Some One’s Sons up for the Fleadh

Some One’s Sons are gearing up for their second Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, this time on the main gig rig.

Daniel Allen, one of the band’s lead singers, talks about what the festival means to them, their last year, and performing on the national gig rig at this year’s fleadh.

The young four-piece have quickly grown in popularity, due to their energetic performances of trad classics. The band are noted for their rich harmonies, charismatic and lively sets, while handling ballads with a delicate and passionate touch.

'The Sons' say they owe a lot of that popularity to the fleadh.

“In the last year we performed to a packed-out tent at Electric Picnic, headlined a sold-out gig at Whelans, played in Germany and supported The Fureys,” begins Daniel, “A lot of that came out of that one mad week in Mullingar,” he explains.

"That week included a performance of “Óró sé do Bheatha ‘Bhaile” on TG4 Live, which today has over 36,000 views online. Now, for Mullingar’s second consecutive fleadh, the Sons will be playing on the National Gig Rig, on Friday August 11.

“The fleadh means everything to us. The original inspiration for the band was because the 2020 festival was meant to be in Mullingar. We just wanted to stroll around town playing for pints. We had no plans past that.” When the fleadh was cancelled due to Covid, Daniel and his close friend, singer Greggy Dunne, started sending each other recorded videos of their solo performances. The videos were then stitched together and uploaded online in 2021, and Some One’s Sons were born.

"To go from uploading a few videos online to playing the Gig Rig still hasn’t set in. Some of the best musicians in the country play it every year, so its really an honour. We definitely feel like we’re representing Mullingar on the national stage.”

After this year’s fleadh, the Sons will be heading to Dublin to headline a gig in The Backroom of the iconic Cobblestone Pub. “The Cobblestone has been at the heart and soul of the Irish trad and folk music revival," continues Daniel. “It’s been home to Christy Moore, and helped kick start the careers of some of the biggest folk artists in the country like Lankum, Ye Vagabonds and Lisa O’Neill. You can’t tell the story of Irish folk without them.”

You can catch Some One’s Sons at the Fleadh:

Aug 5: The Stables

Aug 6: Greville Arms Hotel (Fleadh Village)

Aug 8: Greville Arms Hotel (Fleadh Village)

Aug 9: Guinness Centre

Aug 11: Gig Rig

Aug 11: Clarkes Bar

Aug 12: Clarkes Bar