Roy takes up famed Ballymore gigs

Fans of live blues and folk music will be glad to know that Kilcullen troubadour Roy Thompson has taken on the task of continuing the live gigs in Ballymore which were for years managed at Mick Murphy's bar by the late John Roddy.

Roy was for many years a part of that operation, handling the sound and from time to time filling in with his own inimitable style of song and guitar playing if a headline act got delayed.

"Since the untimely passing of the great Larry Roddy last November, there have been no regular gigs in Ballymore," he told the Diary. "With the blessing of the Roddy family I am now taking it on, and will be putting together a programme of gigs for the coming months and beyond. I have four gigs booked—between the end of August and late October—since I started last week, and commitments from other acts for later this year and early next year. So, it's onwards and upwards."

Gigs are hosted in a listening room with an ethos of quiet attentiveness. Just some among the many acts which have appeared in the past are Mick Hanly, Mary Coughlan, John Spillane, Ger Wolfe, Paul Brady, Freddie White, Paul Lamb and the Kingsnakes, Gareth Pearson, Bruce Mathiske, Buddy Mondlock, Jeffrey Foucault, Chuck Brodsky and Jim Page.

Roy has set up a Facebook page—Ballymore Acoustic Gigs—through which fans can keep an eye on what's upcoming.