Gerry Diver’s Speech Project album, featuring the voices of Joe Cooley, Martin Hayes, Christy Moore, Damien Dempsey, Shane McGowan, Danny Meehan and Margaret Barry, was released earlier this year, and was the basis for an elaborate multi-media show that toured extensively in the UK and is now coming to Ireland.

The show involves Diver and five other musicians performing the compositions, some of which are derived from the rhythms and melodies heard within snippets of spoken words from the above people, live on stage while footage related in various ways to the compositions is projected on screens up behind them.

The other musicians are English folk singer (and Diver’s wife) Lisa Knapp on dulcimer, fiddle and vocals; Yorkshire jazz musician Gaz Wilkins on keyboards; London piper Colman Connolly on uilleann pipes; classical cellist Jonathan Hennessey Brown; and classical violinist Declan Daly originally from Monaghan.

The tour has been funded by the Irish Arts Council through the touring award scheme a Deis Irish traditional arts grant.

The dates are as follows:

Wednesday, 10 October, at the Glens Centre, Manorhamilton, Co Leitrim
Thursday, 11 October, at the The Dock, Carrick on Shannon, Co Leitrim
Friday, 12 October, at the Seamus Ennis Centre, Naul, Co Dublin
Saturday, 13 October, at the Source Arts Centre, Thurles, Co Tipperary
Sunday, 14 October, at Siamsa Tire, Tralee, Co Kerry
Tuesday, 16 October, at Glór, Ennis, Co Clare
Wednesday, 17 October, at the Watergate Theatre, Kilkeeny
Thursday, 18 October, at the Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely, Co Wicklow
Friday, 19 October, at the Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge, Co Kildare
Saturday, 20 October, at the Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray, Co Wicklow
Sunday, 21 October, at the Ulster Bank Festival at Queens, Belfast

speechproject.net.