Powers Golden Hours: A Fresh Spin On Traditional Irish Music

There’s a revolution underway in Irish music – led by boundary-pushing artists who are not only crafting their own unique sounds, but also mining into the rich treasure trove of traditional Irish music, to create something truly timeless. Inspiring irrepressible mosh pits and sacred, pin-drop silences alike, these homegrown acts have captured the imaginations of a bold new generation, both on these shores and far beyond.

Earlier this month, Powers Whiskey celebrated these scene-defining sounds with the launch of a new series of trad sessions, Powers Golden Hours. Kicking off with a special event at Ranelagh pub Humphrey’s, the night featured a dazzling array of music informed by Ireland’s endless well of traditional influences – with performances from headliners The Scratch, as well as Irish music icon Andy Irvine, John Francis Flynn, Doireann Ní Ghlacáin and host Sean Fitzgerald of The Deadlians.

Sean Fitzgerald (centre) and John Francis Flynn (right) at Powers Golden Hours

The series forms part of Powers’ Old But Gold campaign, which celebrates the well-earned gifts of wisdom, style and confidence that come with age. It’s also about honouring the things in life that stand the test of time – like the iconic Irish whiskey, which was first distilled in Dublin in 1791. Of course, there are few things more worthy of the Old But Gold title than traditional Irish music, and the raw power of a brilliant trad session.

Andy Irvine at Powers Golden Hours

“It’s a deadly idea,” The Scratch’s Conor ‘Dock’ Dockery says of the new series. “It’s something different. The spontaneity of it – just seeing what happens – is what excited us the most about it.

“Having Andy Irvine in the mix was fairly insane,” he adds. “Planxty were one of my first gateways into the trad world. I’ve watched so much of his live stuff on YouTube. So fair play to them for getting such good heads involved!"

With a penchant for Irish folk and strong metal roots, The Scratch have carved out their own wholly authentic path in Irish music – releasing their lauded debut album, Couldn’t Give A Rats, in 2020

The Scratch's Jordan O'Leary at Powers Golden Hours

Their Powers Golden Hours performance exposed another side of the acoustic four-piece, as they reworked tracks to further embrace traditional elements.

But why does Dock reckon this new generation is connecting to the sounds of old Ireland like never before?

“It’s the energy,” he remarks. “There’s an inherent energy to traditional Irish music. It doesn’t have to be the sombre thing that a lot of younger people thought it was.

“Some of the newer artists have taken the tradition and put their spin on it, and presented what’s always been there in a fresh way,” he continues. “They’ve shown us that it can be loads of fun, and there can be tonnes of energy in it. And it can still be dark as ever too. I’ve been to shows myself, and been like, ‘Jesus – this is not what I thought this music was when I was growing up at all!’”

Doireann Ní Ghlacáin at Powers Golden Hours

As Dock points out, the surge in popularity of trad-inspired acts is also associated with “a renewed sense of pride” among young Irish people.

“People are becoming more educated on the history and depth of culture and music that’s always been there in Ireland,” he reflects. “Now you can go, ‘This is something we have, that so many other countries we look up to musically don’t have.’ It’s something we can be proud of.”

• Stay tuned to Powers’ social media platforms for more information about upcoming Powers Golden Hours events.