Blanchardstown Resonance II among Culture Night highlights

Blanchardstown Resonance II is among the highlights of Culture Night, with the event taking place at Draíocht.

Blanchardstown Resonance II will once again showcase some of the most talented singers, bands and artists from Blanchardstown and Dublin 15. 

The show is a celebration of creativity and community, with the artists supporting each other in a night of amazing performances.

The show features performances from a diverse lineup, including James Shannon, Asha Ari, Shauna Harris, Subhashini Goda & more. 

The event will offer a unique blend of hip hop, R&B, poetry and dance, with a focus on vulnerability, love and a homage to how Blanchardstown has helped shape artistic expression.

With an amazing house band including Carlotta Guitarla, Tevonte Black, Julio Lima, and Fionn Ruadh, you don’t want to miss this free event.

Ari said, “it makes my heart so happy being able to put this show together with the help of Draíocht to showcase Blanchardstown artists.”

“There is so much talent in Dublin 15 and Draíocht has been a big part of the start of a lot of artists’ musical and creative journeys, so it makes so much sense to do a gig there. Expect a night of amazing live performances, collaboration, and a homage to Dublin 15.”

Among the artists performing at the event are rapper James Shannon, singer-songwriter Asha Ari, and multidisciplinary artist Shauna Harris. 

James Shannon is a rapper/singer/producer from Blanchardstown. 

He has been making rap music for five years now and is starting to explore new paths such as experimental hip-hop and R&B.

Starting at the age of 15, music was an outlet in his life where he felt in his element, no-one but himself to express what he felt while doing his own thing. 

There was a sense of empowerment in being able to speak through writing lyrics. Early influences for James were rappers such as the Notorious B.I.G, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole. 

Asha Ari, who was named Hot For 2023 by Hotpress, is a singer-songwriter from Dublin 15,

She is half Ghanaian, half Irish, and grew up in Blanchardstown. 

She performed twice last year in the Irish Embassy in London, appeared on The Late Late with Niamh Kavanagh and performed at Trafalgar Square for St Patrick’s Day 2023 to a crowd of 50,000. 

She recently did a mini-Irish tour supporting the critically acclaimed Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. 

In March 2024 she curated her first showcase in Draíocht called ‘Blanchardstown Resonance’ to highlight the musical talent in Blanchardstown/D15 and discussed it on FM104’s Select Irish

Shauna Harris is a bi-racial D15-based multidisciplinary artist, actor and writer with a particular interest in creative work that intersects with advocacy.

Shauna is a mentee on the 2024 Screen Ireland x Writer’s Guild of Ireland Black Irish Screenwriters Mentorship. 

Performance credits include The Giggler Treatment at The Ark and Hot Brown Honey’s Hive City Legacy: Dublin Chapter which won the Dublin Fringe Festival Judges Choice Award 2022. 

Her writing has been exhibited at NCAD and MOLI.  

Shauna was a 2023 Dublin Fringe Festival Weft Studio Artist and a collaborative recipient of the 2023 Romilly Walton Masters Award and a Residency from Centre Culturel Irandais Paris.

The event will take place on Friday, September 20 at 8pm on the main stage at Draíocht in Blanchardstown.

Tickets are free, but pre-booking is essential.

Tickets can be purchased by contacting the box office at 01-885 2622 or visiting www.draiocht.ie