In a way it’s a square circled. A return to Tuam for the town’s most famous musical export; another reprise of the West’s Awake 32 years after the original – and two nights of the Saw Doctors playing at home, in the form of their lives.

The band return home last weekend after another sell-out show, this time in the open air at Kelvingrove in Glasgow, after a year that has seen them pack indoor and outdoor venues from New York and Boston to the Galway International Arts Festival, with London, Leeds, Manchester, Glastonbury and a dozen other places along the way.

And this Saturday and Sunday, Davy Carton, Leo Moran and the band are back where it all began and has always been – in Tuam.

“I didn’t think it would happen and didn’t think it wouldn’t,” reflects Leo.

“I just didn’t about it at all really, but when we did get back we really enjoyed it. We put a lot of work into the rehearsals; all of the energy into getting the show as tight as possible and I am appreciating it more than I ever did.”

But as the big marquee went up on the grounds of St Jarlath’s College this week in advance of the weekend gigs, he could feel that growing sense of anticipation – for the band and the town.

“We always wanted to try and repeat the 1991 version and we know we’ll never beat that because that was just an exceptional thing – but we always felt it would be nice to have a similar weekend in town again,” he says.

Photo:

Excitement builds in Tuam ahead of the Saw Doctors homecoming concerts this weekend. Pictured are Ja Quinn and Leo Moran at Quinns Shop which has had a window makeover for the big weekend.

Read the full interview in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.