Following the success of June’s series debut Live at the Local: NAAS, CS Promotions and Darn Skippy Productions present the concert film Live at the Local: RETURNS, which is set to premiere on the Hot Press YouTube channel tonight, November 10th at 7pm. This time around, three exceptional artists gather for an Irish session and some craic in Kilcock’s The Gregory Tavern in Co. Kildare.

Singer-songwriters Eimear and Inni-K, and virtuoso guitarist Shane Hennessy joined forces, performing some of their original material as well as three collaborative songs, which weave together their distinctive styles and influences to create something new.

“It's pretty much officially a series now that we've done more than one,” director Richard Lennon said, with a grin. His and co-producer Tony Sourke’s initial concept was for the project to be developed further if it went well.

“I would love to take it around Ireland, and just go to towns all over the place in every county, find people who are local to that area, maybe bring somebody from outside in, get people who wouldn't necessarily have worked together in the past right in the thick of it for collaboration, and then also have that magic of a local Irish venue,” he explained.

Eimear, Inni-K and Shane Hennessy performing at The Gregory Tavern in Kilcock, Co. Kildare. Photo credit Richard Lennon.

In contrast to other Darn Skippy productions, which frequently see the filmmaker shoot in theatres and more elegant locations, the Live at the Local series boasts an intimate, Irish pub feel and a unique relationship between the featured artists.

“The interplay and the relationship that you get to see between Eimear, Inni-K and Shane is just divine,” Lennon gushed.

“It's lovely to see the way they work together and how they responded to being thrown in the deep end. They really only have one day to create some new material from scratch, pretty much. On day two, they finalise everything, and a couple hours later, they're performing it for an audience for the first time.”

It was key to select musicians who would bring something different to the table from the first installment, the native New Yorker explained, who now lives in Co. Kildare with his family.

Inni-K was a no-brainer. The Dublin-based singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter has been called one of the most acclaimed voices in the revival of traditional and folk music. Her third album Iníon, which was released in February 2022, has recently been shortlisted at the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards for Best Folk Album and Best Traditional Folk Track with 'Éamonn an Chnoic'.

Inni-K’s style of blending inherently Irish music with “this almost stripped-back singer-songwriter, rock pop”, really drew Lennon to her.

Eimear at The Gregory Tavern in Kilcock, Co. Kildare. Photo credit Richard Lennon.

Aiming to feature local artists, blended with refreshing voices from outside of the county, Richard Lennon, his wife and executive producer Roseanne Lynch, and Tony Sourke of CS Promotions invited singer-songwriter and Kilcock resident Eimear Crehan along. Having released two soulful albums Scars (2018) and Quiver (2022), in addition to working as a vocal and creativity coach, her most recent project saw her travel to Zimbabwe with the organisation Beyond Stigma last week, where she worked with young people with HIV.

The singer is also gearing up for the biggest gig of her career, supporting Jack L at Dublin’s 3Arena on November 25th.

“She's somebody who can just rock into a venue and have the audience just singing along with her,” Lennon smiled, explaining that Eimear stood out due to the “great bombastic quality” of her live performances.

“There were these brilliant sections, in which the audience started singing along with her and it felt like you were in this late-night lock in,” he said.

“And Shane [Hennessy], what he's able to make a guitar do is absolutely fantastic,” the director continued. “He's playing four parts on the one instrument and it's just amazing to see. I found myself at times directing the film and filming the event, just wanting to actually look at what his fingers are doing because I'm also a guitarist.”

Shane Hennessy at The Gregory Tavern in Kilcock, Co. Kildare. Photo credit Richard Lennon.

Hennessy is a Kildare-based virtuoso guitarist, songwriter, and composer with a background in Irish traditional music. After winning Fleadh Cheoil with the concertina at age 10 or 11, he discovered his passion for the guitar and has since released four solo albums and toured extensively, with shows with renowned Australian guitarist Tommy Emmanuel scheduled in Germany this week.

“I know these three wouldn't necessarily be people who compose with other people. So this was a bit of a magical session, to see them approach music and the writing process in a very different way from what they were used to,” Richard Lennon smiled.

What further added to the remarkable energy on the night was the intimate atmosphere of The Gregory Tavern, which let him capture wonderful little moments, such as audience members looking around an artist's shoulder, because they were “just so intrigued and interested in the technical prowess”.

“There was actually a mini stage in the venue but I didn't want the artists on the stage. I actually wanted them sunken down, and I put tables behind them on the stage, looking back at it to just have its own unique quality to this version, compared to the original,” the director said.

Originally from New York, Lennon started his career as a child actor in commercials and off-Broadway plays. He came to Ireland in 2008 to study a postgrad in Film Theory and History at Trinity College in Dublin, and later co-founded Darn Skippy Productions with Roseanne Lynch.

The company produces short films, music videos, and theatre pieces, such as 2019’s Zandra, Queen Of Jazz, a play which shines a light on an unsung Dublin jazz hero.

Inni-K at The Gregory Tavern in Kilcock, Co. Kildare. Photo credit MJ Smyth.

“My earliest memories are being on set, just the lights and the cameras. And then as I got older, I started following a passion for music. And then I got hooked to being behind the camera for film as well in my teenage years,” Lennon reflected.

The hard work has paid off. The pair’s latest music video for 'La Madeleine' by Christian Wethered won the award for Best Music Video at the Dublin International Short Film and Music Festival 2022, and has been chosen as an official selection at the Prague Music Video Awards.

Why should people watch Live at the Local: RETURNS? In the end, “to see the wonder of music and art coming together and being able to share that with an intimate audience is wonderful,” Richard Lennon smiled. “And I think this film really shows that.”

Live at the Local: RETURNS - featuring Eimear, Inni-K and Shane Hennessy - was recorded at The Gregory Tavern, Kilcock, Co. Kildare on Monday the 10th of October, 2022.

The project was supported by Kildare County Council and funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media's Local Live Performance Programming Scheme.

Watch Live at the Local: RETURNS on the Hot Press YouTube channel – going live at 7pm today, on Thursday, November 10th.

The audience at Live at the Local: RETURNS. Photo credit Richard Lennon.