Event Information

Howth Maritime By Night: Luka Bloom

Irish Folk legend Luka Bloom is coming to St. Mary's Church as part of the Howth Maritime By Night Festival on Sunday the 24th of May.

In 1972 Barry Moore wrote a song called WAVE UP TO THE SHORE. Not his first song, but it had something.

He did some gigs, wrote some songs; and in 1987 he boarded a plane for New York, and Luka Bloom was born. Riverside was released in 1990 on REPRISE Records. It was followed by THE ACOUSTIC MOTORBIKE AND TURF.

During the early 1990s the life of writing, recording and touring took off. The US, Australia, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, and The UK are frequent destinations for Luka’s songs. As well as his own touring, he has performed at some of the great festivals: Pinkpop(Holland) Roskilde(Denmark) Torhout\Werchter(Belgium) Newport Folk Festival(US) Byron Blues Festival(Australia) Glastonbury and Cambridge (UK). And most of all, he regularly sings all over the island of Ireland, where he lives in County Clare.

Since 2000, Luka has been releasing his own songs and music via www.lukabloom.com

17 independent albums in total, as well as a book of photographs and some lyrics called HOMEPLACE. In 2022, Luka was singing Wave up to the Shore at home one afternoon. He suddenly realised it was 50 years old. This resulted in a triple cd of 50 songs from the past 50 years. Reworkings of songs written and learned since 1972. It is called WAVE UP TO THE SHORE and is available from www.lukabloom.com

As the Howth Maritime & Seafood Festival moves to May, we’re excited to introduce a brand-new evening festival to complement the daytime celebrations — kicking off in full on the Friday night with a full programme of gigs plus a Viking event. If you’re planning a visit to the Maritime Festival, why not stay on and experience this intimate boutique music festival set across nine unique venues throughout the village and the breathtaking surroundings of Howth Hill?

From cosy pubs to iconic cultural spaces, the festival invites you to wander from gig to gig, soaking up the charm and energy of Howth — think the spirit of Electric Picnic, but with most events free to enjoy.

At the heart of the programme are four special headline shows. The historic Abbey Tavern hosts three nights of standout performances, while the beautiful St. Mary’s Church provides a stunning setting for a truly memorable concert.

Festival highlights include: Legendary Irish folk singer-songwriter Luka Bloom performing at St. Mary’s Church on Sunday, May 24th at 6pm.

At the Abbey Tavern:

Friday, May 22nd at 8pm – dynamic trad-fusion from The Wran

Saturday, May 23rd at 8pm – Havana-inspired grooves with Havanah Roots

Sunday, May 24th at 8pm – the electrifying Celtic rhythms of Kíla

Tickets for all 4 headline shows from tickets.ie

Elsewhere, The Summit Inn will host a nostalgic K2 80s & 90s Club Night. In addition to the headline shows, a vibrant programme of free live music will take place across the town, featuring performances from 353 Samba Club at McNeills, Allied Irish Bandits at O’Connell’s, The Guilty Party at Crabby Joe’s, Ultras and Taylor D at The Bloody Stream, Dublin City Rounders at The Harbour Bar and The Mafia Cats at Wrights-Findlater.

A special highlight of the weekend is ‘Songs From Howth’, a unique songwriters’ showcase celebrating local talent, with performances from Paul Byrne, Luke Howard, Colm Skwirbat, Lee Page & Dave Chesney, Celine Daly, Martello and Rob Keogh. For those travelling in, camper van parking will be available at Suttonians Rugby Club, making it even easier to turn your visit into a full weekend escape.

Join us for a weekend of great music, Seafood, fresh sea air and unforgettable atmosphere in one of Ireland’s most scenic coastal villages. And yes we did mention Vikings - at 7pm on the Friday there’ll be a Viking parade and battle reenactment starting from Tesco and going to the green area opposite King Sitric.

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Ticket Information:

General Admission: €30.00 (Incl. Booking Fee)