An evening to celebrate our creative community in Clare all for a powerful cause. Join us for a stellar line up of music, spoken word and film all in support of Women's Aid. Many thanks go to Hotel Doolin and Doolin Arts for supporting this event.

Poster design by Myriam Riand.

On the night, we will be joined by singer songwriters and poets including:

Molly Sterling

Molly Sterling (they//them) is a singer-songwriter based in Clare, who uses their creativity as a way to get to know themselves, over and over again. Featuring piano, guitar and vocals, Molly’s music tells the story of what it means to be curious about healing from the past, and introduces us to all the ways in which they have both lost hope, and figured out how to sustain it again. From revenge fantasy to the comfort of a friend’s words, Molly’s stories will connect deeply.
In 2021, Molly founded The Reclaim Project; a community arts space that challenges abuse in the Irish Arts. The purpose of the project is to reclaim the joy of creativity through multi-disciplinary arts responses to the stigmatised experience of abuse within creative communities.

Maeve Abyss & Ciaróg

Maeve Abyss is an American writer and performer of spoken word and song who has travelled extensively around Europe, facilitating improv and writing workshops.

Splitting her time between the rugged land/oceanscape of West Clare and the mountains and rivers of Vestland, Norway, Ciaróg (Ciara McGarrigle) is drawn to and fascinated by the movement of water. Her brand of ocean music draws influences from impressionist piano music, Irish traditional music, contemporary and modal jazz, as well as ambient and soundscape music. From the humbling feeling of witnessing a powerful storm to the flow moment of kayaking down a waterfall, she is on a never-ending journey of attempting to capture this magic and mystery in music, in the hope that it might reach a few ciaróga eile.

SAOL

SAOL is a new and personal musical journey for Irish artist Zoë Gough. Her debut album, currently in the works, offers a unique blend of indie, grunge, shoegaze and folk, highlighted by her rich, emotional vocals and skilled textural and expressive guitar work.
The album comprises a collection of tracks reflecting Irish identity and addressing critical social issues like the housing crisis, politics, and discrimination, alongside more personal narratives about mental health, sexuality, and the concept of self in society, while drawing inspiration from Ireland's folklore, history, and rugged landscape.
This project is a result of SAOL's lifelong dedication to engaging with music as a social platform and documents her journey to situating herself within an Ireland that has undergone such rapid change - holding onto the strands of the past that tie together the future, and finding a new way forward.
SAOL invites you to join the revolution.

Mná

Mná (Theresa, Kate and Kathleen) bring a blend of traditional, folk, and contemporary songs to their programs. They are known for their beautiful harmonies and traditional vibe. Currently, Mná are enjoying writing new material together and cannot wait to record some freshly composed songs to add to their repertoire.

• Theresa Garrihy, a classically trained soprano and folk singer from Ennistymon Co. Clare, has performed in major Irish theatres and she released her debut album "Home" in 2022.
• Kate Daly, singer/songwriter from Doolin, is the engagement officer for Sing Ireland and a PhD candidate. She is known for her work with the Lismorahaun Singers amongst many other successful musical projects.
• Kathleen Malone, living in Doolin, Co. Clare is the daughter of the late tenor Jerry Lynch (RIP). She has always loved singing and now loves song writing also. She released an album in aid of the Burren Chernobyl Project in 2020.

Aoibheann Boyle, Aisling Lyons & Fiona Kirwan

Aoibheann, a signer/songwriter new to the scene, after finding her voice in the beautiful Banner County of Clare. Aoibheann has in the past year supported acts such as Síomha and Dora Gola and collaborated with DJ/Producer and Co-Founder of Backrodads Records, Dan Astro, with whom she has released three electronic tracks reaching national and regional airwaves. Speaking about debut single ‘Breathe Again’, 2FM DJ & presenter Dan Hegarty hailed it “one of the most joyous pieces of music to come out of 2023”. 2024 saw Aoibheann and Dan Astro perform at the Hedge School Festival and as part of the Grand Stretch Tour.

Described as ‘..the finest young Irish harpist at work today..’ (Songlines Magazine) & ‘one of traditional music’s finest musicians’ (Hot Press Magazine) after the release of her debut album ‘Aistear’, Aisling Lyons, harper-composer lives on the West Coast of County Clare. She was nominated in 2 categories at the 2022 RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards; for ‘Best Folk Instrumentalist’ and ‘Best Emerging Artist’. In 2023, Aisling released new music with ‘Merfolk’ and ‘Harpanno’. She is currently writing for her second harp album.
The 8 times All Ireland champion has toured internationally with different bands and has collaborated with artists such as Tolu Makay, Clare Sands, Steve Cooney, Stephen Shannon, Hazey Haze, Citrus Fresh, Wilzee, Enda Gallery, Simon O’Reilly, Dáithí, RIIT & Elle Marja Eira. Aisling toured with seanachaí Aindrais de Staic in Autumn of 2023.

Fiona Kirwan is an Irish traditional musician whose main instruments are the fiddle and the saxophone. She began playing the fiddle at the age of five and, since then, has won many All-Ireland competitions. She studied fiddle under the highly-acclaimed Tara Breen before she began the BA in Performing Arts at the University of Limerick in 2018. In this course, she has been fortunate to study under some of the best traditional musicians in the world including Siobhán Peoples, Eileen O’Brien and many more.
Fiona began playing the saxophone in her teenage years and she enjoys playing this in Irish traditional music as well as in other music genres. She was primarily self-taught on the saxophone until joining the University of Limerick, where she was able to draw from the experience of different multi-instrumentalists to create a unique style of playing that would fit well within the tradition.

Dya like raffles, do ya?

A raffle will take place on the night with some fab prizes from wonderful local businesses and craftspeople including:

• Sauna for two with Sauna Suaimhneas
• €50 voucher for The Market House, Ennistymon
• Voucher for the Hush Disco
• Yoga mat and voucher for summer workshop from A Stór Yoga
• €50 voucher for a trip with Soul Stuff Adventures
• €75 from Celtic Fusion Design
• Print from Kerry Eugenie Art, Design & Illustration
• Wim Hof Method Fundamentals one-day workshop with Cliffs of Moher Retreat
• Marketing consultancy session with Gilly Kelly Dunne (Hooper & Kind)
• Organic cotton half panama cushion designed by Giulia Canevari and printed with eco-friendly inks

Details on more prizes up for grabs to come!

Raffle tickets are 3 euro per ticket or 10 euro for a line of five tickets. To purchase a raffle ticket you can send a message here.

Join us on Friday, the 14 March from 7:30pm and let’s come together to celebrate all the wonderful creatives within the Clare community. All funds raised will go directly to Women's Aid.

About Women's Aid

Women’s Aid is a national, feminist organisation working to prevent and address the impact of domestic violence and abuse since 1974. This year marks a landmark milestone for Women’s Aid who has been supporting generations of women and their children for 50 years.

Women’s Aid is dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls. Women's Aid is working to create an Ireland where every woman and child has the chance for a thriving future and can live free from violence.

More information can be found at womensaid.ie.