WATCH: Daithi among those playing Connolly's of Leap + Glen Hansard pays tribute

Hot Press’ heart - we do have one! - is gladdened by the news that the legendary Connolly’s Of Leap is re-opening for rock ’n’ roll business on December 18.
A much-loved West Cork stop-off for acts during the ’90s, the venue closed nine years ago when founder Paddy McNicholl passed away, but his son Sam has now taken up the reins.
“Continuity plays a very big part of it,” Paddy told us back in 1994. “Too many venues either want instant success and are not prepared for the long haul, or they panic at the first sign of a decline in audience numbers. But if they had the bottle to keep going through the lean times they would probably find that things would pick up almost automatically. Activity breeds activity.
“Based on my experience I firmly believe that if you work with musicians, instead of against them, they’ll never let you down.”
With that philosophy, Paddy got the likes of The Frames, Something Happens, A House, The Saw Doctors, Donal Lunny and Davy Spillane to include Connolly’s in their tours of otherwise much bigger venues. Glen Hansard paid a return visit earlier this month with the video evidence below.
Donal Dineen and Talos play on the Friday followed by Altered Hours and Caoilin Sherlock; Camilla Grieshel & The Verspertine Quintet (20); Strange Attractor (21); Ajo Archestra (28); Backstory (30); New Year’s Eve Party (31); Jófrídur Ákadóttir (January 1); Daithi (2) and Stevie G (3).