Making a welcome return to The White Horse, The OARS promise to captivate with their renowned talent on show on November 28th.

Making a welcome return to The White Horse, The OARS promise another captivating show with their renowned talent on show. In the last year, The OARS have collaborated and performed with stars such as Robbie Williams, Garron Noone, Paddy Casey and Gemma Hayes and have played to audiences in Croke Park, The Gaelic Grounds and at Thomond Park. They also collaborated with Garron Noone for the upcoming album “21st Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan”, which includes tracks from Bruce Springsteen, U2, Tom Waits, Johnny Depp, Glen Hansard (RIP), Imelda May and many more. Their debut album, released in January 2024, was recorded and produced in Louisiana by multi-Grammy winner Dirk Powell.

“The OARS are one of the finest and most unique bands in Ireland. With soaring vocals, driving rhythms and instrumental mastery, it doesn’t get better than The OARS. These guys are world class!” – Damien Dempsey.

Eoin Coughlan

As part of the hugely successful group NOMOS, the lead vocalist/multi-instrumentalist and songwriter found himself touring extensively around the world playing alongside the likes of Emmylou Harris, Billy Bragg, Nancy Griffiths and Baaba Maal on some of the main world music stages. After five years on the international scene with NOMOS, the break-up of the band saw Eoin embark on a solo career that resulted in the release to huge critical acclaim, of his debut album, “Blood in Vein”, produced by David Odlum. "Eoin Coughlan is a diverse musician whose traditional inspired guitar playing brings a unique element to contemporary songwriting. He plays with a percussive style and harmonic variety that makes him stand out as a top-class player" - Ciaran Gribbin of INXS

Brian Morrissey is a renowned banjo/bodhrán/whistle player and percussionist. He is a member of the ground-breaking groups Buille and TarantaCeltica and has performed and recorded with artists such as Donal Lunny, John Spillane, Kevin Crawford, Jimmy Crowley, Nathan Carter, Luka Bloom, and the late, great Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin. Brian has also performed with many international artists including multiple Grammy winners Béla Fleck and Alison Brown. He is the founding director of Cork City Council’s “Lee Sessions” traditional music trail and is the creator and producer of the critically acclaimed stage production, Pulses of Tradition. Brian has lectured and tutored in Irish traditional music at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick and at University College Cork. “When I heard Brian Morrissey playing, I knew I was in the presence of a master,” – Donal Lunny.

The OARS will be joined on the night by special guest Nicole Maguire.

After taking a 10 year break from music, Nicole is now back and armed with a batch of new songs under her belt. Having released two already critically acclaimed albums in 2012 and 2016, 2026 will see Nicole return to the stage to share and road test her new work.

Before taking a break,Nicole had made major waves on the international music scene. Counting Damien Dempsey and the late Nancy Griffith as friends and mentors Nicole has grown from a shy 15 year old performer to a mesmerizing, accomplished star, whether fronting a band or performing solo with acoustic guitar.

Nicole travelled to Nashville to write and from there road tested her songs around America. She also worked with one of the most respected producers in the world, multi Grammy nominated Mitchell Froom (Pearl Jam, Randy Newman, Ron Sexsmith – to name but a few). Since then, Nicole has shared the stage with many of her musical heroes such as Paul Brady, Glen Hansard, Vince Gill, Don McLean, Donovan, Damien Dempsey, Nanci Griffith and Mundy to name but a few. She has also performed two solo nationwide tours, as well as touring Switzerland and the U.S on numerous occasions.

In June 2015, two of Nicole’s songs were featured in Oscar winning actor Robert Duval’s movie ‘Wild Horses’. In late 2015, Nicole went back into the studio, this time with producer Gavin Glass. Hand picking an elite group of Ireland’s finest musicians, they joined Nicole to create her second studio album titled ‘Wishing Well’ released in April 2016. The title track of the album features the vocals from one of Ireland’s finest songwriters, and one of Nicole’s heroes, Paul Brady.

Description supplied by the event organiser.