Trad’s the way we like it
A traditional Irish music super-group will visit the heart of Cork’s Gaeltacht next month as part of an extensive tour of the country.
Kicking off Music Network’s Spring 2023 season, singer and banjo player Noriana Kennedy (Solas, The Whileaways), will join fiddler Oisín Mac Diarmada (Téada), accordionist Mirella Murray (Cherish the Ladies), and guitarist Donogh Hennessy (Lúnasa), for a tour that will see them visit every corner of Ireland.
On 10 February, the group will play the Ionad Cultúrtha arts centre in Baile Mhúirne, within the Múscraí Gaeltacht.
Noriana Kennedy is a founding member of critically acclaimed trio The Whileaways. She has recorded 4 albums with the group whose engaging lyrics and melodies have seen them garner fans in Ireland and abroad. The trio is known for its beguiling tapestry of harmonies and beautifully crafted original songs. Former lead singer with Irish trad band Solas, she performs compelling versions of old-time songs, folk ballads and original compositions.
Oisín Mac Diarmada is an All-Ireland winning fiddle player and founder of the renowned group Téada. A graduate in music education from Trinity College Dublin and the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Oisín began playing fiddle in Clare at a young age before developing a deep interest in the playing style of the Sligo region having moved there at the age of 11.
He went on to form Téada in 2001 with whom he has recorded many of successful albums. Career highlights for Oisín include accompanying then president Mary McAleese on a state visit to Romania, as well as a guest solo appearance with the Southern Georgia Symphony Orchestra in the USA.
Long-standing member of Grammy-nominated and Emmy award-winning band Cherish the Ladies, Mirella Murray is an All-Ireland winning accordion player and has long been recognised as one of Ireland’s leading traditional musicians. Mirella grew up in Claddaghduff on the north west coast of Connemara where music was a fundamental part of her upbringing.
Encouraged by her father John Joe, a notable sean nós dancer, and accordion teacher Mary Finn, she blossomed with enormous support from champion of the arts and long-time director of Clifden Arts Festival, Brendan Flynn.
Founding member of Irish group Lúnasa, Donogh Hennessy is an award-winning guitarist and composer. He was born in Dublin and is now based in Dingle in Kerry. As a member of Lúnasa, described by the Irish Voice as “the hottest Irish acoustic band on the planet”, Donogh played a key role in crafting the band’s complex arrangements and shaping their unique sound which pushed the boundaries of traditional music and energised audiences the world over. Donogh has also performed and recorded with many other eminent Irish artists over the years such as Lumiere, Sharon Shannon, Seamus Begley, Pauline Scanlon, John Spillane, Damien Mullane and The Sibín Orchestra.
Tickets for the quartet’s show at the Ionad Cultúrtha arts centre in Baile Mhúirne on 10 February cost between €9 and €24 and are now on sale at musicnetwork.ie.
Music Network is Ireland’s national music touring and development organisation and was founded by the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon in 1986.