Hothouse Flowers bloom at intimate gig in Longford's mystical Shawbrook Forest

It's a shade over 12 months since Kíla took to the Shawbrook's Forest Stage.

The mystical setting coupled with the ethereal music catalysed an alchemy with the audience that created a golden memory.

When Anica Dawson decided to recapture the magic of last year's show she looked to an Irish group who embody the meeting point of art, tradition and innovation that are also bywords for Shawbrook.

Fiachna Ó Braonáin, Peter O'Toole, Dave Clarke, Martin Brunsden and Liam Ó Maonlaí are the current incarnation of a band that lives in the very consciousness of a generation who grew up in Ireland of the 80s and early 90s.

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When the Hothouse Flowers played at the Shawbrook's Forest Stage they were augmented by dance artists Vivian Luk, Nathan Bartman, Ciara Baldwin, Christopher Radford and Sara Macqueen.

From the very first, Arabic inspired, lilting number to the rousing curtain call this was a public presentation that showed the guests the beauty and power of live performance.

The musicality of the ensemble was both soothing and rousing, hopping from culture to culture, urging the audience to join in the dance.

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O'Maonli's voice is a gossamer thread connecting reality to an ancient Celtic mythology.

In the course of the performance he mentioned being born in 1964, the next starting point of his annual trip around the sun will be his sixtieth.

He's not a typical 60 year old. His stage performance on the piano may not be as frenetic as the young man whose frenzied playing ignited the masses, but he has verve that is engaging and intoxicating.

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Next year the Hothouse Flowers will be forty years in existence. Music has evolved in that time, their live show reflects those changes.

'Don't Go' has assumed a Latin feel, other early hits have undergone tempo and pitch changes. What hasn't changed is the ability of the band to engage with their audience.

Throughout their career Hothouse Flowers have combined traditional Irish music with influences from soul, gospel and rock to create their own unique sound.

For two weeks before last Saturday's performance the band and the dancers immerse themselves in the environment of magical creativity, culminating in this rare one-off showcase in the unique setting of Shawbrook.

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It's easy to get fixated on the music of this show. Its power, potency and acumen was so thoroughly stirring. Yet to do so is to overlook the dance element.

Luk, Bartman, Baldwin, Radford and Macqueen added an exquisite gilding to a lilly that was already golden in its own right.

The Shawbrook's Forest Stage gig was a 'limited event', with concertgoers numbering around 100 souls. The intimacy of the venue, where the trees act as guardians of the flock, is one of the reasons this is such a special experience.

Hothouse Flowers at Shawbrook's Forest Stage is a gathering that few who attended will ever forget.