Sionnach Rua's Great Irish Songbook

Sionnach Rua’s Great Irish Songbook plays The Citadel Murwillumbah on the 2nd May 2024.

Playing the greatest songs Ireland has ever produced ranging from ‘The Dubliners’ to ‘The Pogues’

with fiddles, Uilleeann Pipes, Bazouki’s, Mandolins and Whistles

"One of the best nights we've had in a long time, a night of mysticism and romance - charismatic storytelling at its best! The music was superb and the musicians flawless."
Tristan MacManus. Presenter - Studio 10 - Network Ten Television

Be transported to Ireland with an evening of fiddles, frame drums, pipes, and tales of Irish traditions. ‘Sionnach Rua’s Great Irish Songbook’ is a show like no other. Playing the greatest songs Ireland has ever produced, performed by virtuoso musicians. This is a toe- tapping, hand-clapping and singalong show will have you belly laughing, crying and raising your voice in a celebration of all things Irish.

Selling out shows across Australia with their authentic, lively celebration of Irish traditional music, songs, and stories, ‘Sionnach Rua’ transports audiences to the heart of an Irish bar with infectious energy , masterful storytelling and the craic you’d expect.

Sionnach Rua (pronounced Shun Knock Roo
Ah), is Gaelic for ‘Red Fox,’ known throughout Irish mythology as a skilful animal. A fitting name, the group is headed by Dublin-born and raised front man, and one of Ireland’s best storytellers, Gallie, on vocals, acoustic guitar, and bodhrán, an iconic Irish frame drum. Gallie brings together some of the finest multi- instrumentalists, including winner of the Australian Folk Music Awards 2022 Instrumentalist of the Year Paddy Montgomery (bouzouki, guitar),  and Sam Davies (Uilleann Pipes, tin whistle, low whistle).

Interwoven with rich stories from Gallie’s Irish upbringing from the streets of Dublin, with tales of Ireland’s many traditions, folk lore, and long history, this celebration of Celtic music has songs ranging from Planxty to Van Morrison to the Dubliners, as well as traditional songs from the 16th and 17th centuries.

To date, Sionnach Rua have played over 100 shows, numerous festivals in four states, including The National Celtic Folk Festival in Victoria to over ten thousand people. They were also a People’s Choice Finalist in the 2022 Australian Folk Music Awards.

The inspiration behind the performance was sparked from a late-night jam session between Gallie and Paddy, playing old Irish songs ‘til the wee hours of the morning. Thinking "we must take this on the road," they agreed that the only way to capture the true spirit of Irish music was to include a Uilleann Pipe player, Ireland’s unique and beloved indigenous instrument, and one of the most difficult instruments in the world to master.

As Irish luck would have it, Paddy introduced Sam Davies, renowned as one of the finest Uilleann Pipe Players in the Southern Hemisphere, who hails from South Australia and has been playing the pipes since he was 17. Uilleann Pipes (pronounced ill-unn), often referred to as ‘Irish bagpipes’, are smaller and considered to have a sweeter and mellower sound than their Scottish counterparts.

There’s no better way to describe the performance than as a great ‘craic,’ the good times had when engaging in lively conversation and great entertainment.

As Gallie says, “The craic is just unbelievable, because I’ve got the best musicians in Australia, and we’re just doing the best songs that Ireland has.”

Joining Gallie at the Citadel Murwillumbah show will be Sam Davies on Uilleann Pipes and Josh Bennett on Mandolin, Fiddle, Bazouki and Guitars.