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O'Donoghue to play at Locos
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    The Center for Irish Studies in partnership with Locos Restaurant in Statesboro will play host to Harry O’Donoghue for two nights, Monday and Tuesday. Admission is free.
     “Harry O’Donoghue performing in Statesboro is a decade-old tradition,” said Professor Howard Keeley, director for the Center for Irish Studies at Georgia Southern University. “It knits the student body to the community through shared enjoyment of Irish and Celtic music.”
    The Monday shows are at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. The Tuesday show is at 9 p.m.
    “Ever since we opened Locos in 2002, I’ve wanted to get Harry to play here,” said Locos’ Manager Jim Lanier. “At the time, he was involved with Archibald’s and then the French Quarter Café. Recently, he’s become available to play and we are thrilled to be hosting ‘An Evening with Harry O’Donoghue.’”
    O’Donoghue himself said that it was that opportunity for people to hear real Irish music.
    “Some of the songs are so popular that I play them again and again…and again…,” he said.
    O’Donoghue said that as a performer he knows what a lot of people like to hear.
“I do however try to sneak some new material in at every show. You never know which ones will click with an audience,” he said.
    Despite not playing in Statesboro for a while, O’Donoghue said he was excited to be back.
    “Our last set of Irish Folk Nights was last October in the French Quarter. It is difficult to predict how the nights will go in the new location but I do expect to see some familiar faces, both from the student population and townsfolk but these nights need nourishing and so we try to get the word out as best we can and hopefully we’ll draw a good crowd,” he said.
    O’Donoghue’s career has spanned 29 years but rather than being called a legacy or legend, he simply likes to be referred to as a working man.
    “I sing songs for a living, I’ve been very lucky to have been given the opportunity to do this and make a half decent living doing it and I’ve met some great characters and wonderful people along the way,” he said. “But make no mistake, tomorrow for me is filled with much trepidation and fear. There is no 401K, no retirement, no health benefits and I know when the time comes I’ll sing that last song and the amp will be switched off, the lights dimmed, my guitar packed away and I’ll walk off into the shadows. Until then I’ll keep singing, joking and telling yarns!”

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