Offaly native to play major UK music festival

An Offaly musician is set to headline a major UK festival alongside big names like Rudimental and top DJ Paul Van Dyke.

Killeigh's Damian Farrell will play the sold out Sheffield Student Festival, billed as the first major urban festival in the Yorkshire city on Saturday, September 25.

With a 6,000 capacity, across several stages, the event's promoter CODE has attracted huge names in music from Rudimental and top DJ Paul Van Dyke for the massive student festival in the city centre.

In addition to this event, Damian will be staging a night for Irish students in Nottingham in October in top rated Irish venue Raglan Road.

The Killeigh native's profile got a huge boost several years ago when The Saw Doctors lead singer Davy Carton was in the Nottingham venue where he was performing, and demanded that Farrell stay the entire weekend, asking him to sing in the Greyfriars Club which is dedicated to Irish community in the Midlands of England

“It was a little surreal, and honestly mad,” said Damian Farrell of the experience. “But how could I say no to a guy who I have listened to, and get asked for his songs wherever I go. And he was actually utterly sound,” he commented.

Farrell had recently played a wedding for the daughter of the prestigious late great banjo trad player Paddy Ryan of Wigan. Paddy Ryan Snr was synonymous with the trad music movement in Liverpool in the early 80s and late 90s, and the family tradition is carried on by his son Paddy Ryan Jnr, who is currently on tour with the Seven Drunken nights musical touring show across Europe and North America.

“It was an absolute honour to play with these guys because they have danced every board and avenue,” he quipped. “You don't get a sense of the music till you're buried miles away from it, if that makes sense.”

Now away from Killeigh coming up to ten years, Damian has been living in Fuerteventura, and also performing in North Italy with YouTube sensation guitarist Andrea Vittori and the world famous 40 Fingers Quarter.

Still close to his roots, Damian believes that the Offaly spirit and growing up with fellow like minded people in Killeigh and Tullamore was still the best musical education you could ever have had.

“Joe Lee's pub is an institution for music and always will be, and continues to be strong now in these uncertain times,” Damian said, adding that he is looking forward to getting back to writing and recording more songs in the near future.

For more information, and to follow Damian Farrell, go to https://www.facebook.com/damifarrell or sheffieldstudentfestival.co.uk