Sons of Southern Ulster for Ballina

Punk music act the Sons of Southern Ulster will perform at The Washerwoman Bar in Ballina on Saturday August 5th.

Hailing from Bailieborough, Co Cavan, the Sons of Southern Ulster includes David Meagher, who lives in the Ballina/Killaloe area. Other members of this unusual collaboration are based in Boston, Perth and Dunshaughlin.

Last year the Sons got together to release an album ('Foundry Folk Songs') of songs about growing up in Cavan in the early 80s! Despite the Cavan roots, the content is relevant to pretty much all of rural Ireland of the time. The album has been received very favourably, with great reviews and receiving an Irish Times Song of the Week accolade. Tracks from the album also featured on cover CDs for UK magazines (Vive Le Rock/R2).

The Sons describe their style as “Punk-Indie†interspersed with some more mature influences, and involves a fair bit of spoken word. Their music has brought comparisons with The Fall, Sleaford Mods and A House.

The songs focus on life in rural Ireland in the 80s, providing a warts-and-all description of a place that was both innocent and abrasive, where the desire to get away was tempered by the threat of forced emigration, and the endless search for “lipstick on the collar†mostly ends up with “p**s on your shoes!â€

The album was produced by Daragh Dukes at his Castleconnell Studios and recorded at various locations in Ireland and the USA. Vocals were recorded and engineered by Boston music stalwart David Minehan (of the Neighborhoods) at his Wooly Mammoth Sound studio, not long before he headed off on a world tour as guitarist with the legendary Replacements.

The current band line up includes Justin Kelly (Boston, vocals), David Meagher (guitars), Paddy Glackin (Perth, bass) and Noel Larkin (Meath, drums). Given the dispersed nature of the band, the gigs in August are a rare opportunity to perform the music live.

The Sons were asked to make a documentary about their record and experiences by Nicky Fennell at the Media Department at Mary Immaculate College in Limerick. They have have thus taken the opportunity to get out and play their material live.

They have have three gigs in early August, including a lunchtime performance at the World Academy of Music at UL on Thursday August 3rd, an evening at the Arts & Culture Centre in Bailieborough on Friday 4th, and finally playing at the Washerwoman Bar in Ballina on Saturday 5th. The Washerwoman gig will be followed by a punk and Indie vinyl DJ set which should be fun!