This is what I like

Vicar Street, Dublin, tomorrow evening from 7.30pm. CEOL.

Republic Of Loose, Delorentos, Heathers, Fiach, The Flaws, Lumiere, Lir, Dublin Gospel Choir, Luan Parle and more. Tickets only €20 and all proceeds to Barnardos.

You can win two tickets by just sharing your favourite Irish word(s) in the comments below.

The press release bit:

Seachtain na Gaeilge in association with Aiken Promotions, St Patrick’s Day Festival, Raidio Rí Rá and Barnardos presents:

Ceol in Vicar St, March 16th. Doors 7.30pm.

Seachtain na Gaeilge presents a live concert in Vicar Street on the 16th of March as part of the Seachtain na Gaeilge celebrations of 2011 in aid of Barnardos Ireland.

The concert will be packed full of top-rated acts singing their well known songs both in English and Irish. Acts including chart toppers; Republic of Loose, Delorentos, Heathers, Fiach, The Flaws, Lumiere, Lir, Dublin Gospel Choir and Luan Parle will take to the stage alongside some surprise special guests.

Tickets cost €20, a marginal price to pay for such headline acts, with every cent of the profits going to Barnardos.

Seachtain na Gaeilge will be working hard with the St.Patrick’s Day Festival, Aiken Promotions and Radió Rí-Rá to fill the venue!

The aim of this concert is to promote and celebrate the Irish language.

 Ceol will illustrate some of the outstanding talent we have in Ireland. The acts will be accompanied by members of The Orchestra of Ireland (An Ceolfhoireann na hÉireann) led by renowned arranger, Joe Csibi and the house band led by the very talented musician and producer Gavin Ralston.

The objective of the concert is to lift the musical spirits of all and with a line-up like this, it’s hard to pass up. With well known acts from Ireland’s music industry, It’s rare to see such a mix of talent from different genres coming together on one stage in an event such as this.

 Ceol is our biggest production for Seachtain na Gaeilge 2011 and promises to be a very memorable night for all who attend. These musicians are working together to help improve the lives of children who are in need of charities such as Barnados.

With all profits going directly to Barnados, we hope to raise a significant amount that will make a difference to the children who need it most.

Ceol le Seachtain na Gaeilge, Vicar Street, 16th March, Doors 7.30pm.

Tickets available from here.

Just put your favourite Irish word(s) below. Winners will be picked this evening after 9pm.

A big thanks to the folks at Seachtain na Gaeilge for the tickets.

That is the lovely Suzanne Vega - @suzyv on twitter - and she is playing Vicar Street, Dublin on Friday October 22.

I have two pairs of tickets to give away for the concert - they’re table seats too.

It’s to tie in with the release of her new album, SUZANNE VEGA CLOSE UP VOL 2: PEOPLE & PLACES which is out now.

The press release bit:

Iconic singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega continues her journey back into her illustrious songbook with the second volume of her superb four-part thematic acoustic album series out NOW on Amanuensis Productions/Razor & Tie. 

 

With her native New York City serving as a constant inspiration throughout her work, Vega acoustically re-imagines thirteen gems on this new volume, from the career defining “Luka”, one of the most instantly recognizable pop songs of the past 20 years, “Tom’s Diner” to the quietly stirring emotions of the classic “Queen and the Soldier”, as well as a new song written with Mark Linkous and Dangermouse, “The Man Who Played God”.

“This album begins and ends in New York City, where I am from,” explains Vega. ”In between we visit other lands, some of them imaginary. It’s an album filled with children, aging femme fatales, goddesses and queens, neighbourhood girls, unhappy wives, honest men, and unsung heroes and soldiers.”

Critics were enthralled with the first instalment of the series, VOL. 1: LOVE SONGS released earlier this year.

MOJO MAGAZINE gave a rave review, saying “What Love Songs does, however, is remind us what a brilliant vocalist and songwriter Vega has been.” (JULY 2010).

Stephen Holden of the NEW YORK TIMES called her performance of the material “a beautifully rendered career retrospective…” (1/30/10) and the NY POST music critic Dan Aquilante stated “Vintage Vega still runs smooth… Vega lived up to her rep as one of our most important singer/songwriters with intelligent, crafty lyrics hitched to music that is not only memorable but also hummable.” (1/30/10).

VOL. 2: PEOPLE & PLACES track listing:

1. Luka
2. Zephyr & I
3. NY Is a Woman
4. In Liverpool
5. Calypso
6. Fat man & Dancing Girl
7. The Queen & the Soldier
8. Rock In This Pocket (Song of David)
9. Angel’s Doorway
10. Ironbound/Fancy Poultry
11. Neighbourhood Girl
12. Tom’s Diner
13. The Man Who Played God

You’ll find the details of Suzanne’s gig in Vicar Street (and the Empire Music Hall, Belfast on Saturday) right here.

Her Facebook page is here and website is here.

To win the tickets, just leave a comment below and I’ll pick someone Thursday evening!

My thanks to Linda in Good Seed PR for the tickets. If you’re in music and you’re not talking to her, you should. She’s genuinely good at what she does.

I saw Dermot and Dave tweeting about this event this morning:

It’s the Temple Street Children’s University Hospital annual comedy night 2010.

Called Laugh Out Loud, it’s on Saturday June 26 at 7.30pm in Vicar Street and features comedians including Dara O’ Briain, Maeve Higgins, Hector O hEochagain, David O’ Doherty, Jarlath Regan, Dermot Whelan, Eric Lalor, Eleanor Tiernan and more.

All for a great cause too and tickets can be bought online here.

So, this afternoon I bought two tickets to give away to someone. The seats are at a good table downstairs in Vicar Street.

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is tweet about the event something like:

The Laugh Out Loud for Temple Street in Vicar Street looks great http://www.templestreet.ie/index.php/event/lol

or whatever, and let me know you’ve done it. Spread the link far and wide. I’ll pick a winner from everyone who does!

Looks like a great night’s entertainment altogether :)