Some events feel like they’ve always been there, as if they simply emerged, fully formed, from the soil of their setting. The Conncert, the one-day DIY festival that debuted last summer on the shores of Lough Conn in Co. Mayo, was one of those. Held in a former fishing lodge turned pub, it didn’t just host the island’s world-beating independent scene: it honoured it. In doing so, it instantly became a highlight of the Irish live calendar: a deeply felt, fiercely DIY gathering that pulled together artists from all over in a shared act of sound, soundness and self-made magic.
On Saturday, August 9th, it returns for its second instalment.
This year’s edition once again unfolds at The Lodge in Cloghans, County Mayo (F26 XY81), a 120-year-old building that looks out onto the lake like it’s been waiting for this kind of moment all along. If last year was a beautiful surprise, this one feels like an affirmation of everything The Conncert crew set out to build: something for the heads, by the heads, in one of the most naturally majestic corners of the country.
Organised by longtime instigators and friends John Breslin, Patrick Hallinan and Conor Hickey, whose combined efforts span Ballina Punx, Inner Ear, Community of Independents, and more, The Conncert is steeped in a deep DIY ethos. It’s not about clout, competition or cash. Nobody takes a cut. Instead, all proceeds go directly to the artists, engineers and designers involved. The story is simple: gather, listen, support, enjoy.
This year’s line-up is built to bend minds and open hearts. From the stoned punk demolition of Nichts (forged at Ballina Punx HQ) to the celestial improv of Biological Speculation, featuring members of Zeropunkt and Amoon, the spectrum is wide and wild. There’s the psych-folk shoegaze of Elaine Malone, playing solo from her acclaimed Pyrrhic LP and more, the long-awaited return of synth-pop outsider Patrick Kelleher, and a rare set from Human Lanterns, a band born of Jimmy Cake and Hands Up Who Wants To Die lineage, but pointing somewhere yet stranger. Add to that one of the all-time greats The Bonk, the shapeshifting mysticism of Hedgling (featuring Natalia Beylis, Willie Stewart and Aoife Hammond), and the electronic manipulations of Nonsleep (Patrick Cullen and Eoghan Horgan), and you have a lineup that’s as plural and future-facing as any on the island this year.
“I’ve been imagining an experimental gig in The Lodge every time I’ve been back for a pint since a few of us played covers there as 18-year-olds. So it’s been a long time coming,” said John Breslin.
Patrick Hallinan added, “It’s a labour of love. We take no money from it, so what drives us is quite simple: bringing a bunch of people together to share music, where something special can happen.”
Conor Hickey noted that “these events are so important. Not even for the music but moreso for the camaraderie and the shared experience. And having it in a place like The Lodge takes that up another couple of notches”.
Throw in onsite camping, a lakeside view, some curry (which, it must be said, was fucking transcendent last year) and – if the gods are kind – another clear Mayo sunset, and it’s shaping up to be another comprehensively unmissable edition. Some things don’t need scaling: they just need repeating.
Tickets are €25 + booking fee. The music starts at 3pm and goes late.
