Fantastic new sounds for Festival Folk as Barley Hall welcomes the JORVIK Viking Festival

One of York’s most stunning historic settings will provide the venue for two top folk music events at this year’s JORVIK Viking Festival, when Barley Hall welcomes Ruth Keggin and Ray Cooper for two nights of musical magic.

26 year old Ruth Keggin is credited with leading a revival in Manx music, with her stunning voice                and her debut album, Sheear, receiving critical acclaim across the folk music world.  Mary Ann Kennedy of BBC Radio 3 describes: “Ruth Keggin is the pure and passionate Gaelic voice of the Manx musical renaissance. Sheear is a thing of beauty which makes the circle of British folk music tradition whole.”  Ruth will be performing with her trio at Barley Hall at 7.00pm on Monday 16 February.

Since she launched her album last year, Keggin has been further developing her sound in collaboration with traditional Norwegian musicians Margit Myhr and Erlend Apneseth, and fellow Manx musicians Tomas Callister and David Kilgallon, recognising the common heritage between Norway and the Isle of Man, which was ruled by Viking kings for centuries!

“We are hugely excited to have Ruth joining us for this year’s Festival, and know that fans of folk music throughout Yorkshire will be keen to see her perform.  Her work revives the Manx folk tradition in a wonderfully accessible way,” comments Festival director, Danielle Daglan. 

Meanwhile, kicking off the folk music programme on Sunday 15 February, legendary folk musician and singer songwriter Ray Cooper will be returning to the atmospheric candlelit setting of Barley Hall with music from his latest album Palace of Tears.  Ray is a hugely popular musical contributor to the JORVIK Viking Festival, with past performances a sell-out success.

Tickets for both concerts are £14 for adults and £12 for concessions, and are available online at www.jorvik-viking-festival.co.uk or by calling the booking line on 01904 615505.  Both shows are expected to sell out quickly, so early booking is strongly recommended to avoid disappointment. 

The JORVIK Viking Festival itself runs from 14 – 22 February 2015, with full details of the packed programme of events available at www.jorvik-viking-festival.co.uk

ENDS

For further media information or photographs, please contact:

Jay Commins

Pyper York Limited

Tel:         01904 500698

Email:    jay@pyperyork.co.uk