Lisdoonvarna 2003, RDS, Dublin

JOSH RITTER
Josh Ritter takes to the stage looking for all the world like a bashful teenager on his Confirmation day, his suit adding considerably to this image. He seems genuinely delighted by the fact that the tent is absolutely stuffed and when, a couple of songs in, the crowd join in boisterously on ‘Snow Is Gone’, his grin threatens to engulf the whole arena.
While admitting to being extremely nervous, you’d never think it from his performance, a blend of old (‘Come And Find Me’, ‘Me And Jiggs’) and new (a gorgeous ‘Bright Smile’ and a celebratory ‘Kathleen’). Mark Geary joins him on-stage twice during the show and Nina Hynes also makes a cameo appearance, as young Mr Ritter delivers a totally engrossing, captivating and, most importantly, smile-inducing set. Wonderful. JW
DAMIEN DEMPSEY
On the second stage, the chant of "Damo" goes up long before Damien Dempsey makes his entry to frenzied applause. The big D, if you didn’t know it already, deals almost exclusively in caps-lock bold type choruses, the secret ingredient being a disarming directness and simplicity that verges on the gauche.
Somewhere between Christy, Springsteen and The Streets, songs like ‘Negative Vibes’ crochet folk moves to rub a Dub dub, and for his rescuing of the national vernacular from the cultural junkheap (especially ‘The Jar Song’ and ‘Bad Time, Garda’) the guy deserves an annual arts council grant.
All the same, there’s a tendency to be top heavy with sloganeering. On ‘Colony’ he’s using a jackhammer to stitch a quilt, only telling half the story (I’d like to hear him rewrite the same tune from the point of view of the blacks shat on by ex-pat Micks in New Orleans and Boston a century ago). One thing that is clear, though: Damien Dempsey has plenty to say for himself. PM
COLM QUERNEY
Staring into the side of an articulated lorry may not seem like the most entertaining way to spend a Saturday afternoon but when said vehicle has been transformed into the Gig Rig – one of four stages showcasing the talents of Anne Scott, Martin Finke, Roesy and many others – the prospect is far more appealing. One of the highlights of the day’s events was when the artist formerly known as Colm Quearney, Q, took the stage.
Treating the chilled out Lisdoon crowd to a selection of treats from 2001’s The World’s Not Round, Colm and co were obviously in fine fettle. From his tribute to St. Brendan, ‘Navigator’, to one of the best Irish singles of the last few years ‘Restless’, the set definitely whetted appetites for the new album. TS
MARK GEARY
It takes a certain something to stand out from the general flotsam of songwriters, yet whatever it is, Mark Geary has it in spades. Sure, the set-up is largely typical – one mike, one guitar, one wedding suit, plenty of cameos (Josh Ritter, Nina Hynes and Glen Hansard), yet the performance is special.
The audience is hugely appreciative, becoming one with the singer during ‘Gingerman’, ‘Suzanne’ and ‘Volunteer’. Where to from here is a good question – but for now Mark Geary is indisputably on the right track.
Geary’s songwriting, perhaps influenced by his bohemian existence, is disarmingly honest and highly perceptive, and loaded with charm and humility – not to mention a gloriously undiluted Dublin accent. Even his onstage banter is more Oirish than that of those who stuck around (he regales us with tales of running through orchards from a fiddly Father Flanagan in his youth while tuning up). TS