We Used to Play Here (Sold Out)

Join us for a handful of special concerts that celebrate the visceral experience of live music-making, inside an intimate and safe pop-up venue at Raheen-a-cluig ruins, overlooking stunning scenery on the slopes of Bray Head.

Throughout June - September ‘21, musicians Kate Ellis & Caimin Gilmore will travel to rural locations in each Irish province, for a series of intimate live performances inside a specially commissioned mobile venue.

Kate & Caimin will visit Bray, Monaghan, Inishbofin and Cape Clear, weaving new music from electronic artist Neil O’Connor, composer Amanda Feery and pro-skater Sam Perkin alongside traditional music and improvisation, creating one-off performances in each location.

The performance space was designed and built by architectural designer, Shane Sugrue, of Unqualified Design and is specifically designed for socially distanced concerts, in a variety of outdoor terrains for audiences of up to 6, with artwork designed and painted by artist Shane O’Driscoll.

Running Time: 30 minutes

Meeting Point: Raheen Car Park - At the steps that lead to the Raheen-a-Cluig field

Accessibility: Please note that the performances take place on the flat grass area in front of Raheen-a-cluig. The pathway up through the field from Raheen car park is uneven in places and is quite a steep incline. Please take care and wear appropriate footwear. Please note there are no toilet facilities on site.

The Mermaid team will be on site to guide audience members to their seats.

A Mermaid box office team member will be in touch with ticket holders in advance of the performances to talk through details and to answer any questions. Customers can also send any queries through to the Mermaid team at info@mermaidartscentre.ie and we will be happy to answer them.

About the artists:

Double Bass player Caimin Gilmore and Cellist Kate Ellis are two of Ireland's most engaging instrumentalists. They are leading improvisers and composers with expertise in the performance of new music. They have performed as a duo since commissioning composer Sam Perkin in 2019. They recently commissioned a further four works from leading Irish composers, to be released on Ergodos Records in 2022, & will embark on their first nationwide tour this June, premiering some of the works.

Kate Ellis is cellist and Artistic Director of Crash Ensemble, Ireland’s leading new music group. She performs with Martin Hayes’ Common Ground Ensemble and has collaborated with Karan Casey, Mel Mercier & Rhiannon Giddens. In 2009 Kate co-founded Kaleidoscope Night - a monthly music salon featuring classical/contemporary/improvising and folk musicians.

Caimin has extensively toured the U.S.A, Europe, Australia, Asia, U.K and Ireland as a Double Bassist, including Lisa Hannigan’s At Swim album tour. He is a member of Crash Ensemble, s t a r g a z e and plays regularly with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland and Ulster Orchestra. He recently released his first solo EP, ‘String Ogham Live’, featuring new work for Solo Double Bass. He has performed with Damon Albarn (Blur), Zach Condon (Beirut), Aaron Dessner (The National), Greg Saunier (Deerhoof), and recorded on ‘Happens to the Heart’ with s t a r g a z e and Adam Cohen on Leonard Cohen’s posthumous album, ‘Thanks for the Dance’.

Shane Sugrue is an architectural designer, researcher, and community organiser from Dublin, Ireland. His work examines the potential of participatory design to trigger altered relationships between people and place, and promote democratic approaches to planning and development. As part of Unqualified Design Studio he has led the creation of large-scale installations at events around the world, including Vivid Sydney and Burning Man.

Supported by Bank Of Ireland Begin Together Arts Fund in partnership with Business to Arts.