Sruth, a newly-composed traditional music suite by tin-whistle-player Mary Bergin and accordionist Johnny Óg Connolly, will take centre stage at Éigse an Spidéil in County Galway this weekend.

The work was commissioned under the Arts Council’s Traditional Arts Commission award by Deirdre Nic Chonaonaigh of An Gaelacadamh, an organisation that provides traditional music education services to 1,200 children in the Conamara area and also organises the annual festival.

Sruth will have its world premiere on Saturday 9 March in the Park Lodge Hotel in An Spidéal. Joining the composers on stage will be Máire Breatnach (fiddle), Garry Ó Briain (guitar), Colm Gannon (accordion), Brian McGrath (piano), Jim Higgins (percussion), Yvonne Kane (fiddle), Éilís Lennon (fiddle), Dearbhaill Standún (fiddle) and Plunkett Ó Tuathail (flute).

Tommy Keane (uilleann pipes), Jacqueline McCarthy (concertina) and 2011 TG4 Young Musician of the Year Pádraic Keane (uilleann pipes) will play in the first half of the concert, while Sruth will form the second half.

Éigse an Spidéil will be officially launched on Thursday at 8pm in the Park Lodge Hotel. An Gaelacadamh’s young sean-nós singers will perform a short concert, followed by the launch by sean-nós singer Máire Uí Dhroighneáin of Peait Phádraic Tom, a CD of the songs of Peait Phádraic Tom Ó Conghaile who passed away in 2010.

Other events taking place during the week include Irish-language poet Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill and musician and composer Máire Breatnach at An Tobar, an art exhibition with artists from Conamara and the Aran Islands, a sean-nós singing competition for under-18s, workshops in accordion and fiddle with Paudie O’Connor and Aoife O’Keeffe,  a storytelling session with Diarmuid de Faoite, and traditional music sessions in Tigh Hughes, An Tobar and the Park Hotel.

eigseanspideil.ie  

Watch a peformance below by Mary Bergin from RTÉ’s The Pure Drop.