Liam Ó Maonlaí’s Rian band for concert series

The popular trad music series, Tunes in the Church, which takes place in St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church in Galway City, has returned for summer. A highlight for next week is Liam Ó Maonlaí and his band who are coming fresh from Sadler’s Wells dance venue in London where they were playing for the show, Rian. This collaboration between Liam and Longford based Fabulous Beast Dance Company.

Rian is an award-winning show, based on Liam’s first album, and features an amalgamation of traditional Irish music with contemporary dance.

Michael Keegan Dolan is the director and choreographer of the piece which has travelled to venues in New York, Singapore, Sydney, New Zealand, and Hong Kong. The music in Rian received a prestigious Bessie Award nomination in New York last winter.

The band for Rian consists of Liam O Maonlaí on vocals, piano, bodhrán and whistle, Eithne Ní Chatháin on fiddle and vocals, Maitiú Ó Casaide on uilleann pipes, Peter O’Toole on vocals and bouzouki, and Cormac Begley on concertina, baritone and bass concertina

The band will be playing for three nights at St Nicholas’ Church next week as part of the Tunes in the Church concert series.

These shows take place on the usual Monday and Wednesday nights and there will be a special concert on Thursday. The concerts will be recorded, and there are plans to release a CD later in the year.

Limited seating available for these concert and tickets will be available at the door from 7.30pm on each of the nights.

Meanwhile, this Friday’s concert will feature singer, flautist and fiddler Aoife Granville, Niall Ó Beaglaoich on accordion and Francis Cunningham on concertina.

And next Friday, June 27, the musicians will include Ciarán Ó Maonaigh on fiddle alongside dancer and concertina player Caitlín Nic Gabhann.

n The Tunes in the Church concerts run from 8 to 9.30pm nightly in St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church and more details are available from http://www.tunesinthechurch.com/galway/calendar