Entertainment
Weekend of fun and music at Spiddal’s Traidphicnic
Arts Week with Judy Murphy – judymurphy@ctribune.ie
There’s a packed programme of music, dance, wildlife events, exhibitions and fun at Spiddal’s second ever Traidphicnic, which will take place in the Connemara village on Friday and Saturday, July 5 and 6.
Highlights include music with Martin Hayes and Kevin Crawford, Charlie Lennon, Eventide (featuring Tóla Custy, Pádraig Rynne, Pauline Scanlon and Donogh Hennessy); The Bonny Men; Johnny Connolly; Colm Gannon and Harry Bradley; Toner Quinn and Malachy Bourke; Ciarán Ó Maonaigh, Caitlín Nic Gabhann and Caoimhín Ó Fearghail; Jesse Smith and Emmett Gill; and sean-nós dancing with Seosamh Ó Neachtain and Marian Ní Chonghaile.
There will also be a drumming workshop and puppet shows, wool spinning, a chance to participate in a ‘Riverdance’ art installation and an opportunity to try out sean-nós dancing.
For those people who want a break from the buzz of the festival, there will be a walk along the stunning coastline and countryside.
All events, which are bilingual, will be free of charge, except for the music workshops taking place on the morning of July 6. However the Traidphicnic committee will gratefully accept donations throughout the weekend, says the event’s Cathaoirleach Bridget Barker.
Brighton-born Bridget, who moved back to her father’s home area of Camus in 1996, is the driving force behind the Traidphicnic. She had played classical violin as a child and some years ago, she returned to music, undertaking a Traditional Music and Arts Diploma under the auspices of NUIG, at Spiddal’s Cuan studio.
As a result, she rediscovered the fiddle with a passion, and subsequently attended the Willie Clancy Summer School and Scoil Acla with her family, attending workshops with master players.
After taking part in those festivals, Bridget felt it would be good to have something similar in Spiddal and the idea has received fantastic community support, with a committee established to undertake the organisation of Traidphicnic and regular fundraising events taking place throughout the year.
This year’s Traidphicnic will kick off at 2pm on July 5 with composer and fiddle player Charlie Lennon, who will host a Gathering Session. Anyone who wants to is invited to come and play a couple of tunes from the stage outside Studio Cuan. To this end, the organisers have posted two polkas on their website. People who want to take part are asked to learn them, then come and play them with a few other easy session favourites.
There will be free gigs throughout Friday afternoon with top musicians and dancers, including Johnny Connolly, Marian Ní Chonghaile; Toner Quinn and Malachy Bourke; and Emmett Gill and Jesse Smith. That evening Tóla Custy, Pádraig Rynne, Pauline Scanlon, Donogh Hennessy will be in concert. All events are free, but people will be asked to donate.
A dream team of trad performers and composers is lined up for a series of workshops taking place on Saturday morning from 10.0am-1.30pm.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Folk duo Niall Teague and Pádraic Joyce are launching their new album What Will We Be, a blend of folk, Americana and acoustic music, this Friday, May 19, at 8pm in An Taibhdhearc.
The success of their well-received 2020 release Taobh le Taobh, as well as recent successes at the Pan Celtic and Oireachtas Song Contests, spurred the duo on to record this new album which represents many years of collaboration and musical development.
It features Niall and Pádraic on vocals, harmonies, and acoustic guitars, Maidhc Ó hÉanaigh on double bass and Neil Fitzgibbon on fiddle. The catchy title track, What Will We Be, features contributions from percussionist Jim Higgins (The Stunning, Christy Moore, Paul Brady) and haunting, driving melodies on vocals, guitar, and fiddle.
Themes of love and hope are woven through Come Away with Me which features interplay between piano and fiddle as well as rich vocal harmonies.
People, places, and broken dreams are celebrated and lamented on Martin and Tom, Guitar Gold, Memories of You and Achill Island. The influence of David Henry Thoreau’s novel Walden features on the tracks Simple and Wise and Walden, with the beauty of nature, escape and simple pleasures at their core.
The album moves from minimalistic folk ballads such as Galway Ghost to swirling, string-laden arrangements on the song Neptune, both of which are influenced by maritime tales from Galway. Much of the work on this album was supported by the Arts Council, including work with musical arranger Eoin Corcoran and the string ensemble Treo.
The album will be launched this Friday, May 19, at 8pm in an Taibhdhearc. Tickets €22, plus booking fee at Eventbrite.ie.
Dunmore is the place to be this weekend for lovers of traditional music, as the Galway County Fleadh will take place there from this Friday, May 19, to Sunday, May 23.
It is 10 years since Dunmore last hosted a fleadh and the local Comhaltas branch, which has re-formed since Covid, is looking forward to facilitating this gathering of music, song, dance and craic.
The official Opening Concert will take place in Dunmore Town Hall this Friday at 8pm with the acclaimed Mulcahy family from Limerick. Mick, Louise and Michelle are well known throughout the country, thanks to their live performances, television appearances and numerous CDs. They were the winners of the TG4 Gradam Ceoil Grúpa Ceoil Award for 2023. Tickets for their concert can be purchased on the door and a great night of music is promised.
Two days of competitions will kick off this Saturday at the town’s Community School, with more than 1,500 competitors taking part. Participants will be hoping to qualify for the Connacht Fleadh 2023, which will be held in Ballina, County Mayo, from June 23 to July 2.
Competitions for those aged Under 10, Under 12 and Under 15 will be held in a large variety of instruments on Saturday, as well as in singing and Comhrá Gaeilge. Sunday’s competitions will be for the Under 18 and Over 18 ages groups, as well as in dancing.
On both days a large entry is expected for Grúpaí Cheoil and Céilí Band competitions across all age groups.
Seventeen Comhaltas branches from across Galway will have participants in this weekend’s competitions, which will result in a large number of visitors to the Dunmore area.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the competitions, which offer a great opportunity to hear and see the talent on display. There will be sessions in local pubs over the weekend as well and everybody is welcome to attend these.
For more information on the County Fleadh, go to www.galwaycomhaltas.ie.
Music for Galway’s concert with renowned Swiss pianist Cédric Pescia which had been due to take place on April 27 but which had to be deferred, will now take place next Tuesday, May 23, at 8pm, in the Emily Anderson Concert Hall at the University of Galway.
This concert of German classics with Bach at its core, will brings the Bach element of Music for Galway’s 41st season to an end.
This world-class pianist who won the famous Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition, has a repertoire that spans many eras from baroque to contemporary and he is widely known for his elaborate programmes. Cédric Pescia describes music as ‘language and movement at the same time’.
Audiences will have a chance to experience his soft, clear touch as he performs a programme for solo piano that will include classics such as Schumann’s popular Waldszenen (Forest Scenes), a suite of nine short pieces, and the penultimate of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, No. 31. These pieces will be interspersed with French Suites by Bach.
■ Ticket for Cédric Pescia’s concert are available at www.musicforgalway.ie, or by phone 091 705962 and on the door on the night. They cost €20/€18. The price for fulltime students of all ages is €6 while MfG Friends can avail of the friends’ rate of €16.
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