The Zoo...It's Been So Long

Remember the Zoo club in Kilkenny?

For a generation, it was the place to be on a Sunday afternoon, particularly in the mid-2000s, dubbed at one time “a home for misfits and metalheads” in the Marble City.

Rock and metal nights on a Friday or Saturday were for years followed up with all-ages shows on a Sunday afternoon that gave a home and a platform to young, up-and-coming Kilkenny bands and a space with a captive audience for touring acts.

The Parliament Street venue gave rise to bands like Nearly Dead Jim, Slave Zero, Itchy Trigger Finger, Gigotos, Myp Et Jeep, Crucifractuce, Atrax Mantis and so many more.

The Zoo: It’s Been So Long, is a one-off documentary feature by Shane O’Keeffe that explores the impact the Zoo club had on some of those bands, musicians and the local music scene in Kilkenny at the time.

The documentary features the voices of Andrew McGuinness, Jimmy Trigger (Itchy Trigger Finger), Evan Prendergast (Mantra, Worn Out), Shane Corcoran (Crucifracture), Steve O’Brien (Oh Bryan), Bob Ryan (Nearly Dead Jim) and more.

Over a decade has passed since the Zoo closed its doors, many still yearning for its return.