recordings along their journey, meeting Laura Quirke, John Francis Flynn, Cormac Begley, FeliSpeaks, Brigid Mae Power, Anja Murray, Manchán Magan, Erin Fornoff, Leo O’Kelly, Thomas McCarthy and more.
Diarmuid Mac Gloinn has this to say about the tour: “We’re so excited to get out there on this trip. A river tour has been a pipe dream of ours for years but there’s never been a more perfect time for it. Everything outdoors! What was always a bit of a mad idea now seems obvious. It’s hard to imagine returning to normal gigs after the weird hiatus we’ve all experienced so it’s great that we’re returning with some really abnormal gigs instead.
“All tours are partly about people we meet along the way, but on this tour we’re planning to really involve guests in chats, tunes, collaborations, whatever happens! Most tours we see the venues and one corner of each town before we jump back into the monotone of motorways. This time it’s really about the journey too. And it’s also time-travel; waterways are the oldest roads and time moves differently when you’re on the water.”
More information is available at yevagabonds.com and on their social media pages.
photo credit: Rich Gilligan
“This time it’s really about the journey too. And it’s also time-travel; waterways are the oldest roads and time moves differently when you’re on the water.”
Canal Bank S.W.A.L.K. is a summer partnership between Totally Dublin & Waterways Ireland
Canal Bank S.W.A.L.K. illustration – Gav Connell
