You shouldn't bypass this new festival
There’s a certain sense of revival bouncing around West Cork at the moment after the announcement of a new music festival with a stellar line-up, and it’s all to do with a certain bypass.
The inaugural Macroom Music Fest, taking place on 24 June, may recall for many The Macroom Mountain Dew Festival, Ireland’s first open-air rock fest which ran from 1976 until 1982 and attracted the likes of Rory Gallagher, Van Morrison, and Elvis Costello to west Cork.
The Franks & Walters, Riptide Movement, and Mundy will be the headlining acts for the fledgeling festival’s first outing as Macroom enjoys a well-earned spring in its step after the long-awaited and game-changing Macroom Bypass was opened last year.
Macroom Music Fest will be the first event to take advantage of the newfound freedom from traffic the bypass has given the town.
Multi-platinum artist Mundy began his career on the energetic Dublin busking scene before singles ‘Gin & Tonic Sky’ and ‘Life’s a Cinch’ became hits for the Offaly musician. After signing to Sony, Mundy was catapulted into the spotlight when ‘To You I Bestow’ off his debut album ‘Jelly Legs’ was featured on Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo & Juliet’.
Since then, he has gone on to release 8 further albums and has toured extensively with artists such as Neil Young, R.E.M., Oasis, Emmylou Harris, and The Pogues.
Dublin band The Riptide Movement are a gold selling, Choice nominated, number 1 rock band with 5 studio albums to their name and a string of hit songs including 'All Works Out', 'You & I', 'Elephant in the Room', 'Changeling', and 'Something Special'.
The band was formed in 2006 by songwriter and vocalist Malachy Tuohy, guitarist John Dalton, bassist and harmonica player Gerry McGarry, and drummer Gar Byrne.
Iconic Cork alternative pop/rock outfit The Frank & Walters will be the oh so fitting icing on the cake for Leeside’s newest music festival. One of Cork’s most recognisable and enduring groups over the past 3 decades, the Franks are Paul Linehan on lead vocal and bass, Ashley Keating on drums, Rory Murphy on lead guitar, and Cian Corbett on keyboards. It’s been 2 decades since the release of their first record and the Frank & Walters still continue to defy expectations with Indie hits like ‘Fashion Crisis Hits New York’ and ‘After All’.
Their music today is as relevant as any of the new kids on the block and only a handful of bands anywhere in the world can lay claim to such longevity of popularity.
Speaking in the lead up to the festival, organiser Killian Lynch said: “Macroom Music Fest is an outdoor music concert to celebrate Macroom town being bypassed on 10 December 2022.
“The people of Macroom got their town back on that date and an opportunity to showcase it to its full potential and this is just one of the things we are doing.”
He added: “This concert is just the start and will be one of many to follow. Macroom is a market town in the centre of the scenic Lee Valley and has a large community feel about. It is great to see a real buzz around Macroom town now.”
Tickets for the Macroom Music Fest on 24 June cost €34.50 plus a booking fee, and are available at
macroommusicfest.ie.