From the start this was a gig not to be missed. Packed into the Old Fruitmarket, Sharon Shannon made sure a great night was had by all.

Her first tune, “Neckbelly” had us bouncing along as Sharon asked us to “go mental” and have loads of fun. The tunes came quick and fast with sets like, “Coridinio,” “Rathlin” and “Sandy” filling the set list.

Then there was a wonderful song by guitarist, Jack Maher called “Smile” and to follow, to rapturous applause, came the Shannon classic “Blackbird”. Then it was time for “Potholes” in a very smooth set unlike our potholed roads of today.

Sharon gave us a sneak preview of her forthcoming new album, “Sacred Earth” which is due out in March. From it she played “Rusheen,” accompanied by Justin Adam (guitar), Abass Doodoo (percussion) and Jodie Bremanson (bass). “Pull Out All The Stops” followed and these were sweet set of tunes with a rocky backdrop of bass and drums blending well with the fiddle.

“The Machine” was a beautifully powerful song before we headed to “Francies Reel,” featuring a stunning style of playing with strong tones. The show finished with “The Mouth of Tobique” topped by the wonderful mouth song of Sean Reagan and no gig would be complete without “The Galway Girl”. It was a night of enchanting music and thrilling drum beats complemented by wonderful fiddle and the stunning playing of the awesome Sharon Shannon.

Sandy Pratt