15 June 2025
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Seán Keane
Ballymaloe Grainstore
Friday 18 July 2025, 8pm
Seán Keane, possessor of one of Ireland’s most distinctive voices, returns to Ballymaloe Grainstore for his annual summer concert – this will be his seventh – on Friday 18 July. As usual, Seán will be joined on stage by guitarists Fergus Feely and Fergal Scahill for what is sure to be another sold-out show.
Steeped in music, Seán Keane grew to musical maturity in an atmosphere where nothing is more important than playing a tune well and singing a song as it should be sung. Although heavily influenced by traditional styles and values, Seán cannot be categorised simply as a traditional singer. Whether the songs are traditional, folk, country or blues, he applies a unique voice and unforgettable individual style.
Seán’s songs such as ‘Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears’, ‘Galway to Graceland’ and ‘Home Away From Home’ are enduringly popular with his many listeners. Material such as ‘Paint Me a Picture of Ireland’ ‘Nature’s Little Symphony’, ‘Don’t Teach Me How to Cry’ and ‘One More Hour’ have become modern standards.
In 2020 Seán became an ambassador to Safe Home Ireland, an Irish emigrant support service that provides a range of services from advice, information, to outreach and housing services to more than 2000 people each year. It is Seán’s music which is deeply rooted in tradition and a sense of home, as well as his global fanbase and connection to the Irish diaspora, which drew the attention of those at Safe Home Ireland.
Tickets for Seán Keane in Ballymaloe Grainstore are €35. They can be booked online at www.ballymaloegrainstore.com.