Barry Kerr
Irish Folk Nights
Barry Kerr brings the quiet power of Curlew’s Cry – selected from 146 entries as the inaugural Folk Album of the Year – to Kings Place as part of the Irish Folk Nights series. Accompanying his voice on guitar and bouzouki, Barry presents an intimate evening of original songs, traditional music and storytelling, with whistle or flute perhaps finding its way into the set.
A curlew’s call sounds across a landscape in retreat. From there, Curlew’s Cry moves through folklore, family memory and the natural world, setting Barry Kerr‘s own writing alongside traditional songs including The Snow It Melts the Soonest and You Rambling Boys of Pleasure.
Released in 2025, the album emerged from 146 entries to become one of nine shortlisted records, and ultimately the first winner of the Folk Album of the Year Award, recognising originality, artistic quality and cultural impact across folk, roots and acoustic music in Britain and Ireland.
For this Kings Place performance, Barry accompanies his vocals on guitar and bouzouki, bringing the album’s songs into a spare, immediate setting. A whistle or flute tune may also enter the set, offering a glimpse of the instrumental fluency that runs throughout his music.
These are songs that feel lived-in rather than preserved: attentive to the past, yet alert to the present. Mark Radcliffe described Curlew’s Cry as ‘a thing of great poise and beauty, an elegant elegy to nature, landscape and its associated folklore’.
‘This has to rank as one of the finest folk albums I’ve heard this century. It has echoes of the heyday in the 1960s and 1970s … with superb production, beautiful playing and vocals and harmonies from the very top of the tree […] Curlew’s Cry appeals on many levels, especially its connection to, and expression of love for, the natural environment in which we live […] establishes Barry Kerr in his own right as one of the finest singers of our times.’ John Reed, FATEA Magazine
This event will last approximately 2 hours, including an interval.
Concessions & Under 30s tickets
Kings Place Concessions Tickets
We want to ensure that people who may be struggling financially to purchase a ticket can still enjoy visiting Kings Place. A limited number of tickets are allocated for certain events (if the ticket type does not show in the booking pathway, it means they are not available for this event or have all been sold). Concessions tickets are accessible for people on the following criteria (for more information visit our FAQs)
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Disability Benefit
- Income Support or Job Seekers allowance
- Students
£10 ‘Under 30s’ tickets
A limited number of £10 tickets are available for certain shows to attendees aged under 30. To access Under 30s tickets, update your account with your Date of Birth. Please visit the account centre to add your Date of Birth.
If £10 tickets are available, the ticket discount will apply automatically at checkout. If the discount does not apply, this means all ‘Under 30s’ tickets have sold out for the performance.
Please note that proof of age may be requested at the venue.
Plan your visit
Getting here
Kings Place is situated just a few minutes’ walk from King’s Cross and St Pancras stations, one of the most connected locations in London and now the biggest transport hub in Europe.
Our address is:
90 York Way, London, N1 9AG.
The Venue
Our performance spaces are situated on the lower ground floor. Hall One, Hall Two and St Pancras are located in level -2, reached by stairs, escalator and lift from the ground floor entrance level.
Event Times
Door times indicate auditorium entrance times only. Visitors are welcome to enjoy the Kings Place seating areas, gallery-level art, canal-side terrace, café, restaurant and bar throughout the day and evening.
- Our events begin promptly at the advertised start time. Typically, there is no support unless otherwise stated.
- We recommend arriving in good time before the performance. The Hall doors will open 30 minutes before the performance to allow time to take your seats, or to choose a space for standing shows.
- Latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance where possible
Access
We aim to make your visit to Kings Place as comfortable as possible. For more information about the accessibility of Kings Place, including details about our Access Scheme, please visit this page.
If you would like to discuss your access requirements with a member of our team, please get in touch with the Box Office team at info@kingsplace.co.uk.
Food & Drink
Rotunda Bar & Restaurant
Rotunda, situated on the ground floor of Kings Place, offers a unique dining and drinking experience alongside Regent’s Canal. The concert bar in the venue foyer will also be open for select events.
Green & Fortune Café
Recently re-furbished and now open with a new look, the Green & Fortune Café is open for selected concerts. Serving hot and cold food and drinks, including sandwiches, salads, soup, stew and a pie of the day, alongside a choice of cakes made by the on-site bakery team. See here for selected concert dates and standard opening hours.
About Barry Kerr
Raised on the southern shores of Lough Neagh and now living in Connemara, Barry Kerr recorded his first album aged seventeen. A highly accomplished multi-instrumentalist, his work encompasses voice, guitar, bouzouki, uileann pipes, flute and whistle. His earlier albums and collaborations reveal the breadth of this musicianship, from deft string accompaniment to expressive piping and flute playing. Barry has worked with Steve Cooney, Cara Dillon, Julie Fowlis, Lumiere and Dervish, while his compositions have been recorded by artists including Karan Casey, Flook and Kate Rusby. He received the inaugural Liam O’Flynn Award in 2020.