NEWS: Pat McManus to headline Belfast City Blues fundraiser at Belfast's Empire

WITH the success of the Belfast City Blues Festival 2017 still ringing in fans’ ears next year’s thrust begins next month with a star-studded fundraiser headlined by six-string slinging Pat McManus.

The fundraising show is at Belfast’s Empire on September 16, with proceeds going to support next year’s city wide festival.

The full line-up sees Blackwood deliver their ‘Taste of Rory’ tribute to the late, great Rory Gallagher, the usual stunning set from The Willie Byrne Band and the always mesmerizing guitar histrionics of The Pat McManus Band.

Festival Director Seamus O’Neill said: “This is a special show, not just because of these three great acts, but because this is about making sure the Belfast Blues Festival in 2018 will be bigger and better than ever.

“Anyone who saw Pat, Willie and Blackwood at this year’s festival knows they deliver songs that will knock you over!”

The Belfast City Blues Festival is an annual event held in multiple venues across the city. 2018 will mark the 10th anniversary of the festival and Seamus says blues fans can be sure it’s going to make a big impression.

He added: “After a decade of festivals we’re really excited about putting our 2018 10th Anniversary programme together.

“We’re looking forward to working with all our festival partners and artists once again as well as developing new relationships as we see the festival grow bigger and better than ever before.”

At the 2018 Belfast City Blues Festival homegrown Northern Ireland acts will be joined by national and international bands and musicians exploring the rich heritage of the blues across the country and further afield.

Tickets for the fundraising show are on sale now, priced £12.50 (+ booking fee) from all Ticketmaster outlets.

NEWS: Annual tribute to Rory Gallagher at Belfast City Blues Festival

THE Belfast City Blues Festival will be paying its annual tribute to Rory Gallagher, the guitarist who made Belfast his second musical home, at the Black Box on the afternoon of June 24th at 1pm.

Gallagher was a frequent visitor to Belfast, first with Taste and then with his own band, throughout the 70s and 80s.

This year’s tribute to Gallagher, ‘A Taste of Rory’ will feature The Pat McManus Band, The Willie Byrne Band and Blackwood.

McManus said he looked forward to paying his own personal tribute to Gallagher.

"Over the years and all through my career, Belfast has been a city that welcomes me,” he said. “Likewise with Rory Gallagher, as the people of Belfast welcomed him in, supported his style of music and gave him room to grow musically, Rory never forgot that.

“He always came back to Belfast and the wider Northern Irish community even through the dark days. For me it’s still an immense pleasure to play to the people in my home land of Northern Ireland."

Rory Gallagher was born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, he was brought up in Cork where his musical development started. To date there are more than 30 million sales of Gallagher’s albums.

He was an almost annual visitor to Belfast, where his Ulster Hall shows are the stuff of legend.
Gallagher died on June 14th, 1995 aged 47.

The festival which is celebrating its ninth year with 50 gigs across 22 venues from June 23-25 has once again been sponsored by American Holidays.

For more information and a full schedule for the Belfast City Blues Festival which runs from June 23-25 log onto www.belfastcityblues.com

Tickets for ‘A Taste of Rory’ are priced £12, including booking fee, are available from www.blackboxbelfast.com