Junctions gigs point trad in new direction
Concertina-player Niall Vallely, who established Junctions Cork with his brother and musical collaborator, Caoimhín Vallely, says of the move from largescale gigs to intimate events. “Although we could bring in good crowds for the first concerts, they cost a lot more to stage than the audience could bring in, so funding was required. When the Arts Council funding ran out, it led to a hiatus, but we were all the time trying to think what we could do next.”
The director of Cork Opera House, Mary Hickson, recognised a worthwhile venture and offered space and support. “We had been talking to Mary about the possibility of doing something at Cork Opera House and we got stuck on the idea of doing a series of small concerts. The original idea of Junctions was to have something regular going on. There has been a bit of a dearth of trad gigs, mostly due to lack of a venue. I suppose everyone still harks back to the Lobby,” Vallely says, remembering the iconic venue, which closed in 2005. “With that in mind, the Green Room bar at Cork Opera House is a similar size, it’s an intimate environment.”
