In Pictures: Dirk Powell and Rhiannon Giddens impress at White Horse in Ballincollig
Dirk Powell and Rhiannon Giddens onstage in the White Horse during their gig at Ballincollig Winter Music Festival. Picture Chani Anderson
★★★★☆
Enswamped in centuries of lush southern tradition, the talents of Rhiannon Giddens and Dirk Powell would raise even the saddest spirit to celestial heights.
The Grammy-winning artists wowed a capacity audience for the opening night of the 15th annual Ballincollig Winter Music Festival in the legendary gastro-pub and music venue The White Horse.
“We’re blaming the swampy atmosphere for our instruments being out of tune,” said Powell, a virtuoso on banjo, guitar, mandolin, accordion and the ‘honky tonk’ piano. “The piano is just perfect for our songs.”
Indeed it was. Honky, tonky, loud and stonky. From opening foot-tapper ‘Georgie Buck’ to singalong closer ‘Light In The Valley’, we were rapt from start to finish.
From the self-penned gems to the American trad tunes, we loved it all: ‘At The Purchaser’s Option’, ‘Shake Sugaree’, ‘We Could Fly’, ‘I Remember’, ‘Careless Love’, ‘Sitting On Top Of The World’ and ‘He’s Got You’. And, of course, Powell’s epic ‘Waterbound’, recorded by 100+ artists worldwide.
“What a place you have here,” said Giddens. “It’s everything Dirk said. I live in Limerick [where her two children’s Irish language skills are soaring]. I don’t know why this is my first time here. We’ll be back.”
A volley of applause.
“This really feels like home,” said Amelia Powell, Dirk’s angelic-voiced daughter.
A louder volley of applause.
“We haven’t discussed it yet with Joe [Carey, owner of The White Horse], but we’re thinking we’d really love to do a residency here,” said Powell.
Ear-popping decibels.
And little wonder, Giddens and Powell are magnificent. There seems to be no floor or ceiling to Giddens’ voice, while there’s no doubting the depth of her commitment to social justice, inclusion and climate action.
The anecdotes from Giddens and Powell are jaw-dropping, having toured with everyone from Joan Baez, Paul Simon, Buddy Miller, Loretta Lynn and Levon Helm.
Giddens even played banjo and violin on Beyoncé’s ‘Texas Hold Em’, arguably now the most familiar banjo and violin licks in the world. Her voice is so good that you’d be forgiven for forgetting her incredible musicianship.
Then you have the duo’s Grammy awards. “I’ve not won any awards for my patter,” says Giddens with genuine modesty. “Dirk is much better at that.”
In truth, she is a great storyteller. But she’s right, so is Powell.
“I’m honoured to see that you’ve got Dirk Gumbo on the menu,” he says. “You should try it. The best gumbo outside of Louisiana.”
He’s not wrong. This reviewer can also recommend the White Horse Fish Pie. A night of fine feasts on both the food and music fronts.
- The Ballincollig Winter Festival runs until Sunday, featuring Tim O'Brien, Jan Fabricius, Áine Whelan, Clare Sands, The White Horse Guitar Club and more. Some events still have tickets available, but most are sold out.
