Ruby Tuesday

Tuesday nights have a special place in the hearts of Dublin’s music lovers.

Since 1999, Doyle’s bar on D’Olier street have hosted the Ruby Sessions, a non-profit showcase of the best and brightest musical talent, both local and from the world of superstardom.

It all began with two young lads from Dundrum, Conor Donovan and Niall Muckian, came up with the idea of staging an acoustic performance by up and coming talent, in an intimate setting, without the hit-and-miss quality of a regular open mic night.

Donovan vetts all the musicians himself, often booking the mid-week gigs up to three months in advance, and the pair decided from the off that all takings from door admissions should go straight to the Simon Community, who work to prevent homelessness and assist those affected by it.

The lad’s selective approach to the venture bred great success, the unspoken rule of absolute silence during each performance led to excellent Youtube footage, and due to the philanthropic nature of the admission fees, attracted some seriously big names.

Over the years, Ruby Sessions has played host to artists including Ed Sheeran, Hozier, Paolo Nutini, Mumford & Sons, Damien Rice, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, and The Corrs, who played their first gig in Ireland for 11 years in the cosy upstairs venue.

And yet Donovan knows how important it is to encourage and promote the local talent.

Last week saw solo artists John Ardiff, a skilled guitarist and born performer, and Ella Naseeb, a goose-bump inducing vocalist and songwriter, perform a selection of their best work for a crowd of hushed spectators.

They were followed by alt-folk rockers The Orchid Collective, whose interview with Babylon Radio can be found here.

This week, Doyle’s will see a trio of fresh, new acts take to the stage.

The line-up includes solo artist Laoise, who promises listeners “electronic pop & sad stories”, Declan Greene, who has recently announced that he will be supporting Gavin James on his UK tour, and Dublin favourites The Young Folks, who are currently touring Europe following the release of their second album “First Sign of Morning”.

Doors open at 9pm and tickets are €6 on the door, 100% of which goes straight to the Simon Community.

For further details about the Ruby Sessions, visit their website here

To find out more about the Simon Community, whose hard work helps so many people across the city and far beyond, follow the link here.