Roe promises ‘special’ Canal Quarter return

As live music returns, fans in the midlands are looking forward to welcoming country music star Alex Roe back to the stage for this year’s Canal Quarter Festival on Thursday (October 21).

The festival, organised by Hugh Lynch’s Bar in Tullamore, returns for the first time since 2019, and the Clara singer gets the event under way before the Wolfe Tones take to the stage later that evening.

For Alex, the chance to return to the Canal Quarter Festival – a hometown gig of sorts – is one of the moments that helped him get through the often monotonous days of lockdown.

“Playing the Canal Quarter in 2019, before the world went mad there for a while, is one of the best memories of my career so far,” said Alex. “It’s right up there with getting to the final of Glór Tíre and winning my first Hot Country award.

“I love being on stage anyway, and having an audience to play to, but when it’s a festival like this, that takes everything up another level as far as enjoying it goes. It’s just something else altogether.

“And that was before everything that’s happened since March of 2020. That’s how much it meant to me then, before we all realised that music, that doing what we love, could be taken away from us. So come Thursday night when I get a chance, at last, to finally do it again – it’s going to be amazing!”

Alex said that during the various lockdowns, “when none of us knew if we were coming or going, or when we might be able to feel like life was normal again”, he would often think about the nights like the Canal Quarter Festival and remembering would bring a smile to his face.

“So I’m really delighted that Emmet asked me to come back and be part of things again this year.

“Emmet and his team put on such a great event anyway, but this year is going to be extra special.

“It’s not just about someone the performer – it’s about Emmet and people who put on these festivals and make them possible. It’s about the guys who’ll be setting up the stage. It’s about, the people who are running sound and lights. And, of course, it’s about the fans who come along to take it all in, and who provide every event with its atmosphere.

“We’ve all been waiting for a chance to do this again. And I can’t wait to be back in the middle of it all. It’s going to be a very special night, and a very special weekend all round, I think.”

• Alex Roe performs at the Canal Quarter Festival on Thursday October 21; see www.hughlynchs.com.

• Follow Alex at Alex Roe Music on Facebook.