INTRODUCTION
	The MOAT SONGWRITER SERIES is the result of a chance comment made by Kathleen Smith (Manageress of The Moat Theatre) during a conversation about Songwriter gigs in general.  I went away, had a think and came back with a germ of an idea ..........

.....what if we managed to put together a cohesive set of gigs, once a month with a common thread of trying to give an opening for new music to be heard. The idea  for the SONGWRITER SERIES formed. At it's simplest, the aim is to assist new and emerging songwriters to develop an audience for their music. This is achieved by inviting more established artists to 'headline' a gig and giving them the opportunity of having a 30min  support slot with this artist.

The idea is really quite simple. To encourage a focus on the song, artists are encouraged to 'keep it acoustic'; after all, when a song is born it's usually on one instrument. To create a mood, the theatre is transformed into a 'candlelit cafe' setting - audience reaction so far is really positive.

GIG 3: JOHN SPILLANE A CORK INVASION OF KILDARE ! SUNDAY 5TH NOVEMBER saw JOHN SPILLANE take centre stage.....  FAIR PLAY TO HIM! Special Guests on the night were GER WOLFE and FINTAN LUCY Fintan took the microphone first and for the next 20 minutes drew the audience into his own unique world of song. His voice, with it's strength of expression and pure musicality simply blew the audience away. Not too many people will forget this performer in a hurry. Fintan was immediately follwed by Ger Wolfe, and a greater contrast in style could not have been found. Ger has a simplicity in his delivery that is deceptive - no frills - a little chat and then some beautifully melodic and descriptive songs. After these two performances there was no doubt that this was going to be a special night. John Spillane came to the microphone and promised to play....' a dose of songs straight out of my own imagination...fair play to me!' And we never looked back! His rapport with the audience was immediate and he even brought Conor (on lights) and Vinny(on sound) into the performance. And while he was quick to point out that some great songwriters form Kildare had covered some of his songs, it still wasn't quite as good as hearing the original - and who were we to argue! The night was wrapped up in the final furlong when all three, Fintan, Ger and John took the stage each singing one of their own songs with the other two acting as backing singers/musicians. Thanks lads for a night that won't be easily forgotten. And watch this space for upcoming gigs.

GIG 2: MIKE HANRAHAN & LESLIE DOWDALL Maybe we need to re-name the Series. Something appropriate like 'Music in the Monsoon'. Boy did it rain, and rain , and rain! But the mood in the Moat was far from damp. The music was glorious. Having lost my voice for over a week and still not up to full strength, I got by on a 3 song set, morally and vocally supported with her usual honey smooth vocals by the luverly Angela. Then came SULI or as I believe they now want to be called - SIZE2SHOES: The brothers O'Suilleabhain (Eoin & Moley) had the audience eating out of their hands before they finished the first song. Brown Nose the rabbit took centre stage and stole the show. Musically, it was what I dreamed of for a night in the Series. Magical melodies, clever and quirky lyrics and amazing harmonies - coupled with a magnificent attempt to break the Bill Withers record for the longest note held on a recording. What a set! If you can catch these guys anywhere, sell your mother and go!

The headline act for this gig was a real treat for all those who braved the deluge. MIKE HANRAHAN (ex Stocktons Wing) on acoustic and electric guitars sharing vocal duties with LESLIE DOWDALL (In Tua Nua)  on keyboards and guitar made the stage their own with a set that spanned their impressive joint back-catalogue.  They are currently involved in co-writing new material and through the night they also introduced these new songs.  Throwing a few well chosen covers into the mix they got a great rapport going with the crowd. The worst thing about these gigs is they have to end!

The MOAT SONGWRITER SERIES : Opening Show : MICK HANLY The MOAT SONGWRITER SERIES was well and truly launched on Sunday 10th with the inimitable MICK HANLY- storyteller and songsmith. Performing many songs from his latest CD WISH ME WELL  he had the audience enthralled and amused in equal measure with his relaxed and humourous style. Support from Paul Flood with Angela O'Toole and Michele Ann Kelly with Massimo Santalucia were equally well received and every performance seemed to feed into the intimate candle-lit atmosphere. The audience enjoyed the evening and if the compliments offered at the end of the show carry any weight then with a little luck we may soon have a series to be proud of. SEE THE INTERNET LINKS PAGE FOR LINKS TO ALL THE FEATURED ARTISTS WEBSITES

Angela and Michele Ann             Our thanks to MAK for the photos of the evening.