Paul O'Connor
Echoing the recent election of Tommy Peoples to Aosdána, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland has given one of its annual Major Individual Artist Awards (MIAs) to guitarist Arty McGlynn.
After being recognised for its enterprising qualities in the NUI Galway Student Enterprise Awards recently, the Tunes in the Church series is back this summer with a focus on music, musicians and audiences. Cormac Ó Beaglaoich talks about its success to date.
The Scottish-based trio Lau did a short Irish tour recently and are due back in June for more dates. Hearing them live for the first time at the Riverbank arts centre in Newbridge, Paul O'Connor assesses their music.
Téada has added a sixth member to the band ahead of their performance at the Ballydehob Irish Traditional Music Festival this weekend in West Cork.
Cathy Jordan’s new album, All the Way Home, is her first solo project in a career of over twenty years. Paul O'Connor talks to her about how it differs from her work with Dervish and the Unwanted.
Acts confirmed for the small Kildare pub for the year ahead include Johnny Duhan, Ger Wolfe, Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart, Peter Mulvey, John Spillane, Otis Gibbs, Woodbine, Richard Gillewitz, Sara Grey and Kieron Means, and Jeff and Vida.
The Journal of Music talks to Oisín Mac Diarmada of Téada about recording Le Chéile with Séamus Begley.
Breton member of Guidewires, flautist, Sylvain Barou, has his first solo album coming out later this month featuring guest musicians such as Dónal Lunny, Jacques Pellen, Ronan Pellen, Julien Stevenin, Keyvan Chemirani, Prabhu Edouard, John Doyle, Liz Carroll, Stelios Petrakis, Pádraig Rynne, and Méabh O'Hare.
The Scotland-based trio Lau, which has 'ignored what everyone presumed traditional music audiences wanted to hear', is coming to Ireland for the first time later this month.
TG4's Geantraí, the JPTrio on RTÉ, the Café Sessions in Ennis, a charity concert in Vicar Street, and the Gathering Festival in Killarney are among some of the many traditional music items to look out for this weekend.
After the high of presenting Triúr at the Abbey Theatre and before the high of presenting Andy Irvine at the Grand Social, the musician and promoter Conor Byrne spoke to The Journal of Music about his plans for the year ahead.
Is the mixture of traditions brought together on Ályth McCormack and Tríona Marshall's 'Red & Gold' album as sparkling and radiant as its cover and title propose?
Guidewires (Tóla Custy on fiddle, Pádraig Rynne on concertina, Sylvain Barou on flute, Paul McSherry on guitar and Karol Lynch on bouzouki) are playing the Harcourt Sessions next Monday, 27 February.
Kevin Crawford, flute and whistle player with Lúnasa, has released a new solo album called Carrying the Tune, with accompaniment by John Doyle and occasional contributions from Brian Morrissey and Mick Conneely.
Iarla Ó Lionáird latest album, Foxlight, is a departure from the singer's previous records. In this interview, he talks to Paul O'Connor about forgetting an obsession with technique, losing musical boundaries, singing sean-nós without ornamentation and writing songs in English.
Preparations are well under way for Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy 2012, this year celebrating its fortieth anniversary while at the same time marking the passing last year of its director, Muiris Ó Rócháin who will be remembered in a special tribute event hosted by Muireann Ní Dhuigneáin.
Éigse an Spidéil starts next week and includes a concert by Tommy Peoples, Dermot Byrne and French harpist Floriane Blancke, and sean-nós dancer Seosamh Ó Neachtain.
From today and ahead of its official release, the Chieftains' new album, Voice of Ages, is available to listen to in full online, in Ireland only, via the music streaming company Deezer.
Eddi Reader is about to begin her fourth annual Irish tour, performing with John Douglas and Boo Hewerdine on guitars and Alan Kelly on accordion, in Dublin, Clare, Cork, Wexford, Kerry, Mayo, Sligo and Kildare.
Allison's Folk Club will be returning to the Ranelagh Arts Centre, Dublin 6, this Thursday, 16 February, starting at 8pm. This year’s Club opens with the band Foley's Woodshed.
The eighth Scoil Cheoil an Earraigh festival will take place in Baile an Fheirtéaraigh on the Dingle Peninsula next week, starting on Wednesday, 15 February.
'Whenever you sing a song, the first note comes out of silence, and the last note, when you finish the song, falls back away down into silence again. And they say that no matter how many tunes you play, no matter how many songs you sing, there’s no cure for silence.'
The filmmaker's film about last year’s performances in the Mitchelstown Caves, County Cork by Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, Lisa Hannigan, Duke Special and James Vincent McMorrow is to be premiered at the Cork Opera House on Thursday, 16 February.
A free-of-charge singing workshop with Len Graham is the first in a monthly series run by Inishowen Traditional Singers Circle with the assistance of the Arts Council.
The Monday night Harcourt Sessions at the Harcourt Hotel, Dublin 2 are starting the 2012 season next week, 13 February, with a performance by piper and Bothy Band original Paddy Keenan, joined by Eamonn de Barra (flute) and James Reilly (guitar).
The second Session with the Pipers of 2012, presented by Na Píobaraí Uilleann and taking place next Tuesday, 7 February in the Cobblestone Bar, Dublin 7, will have Feargal Chambers on pipes, Derek McGinley on fiddle, and the concertina duo Cormac Begley and Jack Talty.
The TG4 Gradam Ceoil 2012 winners are Brian Rooney (musician of the year), Danny Meehan (lifetime achievement), Paddy O’Brien (composer), Nell Ní Chróinín (singer), Eithne and Brian Vallely (special contribution), and Caoimhín Ó Fearghail (young musician).
Speech Project is a live show and now an album of new compositions by fiddle player Gerry Diver based on original recordings of Shane MacGowan, Damien Dempsey, Christy Moore, Martin Hayes and Danny Meehan talking to Diver, and on archive interviews with Joe Cooley and Margaret Barry.
This Sunday the Gigs for Families series run by Galway-based Adventures in Music starts its seventh run at the St Patrick’s Bandhall with a traditional music session for children and their parents featuring Máirtín O Connor (accordion) and Liz Kane (fiddle).
This tour will feature the playing and compositions of Máirtín O'Connor, Liz Carroll and Dave Flynn, as well showcasing the work of other traditional music composers living and dead.