The Duncairn’s Virtual Cabaret takes its immense programme of live music and transports it to the rooms and streets and spaces where the artists live and walk and explore. It invites us to the places where they relax, where they eat in peace, where they raise their kids. It welcomes us into their personal space or brings us out to wander alongside as they perform on dawn streets or dusk living rooms. Together, alone, we stay connected with their music, and they continue their craft.

The Cabaret is a Saturday night live stream of self-shot performances from some of the finest musicians, poets, and artists from Ireland - north and south, from Wales, Scotland, England and beyond. The now regular shows are accessible through Facebook and Youtube. With a suggested ticket price of £5 for viewers who are in the position to donate (and free for those who are not) all monies go directly to the performers featured to assist them during a time of blanket cancellations and loss of work.

Some of the artists featured so far include award winners Mick Flannery, Damien Dempsey, Julie Fowlis and Eamon Doorley, Ian Lynch (Lankum), Joshua Burnside, Ríoghnach Connolly and over 70 more.

“Why this is different is that it’s a collective,” explained Ray Giffen, The Duncairn’s Creative Director and key instigator in bringing their Virtual Cabaret into our living rooms every weekend. “We aren’t just going for big names. We felt collectively that this was about looking after everyone: young, old, established, and emerging alike, with an equal share of the money. So, I contacted everyone and said we would like to help you, but we need this collective spirit, we need everybody to buy into this. There’s going to be no hierarchy, if you’re in this everybody will get an equal share.” He went on to guarantee that each artist involved would receive the same fixed fee, and after the success of the initial episodes he was able to start considering a second wave of artists for further episodes.” We’re not taking a penny,” he added. “We’re glad to be doing this, it gives us a sense of being useful at a time when so many of us, bar front line workers and emergency services, aren't feeling useful.”

With a growing audience that is gradually spanning various parts of the planet, support for the cabarets, and ultimately for the artists has not stopped growing. “The initial idea was that we would run the shows for a month, see where we are, and try and support between 30 and 40 artists,” Ray laughed as he recalled those initial discussions. “It’s now up to about 74 or 75 people coming on board. I could not say no to some of them, but it means that we challenged them to raise more money so that everybody gets a decent share – more than giving them all £23.47 for a bag of Pampers. We want to at least help them to buy two bags of groceries.”

The support of The Duncairn’s funders has never waned throughout the period of the crisis. “The funders have been magnificent I have to say. They all contacted us immediately when this all started to kick in and before we had even come up with the idea. They said that if we did have any ideas about trying to do things differently in order to plug the gap in the arts and to look after artists, then we should contact them and they would try to be as accommodating as possible, and they have.” It’s an important safety net for the organisation moving forward after the crisis has finished and has allowed The Duncairn team to focus on bringing high caliber music into the homes of a socially distant, worried audience in need of some good news.

Of course, Ray Giffen has a good team around him, and he is keen that they are acknowledged. Editor and producer Barry O’Kane for example: “Everything that goes out there is Baz's work.” Musician and composer Conor Caldwell is the safe pair of hands who co-presents the shows with BBC presenter Lynette Fay. Musician Josh Healy is key in the planning and publicity.

“It is inspiring, and uplifting and I suppose reaffirms your deep held belief that artists are a special crew of people,” Ray finished off. “Well, the ones we work with certainly are. They understand The Duncairn because we’re not just a venue, we’re unlike any other venue in Ireland I believe, because what we have is a community of friends and people we work with. They come and give the best to us and in their time of need I like to think that we have given our best to them. We have no experience of doing anything like this, not an iota. It was just this mad idea came into my head. And everyone just indulged me…. all I've done is torture people, or try to remind people to share, that's part of the job just to be a pain in the ass. In some respects I'm excelling at it.”

Tune into The Duncairn Facebook page or YouTube channel this Saturday, and each Saturday for the foreseeable, 8.30pm