Oxegen Festival Offers Moore Variety

Ireland hosted one of the most important festivals on the summer circuit last weekend. The Oxegen Festival had an impressive line-up, but the highlight came when Irish folk legend Christy Moore joined Coldplay on the main stage for a one-off duet.

Christy Moore performing with Coldplay's Chris Martin

Christy Moore has had an illustrious career, including the formation of two bands and spanning over 40 years. He joined Coldplay for their final song, where frontman Chris Martin introduced him to the stage:

'Kildare has never had its local son come on and sing. He's been one of our heroes since we were kids'

Moore then proceeded to lead a rendition of Jimmy MacCarthy's Ride On - the title track of Moore's 1984 album - and one of Coldplay's all time favourite song. With the 60,000 strong crowd singing along and occasionally drowning out Moore's voice, it was clear that he was warmly welcomed home. 

We loved seeing a festival that displayed the best of contemporary music, as well as inviting the crowd to enjoy a traditional Irish artist. Just hours before performing, Christy Moore wrote on his website: 'Coldplay have invited me to sing a song with them in my native place. These are the fields I roamed as a boy'. The surprise performance serves as a reminder of the dreams of The Wild Geese - to return home as heroes - is still being realised today. 

In 2004, Christy Moore received an IRMA Honour, which is the highest honour in the Irish Recorded Music Association and his appearance at Oxegen serves as a reminder of his talents. Moore hailed the performance as a 'grand outing', and you can take a look at it here: