Cormac hits right note with concertina album

Arts Week with Judy Murphy

Award-winning concertina player, Cormac Begley, the man who started the Tunes in the Church series here in Galway, will make a welcome return to the city this Friday night.

He’s back in St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church where the Tunes in the Church series first began, to launch his debut solo album, the self-titled Cormac Begley. It was recorded in St Nicholas’.

Cormac’s is the first solo concertina album in traditional Irish music to feature bass, baritone, treble and piccolo concertinas – and a there’s a limited edition release that features hexagonal concertina packaging.

The Irish Times has given the album a five-star review and praised Kerry-born Cormac for his “timeless musicianship”.

The multi-talented Cormac is a member of a trio entitled Concertina with Noel Hill and Jack Talty, and plays in the band Ré featuring Liam Ó Maonlaí, Maitiú Ó Casaide, Eithne Ní Chatháin (otherwise known as Inni-K) and Peter O’Toole – also of the Hothouse Flowers.

Cormac was also involved in the Fabulous Beast dance show, Rian, choreographed by Michael Keegan Dolan, which premiered at the 2011 Theatre Festival. In 2014, he received the Sean Ó Riada Award for his concertina-playing.

Cormac was recently in Cuba where he played for President Michael D. Higgin’s first state visit to the Central American country.

He has performed on this season’s Other Voices with Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh of The Gloaming and has featured on This Ain’t No Disco – a St Patrick’s Day Special from New York this year. Last May he performed with Caoimhín in the National Concert Hall’s Kevin Barry Room and in October he performed there again with gifted cellist, Rushad Eggleston.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.