Cronin ‘Live in Drumlish’ – final gig of Longford Live and Local

With the back-to-school rush, and the darker evenings, it’s easy to forget the summer that’s just passed but for some of us, it’s been a summer like no other.

Preparation for Longford Live and Local began in early June and its debut gig was on July 9.

Since then the Live and Local team, under the careful stewardship of project co-ordinator Shane Crossan of Republic of Culture, and the Arts Office of Longford County Council, it has staged 50 concerts at 27 venues which drew an attendance of over 7,000 people.

In doing so, the programme has supported 120 local musicians toward a return to live performance.

The initiative is funded through the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media’s Local Live Performance Programming Scheme.

A festival of this scale take serious organising in normal of times, but this programme was even delivered in compliance with Covid-19 public health guidelines throughout.

It introduced venues not commonly used as performance spaces and brought the music into the heart of communities.

It is also significant that Longford County Council hosted more live music events outside of Dublin in July and August than any other county in Ireland.

Fans enjoyed country and western music, trad, RnB, indie, rock n roll, classical, jazz, blues and folk all performed by local musicians – such is the depth of talent within the boundaries of County Longford.

Artists included Mick Flavin, Declan Nerney, Ravens Edge, AudioPilot, Aoife Mulligan, Ríl Óg, Purify, Gipsy Boii-G and more incredible homegrown talent – and this weekend is no exception as the final event of the Longford Live and Local summer programme takes place.

Cronin play this Saturday, September 18, at Drumlish Community Centre, and there’s no way better to finish the festival than with Ireland’s hardest working band.

Brothers Johnny and Michael Cronin, alongside Fiachra Milner and Brian Murphy, have become the go-to band on the professional music scene. Cronin are best described as Celtic indie with soul.

Based at the Transmission Rooms Recording Studio, the four-piece host artists such as Shane MacGowan, The Academic, The Blizzards and Kodaline, and have shared the stage with U2, Van Morrison, Maise chiefs and more.

Their recent release ‘Bank Of Love’ is a must for Lou Reed fans.

The band are regular collaborators with punk poet Shane MacGowan and made a return to the stage at the Music at Meares Court festival last weekend.

This weekend will be Live and Locals 50th concert and it will be the finale of the festival.

Go to Eventbrite, book your free tickets.