You’re in the best of company with Lonesome George. The house is full, the people are fit to dance and there’s a little translucent tortoise at the front of the stage, reminding us that the original George was a legendary creature on a Galapagos island, the last of a beautiful line.
These Belfast players are giving George his dues. They play rhythmic trad music with the hurtling flute energy and eco-political sentiments. They are deep into the Irish language and amenable to magic. You might recognise some of the players from stage appearances with Réalta, Huartan, Joshua Burnside, the Mary Wallopers and any number of bar corner seisiúns and pro-Palestine rallies. Their gig diaries are full, their skills are in demand and the chance to see the full band on a big stage is rare. Hence these upbeat scenes.
Lonesome George at The Empire, Belfast, 12.09.25. Photo: Stuart Bailie
They set out their case with ‘Na Daoine Maithe’, a call to the otherworld and a meeting with the Tuatha Dé Danann, Irish shapeshifters and mischief-makers. Seosamh Mac is the vocalist and he sings from somewhere in the back of the throat, a quiet, vulnerable style that may remind old 70s fans of Steve Forbert.
Seosamh, Lonesome George at The Empire, Belfast, 12.09.25. Photo: Stuart Bailie
The songs are fine but the groove is the most impressive feature tonight. Fintan Mulholland plays the flute with tremendous authority, following the trad trails but enjoying the swerves into jazz and other genres. In this bigger venue, Lonesome George really stretch out, showing a deal of capacity and confidence. This was once the method of acts like Moving Hearts and the Bothy Band – thrills and adventure a given. Lonesome George are playing out of their collective shell.
‘The Eels of Lough Neagh’ is a great tune, a mark of solidarity with the wildlife, struggling through the worst ecological disaster on the island. Seosamh is informed and alert, but he often uses persuasion in the music, rather than force. The mandolin playing of Myles McCormack adds a sympathetic colour, recalling the earlier moods of REM, saying important things, quietly.
Catriona, Lonesome George at The Empire, Belfast, 12.09.25. Photo: Stuart Bailie
‘Klezmer’ provides the stomp that the Friday night audience demands and you see the flickering connections between the players, allowing each other space and then banging together in unison. Dermot Moynagh directs the dancers with his bodhrán while on the other flank, Catriona Gribben plays the bosca ceoil and sings around the Seosamh lines.
Near the close they play ‘Is Deas’, a vision of delight on Ireland’s western shoreline. Love and healing are just about achievable in an anxious era. Lonesome George want to take us to the island. You’ll not decline.
Stuart Bailie
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