Welcome to the na-mara website!
Thank you for visiting our website.
We are the St Albans based folk duo, na-mara - Paul McNamara (Guitar and vocals) and Rob Garcia (Guitar, mandolin and mandola) – performing songs and tunes from the British Isles, Brittany, France, Quebec, Asturias and Galicia, as well as self-penned songs in traditional style.
We have performed in folk clubs throughout the South East and beyond and, in addition to many 'guest/headliner' bookings, have supported Cara Dillon, Emily Smith, Vin Garbutt, The Tannahill Weavers and many others. We have performed regularly at the Club Tent at the Cambridge Folk Festival, as well as many summer folk festivals.
We are close friends of the International Brigade Memorial Trust and have performed our self-penned songs about the Spanish Civil War at numerous events to remember the commitment of British fighters to the International Brigade in that conflict in the 1930s.
Our album, 'The Bite', released in November 2010, has received excellent reviews from a host of local and national folk magazines and been played on folk music programmes across the UK.
The Cellar Upstairs, 7th January 2012
As we have mentioned previously in this blog, we are currently working very hard to get ourselves better known outside our home area. As such, the night following our full set at The Maltings Arts Theatre in St Albans, we were on the road to the excellent Cellar Upstairs club, just to the north of Euston Station in central London. Our aim was to play a couple of numbers as part of the floorsingers round to support Robb Johnson, who was headlining that night.
A home gig in St Albans, 6th January 2012
With the world beginning to get back into harness after the Christmas and New Year festivities, it very much felt right for us to be back out and playing, early in 2012. As such, it was great to be headlining a bill at one of our home town’s theatres in the first of three ‘First Fridays’ performances organised by Alison at St Albans Folk Music. The idea of the series is to showcase ‘top’ (thank you kindly!) local performers, with support from exciting young folk talent from the local area.
A Trip to Maidenhead Folk Club 15th December 2011
This visit to Maidenhead Folk Club marked our last foray of 2011. I had been along to the club’s folk song competition evening back in April and had met Tony, Pearl and other very friendly members of the club, and had had a thoroughly enjoyable evening. On that visit, Rob was not able to come along and, so, this was his first trip to the club. As part of our plan for getting better known in some new clubs, Maidenhead was a very obvious club for us to visit.
Across the bridge to pastures new
Continuing our plan to push beyond our historic area of activities, this was one of a number of planned sorties over the Dartford Bridge to visit the folk clubs of Kent – and a very enjoyable night it was too! The tricky bits in such evenings are always at the beginning and the end of the night. First of all, there is the rush to get back to St Albans from work to set off in good time – with much munching of sandwiches in the car. The long drive home after the evening is fine but then the getting up early to return to work the next morning is tough.
Folk in the Foyer, 2nd December 2011
It is always a pleasure to return to Barnet Folk Club’s Folk in the Foyer and catch up with what organiser JJ has been up to. There is always a good p.a. system provided and the luxury of a sound technician to help set the ‘front of house’ sounds and the monitors.
JJ started the evening and, to link up with our set, sang Christy Moore’s wonderful Viva La Quinta Brigada. This was then followed by some more floor spots with self composed songs about local politics and some very fine and sweet concertina playing.
Songs at The Song Loft, 18th November 2011
After a journey to the east earlier in the week, this time it was our turn to journey north - to Stony Stratford, a small village on the outskirts of Milton Keynes, to visit the renowned Song Loft folk club. The club meets on a Friday night in a very nice room upstairs in the Cock Hotel on Stony Stratford’s High Street. As with the Hoy-at-Anchor folk club, the welcome at The Song Loft was very warm from the moment we walked in.
Making new friends at The Hoy
It warms the cockles of your heart to turn up at a new venue and, before you have even gone inside, you see that it has the commitment to announce to the world the presence and details of the folk club it hosts. So, it was at the Hoy-at-Anchor Folk Club held on Tuesday nights at The Ship Hotel in Leigh on Sea.
Climbing the stairs to the room where the folk club is held, one is again impressed by the array of pictures of artists past, present and future who have played at the club or soon will be.
A nice return to The Pump House, Watford
It is always a pleasure to play at the Watford Folk Club. The organisers are so welcoming and friendly, there is so much talent amongst the floor singers , and they are listeners - the ideal audience for our music. It had been some 18 months since we and, as such, we very much looked forward to the relatively short trip across the M25 to get there. We were not disappointed.
Back into town on a rainy night
After a quick turnaround getting back from work, eating his tea as we loaded the car before driving back into town to the Islington Folk Club, this was a rushed night for poor old Rob.
The folk club has a nice venue and an excellent squeezebox-based house band. However, the undoubted highlight for us was to reacquaint ourselves with The Raven, who were one of three showcase spots. As a duo, they have great musicality, play some great songs and tunes and, importantly, are nice people to meet. We wish them all the very best and look forward to seeing them around the London club circuit.
