Returning Light

Returning Light Presents The Guest Rooms #1

The Guest Rooms is a new series of small intimate gigs hosted by Returning Light. Returning Light have put on many larger gigs to showcase local talent and raise money for Mental Health charities and are now branching into this different style of events, showcasing two or three artists in smaller venues throughout the county. The first Guest Rooms was held in The Forge Bar on Meetinghouse Street in Donegal Town. A small and quaint little bar known locally for its excellent pints of Guinness and friendly bar staff. The gig took place upstairs in The Forge Bar which is basically like hanging out in your grandmother’s cosy sitting room.

There were two acts on the line-up for the night. The duo Tom Mc Hugh and Declan Gaughan who did a gorgeous set at the Christmas Returning Light gig, and Niki Pollock, a well-known musician who is also a regular at Returning Light Gigs and an avid supporter of promoting mental health awareness. He has just written a fantastic blog post for the Returning Light Spotlight Series. Go check it out!

The guests arrived and made their way upstairs to find a seat. Our hosts and event organisers Ciara Martin and Daniel Breslin welcomed us all and set the tone for a relaxed evening ahead.

First up of the two acts was Tom Mc Hugh and Declan Gaughan. The boys both hail from the Donegal Town area and have worked together to write and perform numerous different songs and collectively have played in various bands across the country. First up was a song which Tom penned the lyrics for and Declan wrote the music for called “Stronger” which is about mental health. Tom’s gravelly voice, combined with Declan’s harmonies and beautiful guitar playing left goose bumps on my arms. We were then treated to another heart-wrenching original song written by Tom called “Hurdles” about relationship problems. The cover of The Sound of Silence had everyone listening with avid attention. We also heard a cover of Paul Brady’s: “The Island”, which honestly still has not left my head a week later.

After a small intermission which allowed the artists and guests to mingle the cosy forge atmosphere, the final act of the night was the very talented Niki Pollock from Dungloe, Co. Donegal. Niki has been on the music scene for years, having played with the band Mojo GoGo and most recently The Heart Vandals. Niki is back to showcase some of his recently written music. “God Bless The Wolves”, a song about friends moving away to different countries or getting married and the pressure that comes with that for young people, is a very relatable song for many. Another that stuck with me was a song he wrote about falling in love with a stripper in Edinburgh called “Julie”.  Niki’s experience shows both during songs and in between songs, where his storytelling draws you in to the meaning of the song. He played a beautiful cover of New Order’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and got the crowd going at the end of his set with his rendition of “Don’t you want me baby”.

Well done to Ciara Martin who is shaking up Returning Light’s focus and image with her drive to make a difference in Donegal’s music scene and in the world of mental health. Well done also to Daniel Breslin who was the sound man and general jack of all trades for the night. Michael Gillespie from MDG Photoworks was the photographer and videographer and has taken some amazing photos of an extremely memorable and intimate night. I can’t wait to see what The Guest Rooms has to offer for its next instalment.