Cork musician to 'bring the craic back' with portable gig venue

Cork musician Áine Duffy in her converted donkey box. Picture: Emma Olivia Dorman

A Cork musician plans to “bring the craic back” across Ireland helping musicians tour again by converting a van into accommodation and an outdoor gig venue.

Áine Duffy, who previously created the Duffbox by turning an old donkey box into a mobile gig venue so she could continue to tour her music safely during pandemic restrictions, said that the housing crisis and cost of living is now stopping many musicians from touring.

The pandemic also closed multiple music venues.

So she is expanding her donkeybox-as-gig-venue idea into Duffbox 2.0 by renovating a van which can be used by musicians for both accommodation and transport when touring in Ireland. 

It can also be used by venues to host outdoor gigs with its retractable stage, stretch tent, and heat lamps.

“As a touring original musician myself I understand the downfalls and obstacles we face,” she said.

These include prohibitive accommodation costs, high overheads associated with live performance such as venue hire, travel and sustenance costs; childcare; access to airplay; and time to write.

She also said that the “capitalist nature of the music industry” creates fashions that inhibit individuality and creative expression.

Mobile music unit

Colleagues have told her they cannot afford to perform more than two gigs a year due to the associated travel and accommodation costs.

“My solution is to professionally convert a box van into a multifunctional mobile music unit, which will provide accommodation, cooking facilities, and WC to keep costs of a touring musician to a minimum.

“Vitally this vehicle will have an innovative in-built stage to enable outdoor gigs as trialled successfully with the prototype Duffbox.” 

This will also allow musicians to travel to more rural venues, “creating something special for people to go to in some of the most beautiful places in Ireland”.

Ms Duffy is fundraising for €15,000 to help with the costs of buying the van and transforming it into a mobile musician hotel and gig venue.

“We live in the most beautiful country,” she said. 

“But culture, music, stories, and song need to be kept alive. 

“Venues also have a backlog of acts since the pandemic. 

"This could allow them to boost numbers of shows to meet their commitments. 

I want to inspire musicians to tour again with ease and excitement and fall in love with our beautiful county and what it has to offer, from characters to scenery.

“And live music lifts people’s spirits, it brings people together, it creates community. We need that cameraderie more than ever now."

Ms Duffy previously created the Duffbox after she found an old donkey box for sale and turned it into a mobile gig venue, with its own stage and sound system from which she could safely perform outdoor gigs during the pandemic.

She also built her own tiny home after struggling to find somewhere to live during the housing crisis.

Ms Duffy will also begin a monthly radio show playing Irish musicians called ‘Blas’ to promote and protect Ireland’s rich musical ecosystem on overthewestonlineradio.com.

To donate go to: Fundraiser by Aine Duffy: The Duffbox , BRINGING THE CRAIC BACK, music revolution! (gofundme.com)