Clare concertina player Colm de Brún has won this year’s Seán Ó Riada Gold Medal competition.

Organised annually by broadcaster and musician Peadar Ó Riada in memory of his father, the competition focuses on a different instrument or set of instruments each year. For this edition the focus was on metal reed instruments such as accordion, melodeon, mouth organ and concertina. The final took place in Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork last Friday 11 March and was broadcast live on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta. Fifteen finalists took part.

Twenty-one-year-old De Brún, from Cree in County Clare, is a concertina and whistle player and sean-nós dancer. He has won a number of prizes already for his music and dancing and is currently training to be a secondary school teacher at the University of Limerick.  

The competition was judged by Noel Hill, Mary MacNamara and Charlie Harris and the prize is a gold medal and €2,500.

Commenting on his win, de Brún said:

It’s a great honour to win this prestigious Seán Ó Riada Bonn Óir award and I am delighted to be chosen as the winner. There were fantastic musicians playing in the final and it was lovely to hear all the different styles of music on stage and to be part of this occasion. It was really special.

Listen back to the programme on the RnaG website www.rte.ie/radio/rnag/cuireadh-chun-ceoil.