The Jeremiahs, fronted by Joe Gibney
IRISH folk band The Jeremiahs make their York debut tomorrow night at the National Centre of Early Music on the second night of a six-date tour.
“We’ve played the Swaledale Festival in North Yorkshire, but this will be our first time in York,” says singer and occasional whistle player Joe Gibney, whose tour is supported by Culture Ireland.
“We’re putting a route together around the UK, where we’ve played a lot, and lovely York came out second on our list, so we’re playing there on the second night.” Newcastle tonight, Cardiff, on Thursday, Crediton in Devon on Friday, Chidham on Saturday, and Woodbridge on Sunday complete the travels.
Joining Joe on that intense itinerary will be fellow founder James Ryan, from County Kildare, on guitar, New York-born Mat Mancuso, on fiddle and vocals, and Conor Crimmins, from County Clare, on flute.
“The Jeremiahs were formed by James and myself in 2013 and we had two French lads playing with us, one for seven and a half years in fact, but they were settling down and wanted to do less travelling. Mat joined two and a half years ago,” says Joe. “Though he’s from New York, he lives in Armagh, and people on the Irish music circuit recommended to us. It’s worked out well for us.”
The Jeremiahs are a band regularly on the move. “We’ve travelled a lot, playing Denmark, Germany and the USA, where we go three or four times a year, like playing upstate where you can play two or three gigs within two or three hours of each other,” says Joe.
“We must have played 26 states in The USA so far. Everybody wants to be Irish, and when you trace back, there are a lot of Irish roots there. It’s great to keep going across the Pond. There might be some jetlag, but I’m not complaining!”
Looking ahead tomorrow’s set list for an early-December gig, Joe says: “We might put a couple of Christmas songs in there, a couple of nice Christmas Carols, without changing the set too much. The lads might try to get me to wear a Santa hat, but I might put my foot down.”
The set will feature predominantly The Jeremiahs’ own material but with a nod to tradition too. “We like to write our own songs and tunes, but we’re mindful that there’s so much good stuff out there that we usually pick songs that we like too – and the audiences agree with our choices!” says Joe.
“The last Jeremiahs’ album [Misery Hill & Other Stories] came out in 2023 with nine originals and one cover version on it, so it’s usually 80 per cent originals and 20 per cent covers in the shows. We also like to do 60 per cent songs to 40 per cent tunes, so there are a good few instrumentals in there, as there are thousands and thousands of traditional tunes around.
“It’s a chance for me to step off stage and let the lads do what they like to do, and you can see the joy they get from that, as I sit at the side of the stage watching them.”
Should you wondering why they are called The Jeremiahs, here is Joe’s explanation. “When we started back in 2013, we didn’t have a name, so we temporarily chose The Jeremiahs, as James’s grandfather was called Jeremiah,” he says. “At the time, we had long beards, so people thought we must be Amish, but we’ve stuck with it and people seem to like our ‘temporary’ name for 12 years now!”
Putting Joe on the spot as to why Irish music is so popular across the globe, he says: “It’s hard to say why. People have tried to put their finger on it. I think there’s a simplicity to it that’s not taking away from the technicality, but it’s so catchy, like all those melodies in the songs of The Dubliners. Sometimes it’s just nice to have that melody there.
“There are 70 million Irish passport holders across the wold, and with that Irish diaspora, you can imagine the impact that has had on bringing Irish music to all corners. There’s even a Japanese band called Pinch Of Snuff who come to Ireland to play trad Irish music – and they look good too!”
The Jeremiahs play National Centre for Early Music, St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, York, on December 3 at 7.30pm. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.