Seachtain na Gaeilge Session with the Seamus Ennis Centre

Become a member of the Zoom audience from anywhere in the world and interact with the musicians by booking tickets (for free) here. The session will be played live on the Seamus Ennis Centre and our Facebook and YouTube channels for all to enjoy.

Facebook Live Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/246336280554425/

YouTube Live Event: https://youtu.be/dKUnIwc4j0k

The Musicians:

Corkonian Conal ó Gráda lives in Gaeltacht Mhúscraí and has played flute since he was small. He has two solo albums, The Top of Coom (1990) and Cnoc Buí (2008) and has also published a book on traditional flute-playing titled ‘An Fheadóg Mhór, Traditional Flute Technique’. These days Conal teaches (privately, in UCC and at summer schools) and plays with the band The Raw Bar Collective.

Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh is a multi-award winning traditional singer and musician from Corca Dhuibhne, West Kerry. A leading exponent of the sean nós style, her repertoire also includes songs from a wide variety of folk and contemporary sources. She has enjoyed a successful career as a touring artist, with over thirteen years experience as lead singer and flute player with the Irish traditional supergroup Danú, as well as a many years performing as a solo artist. Muireann is also a popular television presenter, having hosted a range of programmes for Irish and Scottish TV over the past decade including the celebrated traditional music series “Port”. She currently presents her own music programme “Malairt Poirt le Muireann” on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta and has collaborated with many musicians in genres ranging from traditional to classical, world music to electronica.

Joining Muireann is her husband, Billy Mag Fhloinn is a native of Limerick, Ireland. He holds a PhD in Irish Folklore, and a B.A. in archaeology, from University  College Dublin. As well as lecturing and tutoring at university level, he also works in television and media, is a musician and occasionally works as a tour guide in the Dingle Peninsula.

Róisin Chambers is a sean-nós singer and fiddle player. From a family of musicians, she grew up surrounded by Irish music, language and culture. Amongst her teachers were Oisín MacDiarmada and Terry Crehan. She was fortunate to have Úna Bean nic Mhathúna and Séamus Mac Mathúna as her teachers, who introduced her to sean-nós singing at a young age. In terms of her song, growing up, she was mainly influenced by the singing of Darach ó Catháin and the Connemara style of sean-nós singing. However, growing up in Dublin, Róisín would regard herself as a Dublin sean-nós singer. Róisin has performed and recorded with many artists over the last 15 years including The Bonny men, Gerry O’Connor + Desi Wilkinson, Salsa Celtic, At First Light, Lunasa, Martin Hayes, Cathal Hayden including many TV and radio appearances in Ireland and UK.

Joining Róisin is renowned bouzouki player, Luke Ward. He is very active in the thriving Irish music scene in Belfast, where he resides. He has been a musical acquaintance of Róisin since they both were teenagers playing at the Festival Interceltique in Lorient.

Three time All-Ireland champion on concertina, Caitlín Nic Gabhann is a regular performer at festivals and in concert halls from North America all the way to Asia. She is also an accomplished dancer and has toured the world with Riverdance as a troupe dancer. Writing tunes since the age of ten, her compositions have been performed in the Cork Opera House and The National Concert Hall, Dublin and recorded by renowned musicians in Ireland and abroad. She teaches concertina annually at summer and winter schools in Ireland, Europe and USA and has performed with the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet, Paddy Keenan, Liam Ó Maonlaí, for Presidents and Royalty around the world, most recently at 'Ceiliúradh' in the Royal Albert Hall, London as a guest of President Michael D. Higgins. Her debut solo CD release, Caitlín was voted the 2012 'CD of the Year' award by tradconnect.com as well as being labelled the 'top Irish traditional album of 2012' by The Wall Street Journal.

A former recipient of TG4 Young Musician of the Year, fiddle player Ciarán Ó Maonaigh hails from the Gaoth Dobhair Gaeltacht in Co. Donegal. Growing up, he was heavily influenced by his extended family; his grandfather and teacher Francie Mooney, Altan members Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and Frankie Kennedy, Derry fiddle player Dermot McLaughlin as well as the Donegal fiddle legend John Doherty amongst others. Ciarán first album Ceol a’Ghleanna/The Music of the Glen was released in 2004. He is also a member of the band Fidil along with Aidan O’Donnell and Damien McGeehan, and they have released 3 acclaimed albums. Fidil, released in June 2008, was described by Irish Music Magazine as “One of the most challanging and beautifully austere albums of the last fifty years”, 3 was released in 2009 and was awarded both a 5 star review and CD of the week in The Irish Times. In 2011 The Old Wheel of Fortune was released with Songlines magazine declaring it “one of the finest albums to emerge from Ireland this decade.” Ciarán's music has been used in films, on television and on radio programmes including the award winning short film Noreen written by Domhnall Gleeson and starring Brendan Gleeson. In the television industry, Ciarán works mostly in the field of music documentary making. He has produced music documentary’s for TG4 including – Cairdeas na bhFidiléirí and the acclaimed John Doherty - Ar Leirg na Gaoithe, which was awarded the Celtic Media Award for Best Arts Documentary in the Celtic countries in 2013. In 2009 he presented, produced and directed an hour long documentary for TG4 on his late grandfather entitled Francie Mooney – Áit i Mo Chroí. He has worked as a production co-ordinator, researcher and presenter on numerous television series' for TG4 and RTÉ television and radio such as Sé Mo Laoch, Cérbh É, Cérbh Í, The Raw Bar, Geantraí, The Full Set and Ceolta Chiaráin.