Castledaly man to launch new trad band in Meath

Talented banjo player Adam Kelly from Castledaly will launch his new trad band Shillelagh Law in Ráth Chairn, Co Meath, this weekend. He is also currently touring with folk stalwarts The Fureys.

The newly-formed four-piece will perform along with two support acts playing on Friday, March 29 in An Bradán Feasa - Ráth Chairn (The Club) Co Meath.

Adam is looking forward to the launch night. A bus will be travelling to the venue from Moate for any locals interested in attending. The launch night will consist of “a mixture of original songs, lively tunes and songs that everyone can sing to,” said Adam.

Shillelagh Law recently supported The Fureys at a sold out concert in the INEC Killarney which Adam said “went down a storm”.

“Everyone was buzzing after it! It’s a very lively band.”

The new band has been described as a “breath of fresh for traditional Irish music”. Along with Adam, Dublin-born singer and guitarist Chris Leonard, accordionist Liam Tierney from Portumna, Co Galway and New York native and fiddle player Jayne Pomplas make up the band. Adam said that the band write their own songs and that they will be recording their own original songs following the launch night.

Explaining how the name Shillelagh Law was chosen, Adam remarked that the band wanted a name that would represent their edginess and liveliness and that singer Chris suggested the unusual moniker.

The Westmeath man added that the band will be playing some local gigs in the future as well as supporting big bands before their shows. “Most of the gigs will begin fully once summertime hits as we will all be done our own individual music tours that we are currently doing,” stated Adam.

Shillelagh Law already has an impressive social media following with nearly 5,000 followers on TikTok with some videos garnering a whopping 70,000 views to date.

Adam got his first guitar as a Christmas present when he was 10 years old, but he took up the banjo two years later after being persuaded to do so by his late Granddad, Martin Kelly. From the time he first picked up a banjo, he proved to be a natural musician and under the expert eye of his banjo teacher, Joe Connaire, Adam won numerous awards at Fleadh Cheoils around the country including the Leinster Fleadh in 2018.

Shillelagh Law will play in Ráth Chairn, Meath on Friday, March 29 from 9pm to 11pm. Their first support act Cos will perform at 8pm followed by Saoirse Keegan, Áine Ní Chróinín and Jen Leahy at 8.30pm. Tickets cost €10 and are available now to purchase in P. Egan's bar in Moate or you can message the band on Facebook to order tickets. Anyone interested in booking a seat on the bus travelling to Meath from Moate should message Shillelagh Law on Facebook.