A magical night that will live long in the memory
The Waterboys bring passion and drama to the Clonmel stage
Even after listening to the endless hits delivered with passion and drama on stage from such an iconic band, walking home from the unique Raheen House venue after a mesmerising night of entertainment, it was still hard to believe that The Waterboys had performed in Clonmel when you woke up the next morning.
Given the worldwide status of The Waterboys, there was a surreal feeling to the When Next We Meet finale on Sunday night.
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The final Waterboys gig of a hugely successful tour of Australia, taking in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and New Zealand, took place in Christchurch on May 23.
Just over a week later, they were headlining at the fifth iteration of the When Next We Meet festival in the intimate grounds of Raheen House.
The festival has grown and grown since it was established by Clonmel businessman David Anchell, along with Kate Twohig and Eoin Hally. This year, it took one enormous leap into another entertainment stratosphere by bringing The Waterboys to Clonmel.
Since attending a performance of The Waterboys in Galway two years ago as a result of an invitation from his son, David Anchell has wanted to bring the band to Clonmel.
“I was just blown away by them that night in Galway, and I wanted them for When Next We Meet,” said David, who financed the deal to bring the band to Clonmel on the day of his birthday.
“It will be the biggest birthday present I will ever buy myself,” said David, who thanked Kate and Eoin for delivering, thanked the volunteers and the council officials, and all of the performers.
While it was a birthday gift to himself, his desire to make it happen saw the businessman, by extension, make an incredibly generous gift to the 800 people who had the privilege of attending the incredible Waterboys gig.
Securing The Waterboys gave festival co-directors Kate Twohig and Eoin Hally a welcome headache.
There was a long waiting list for tickets for the gig on Sunday night as it had long since sold out.
Many of those in attendance on the Saturday night, which was headlined by the sophisticated Mick Flannery and Susan O'Neil, who performed a superb rendition of their beautiful In The Game album, were frantically trying to source tickets for the following night's Waterboys show, but to no avail.
Those left without tickets were trying to identify the best locations to listen to The Waterboys from outside the sold-out venue.
“This all began in 2022, not knowing that in a few years time we would be hosting The Waterboys in front of 800 people, more than four years later,” said Kate Twohig.
Recalling the opening night of the When Next We Meet festival in 2022, Kate said nobody would forget the torrential rain on Saturday night.
“We were heartbroken looking at the rain, but by the end of the night, everybody was out on their feet dancing to Soda Blonde,” said Kate.
Kate said the organisers were fortunate to have a community building around the event since it started.
“We have 25 volunteers who give up their time every year to help us get everything right. No job is too big or no job is too small for them,” she said.
Kate Twohig said When Next We Meet would not exist but for the support of Camida.
She also thanked Tipperary Museum for their support and for organising tatching, stone mason, and other craft stalls in the grounds of Raheen House for people to admire.
It brought a spectacular close to a wonderful weekend of entertainment