Once Upon A Sound at THE HIDE SCULPTURE - Episode 4

Fingal County Council’s Arts Office presents Episode 4  ‘Once Upon A Sound at THE HIDE SCULPTURE’ featuring Cormac Begley . 



‘Once Upon A Sound at THE HIDE SCULPTURE’ sees acclaimed broadcaster Donal Dineen take us on a deep exploration of music in the company of some of the finest music makers in the land. Together they will tell the story of their sound, the songs, the instruments and their connection to them.

In each series they will perform at THE HIDE SCULPTURE, a sculpture by artist Garrett Phelan that invites contemplation and deep listening. It is located along the Rogerstown Estuary, North County Dublin and home to a diverse population of resident and migrating birds that have chosen this place as their home. Once Upon a Sound at THE HIDE SCULPTURE is delighted to present Episode 4 - Cormac Begley.

Donal Dineen describes Begley saying “Cormac Begley was born into the rich musical tradition of West Kerry and grew up deeply immersed in it. His highly distinctive sound is built upon these solid foundations.Although his music has deep roots in that tradition, his subsequent journey into sound has been distinguished by a restless experimentation with a peerless ability on his instrument underpinning every inventive twist and turn.

Nobody plays quite like him. It’s soulfulness personified.The innovation in his playing sets him apart. His singular talent at bending and stretching the sound of the concertina at will opens up a whole new world of sound. In his hands, the instrument takes on a distinctive life of its own. His stirring renditions of traditional tunes never fail to stir the imagination or set the twilight reeling.The energy in his playing is corralled in all sorts of original ways to produce something truly infectious and sonically unique.

The immensity of his talent has been captured to great effect on two studio albums thus far and an album of bass-concertina tunes is currently in production. His musical performances were the spine in Micheal Keegan-Dolan’s ground-breaking dance production Mám in 2019 and he has toured extensively both as a solo artist and in various ensembles. The power in his playing is matched by a vigorous pursuit of creative fulfilment and it’s an honour to journey to the heart of the matter with him on Episode Four of Once Upon A Sound”

‘Mayor of Fingal, Councillor David Healy said: ‘These recordings are another innovative use of the HIDE SCULPTURE at Rogerstown Park and I congratulate those who are developing the park as a greater asset for the Fingal community and am delighted to see the arts contributing to this process’

Caroline Cowley, Public Art Co-ordinator has expressed ‘This series has allowed us to expand audience engagement with THE HIDE SCULPTURE as the park continues to develop into a public amenity while continuing to acknowledge the wide reach that this permanent sculpture has across a range of cultural platforms.

 Of the initiative Director of Services of the Tourism, Economic and Cultural Development Department Emer O’Gorman said ‘We are delighted to support this series as part of our significant investment in THE HIDE SCULPTURE at Rogerstown Park, Lusk especially during Covid 19 where it is more important than ever to support artists, particularly musicians affected by the reduced opportunities to tour and perform live which has been very much missed by everyone.

 The location for this project is THE HIDE SCULPTURE a permanent public art work by artist Garrett Phelan. It is located on the Rogerstown Estuary, Lusk and is commissioned through Fingal County Council's Public Art Programme.  Garrett has created THE HIDE SCULPTURE as a 21st Century Monument that incorporates function by inviting a range of engagements with it across the spheres of education, music, activism and community to enable a greater understanding of the place of art in society. THE HIDE SCULPTURE and its proximity to the changing tides and migratory bird patterns of the Rogerstown Estuary, reminds us of how connected we are to our natural environment, the rituals of our ancient past and to those who valued nature as their guide and inspiration for language, music and art.

 “Having created several portraits of Donal Dineen for over a decade it was a natural and perfect progression for me to invite Donal ‘s experience and curation of musicians and music into the atmosphere, meaning and machinations of THE HIDE SCULPTURE in the most natural possible way”.- Garrett Phelan

 We are delighted to present these episodes of ‘Once Upon A Sound at THE HIDE SCULPTURE’ with Donal Dineen who represents integrity and seriousness to his core audience, many of whom have developed their musical knowledge with him over many years. Donal is a consistent in his commitment to connect, understand and introduce to new perspectives on music to audiences for over two decades.

‘Once Upon a Sound at THE HIDE SCULPTURE’ featuring Cormac Begley can be viewed at this link https://vimeo.com/563737855  will be available to view on Fingal Arts Vimeo & www.thehideproject.com  where you can also catch up on the series so far with stunning performances by Liam Ó Maonlaí  Anna Mieke & Niwel Tsumbu