For seventeen years, we were the resident band at the Mercantile Hotel on the Rocks on Sundays afternoon and the craiq was grand.

Audiences were treated to the best in Irish song and music performed by some of the finest players in Australia and from overseas. Some were even lucky enough to be there when Christy Moore joined us on stage or when Roisin became Roisin plus U2.

Now, after an absence of six years, Roisin are back for seven Sundays afternoons in a row from 20th July to the end of August. And the audience will know we're back with a vengeance.

Martin Doherty and Roisin are synonymous with music in The Rocks and fine Irish music full stop. These Sunday's will be something a bit special - definitely not to be missed.

PS We'll be playing under the Roisin banner from now on, so keep your eyes peeled for much morein the near future.

Playing the Union Concert at the National in Canberra

We've just returned from a great time in Canberra at the National Folk Festival. Many thanks to Dave O'Neill et al for inviting us. We were privileged to be asked to participate in the CFMEU sponsored Union Concert. As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the most significant events in the folk music calendar as it affirms the link between folk music and the working who is the backbone of the folk lexicon.

It was a very special moment when several thousand people joined in the singing of Joe Hill. All it needed was a sea of cigarette lighters and it could have been Guns and Roses.

That was one of three gigs over the course of the festival and we werea able to introduce new material at each. I very much wanted to highlight how I'm developing my repertoire with Leigh and moving into exciting new waters. Keep an eye out for us around the traps - you'll be pleasantly surprised with the new stuff we're doing.

Dare to struggle, Dare to Win

Mid last year, we were asked to record a song in memory of John Cummins, Union organiser and great humanitarian who passed away tragically in 2006. As our respect for the man grew, so did the project and it became an entire album. Check it out at CD Baby, or read the review by lifelong Cummo friend Bob Mancor.

Dare to struggle, Dare to Win now available through Folktrax in South Australia

You can now buy Dare to Struggle via the Australian webstore Folktrax, run by venerable Adelaide broadcaster, Henk de Weerd. Check out Folktrax here. And check out Henk on the radio here.

Vincent

Another project I was glad to get done last year was the promotional single, Vincent written by Don McLean. I'd wanted to record this track for years and one day, we just sort of played it the way I wanted. You can download it or buy it at CD Baby. Check out the great cornet playing by Australian jazz great, Colin Jones. Vincent is a little different than many people are used to from me, but I'm confident that you'll really like the arrangement we've come up with.