‘JUST THE TWO’ at Glór
The Power of the Pair in Traditional Music
Just The Two – a new series of traditional and folk music concerts, curated by Paula Carroll, will take place in Glór, Ennis this Autumn with the first event taking place this evening.
It explores the power of the pair in traditional music and song. If the solo voice is where we find the authentic expression of traditional music, then the duo is where we see musical communication at its most creative. When two musicians really understand each other, we witness an almost indescribable ‘flow’ between them. For this series we have invited musicians to perform for us and to try to describe that process.
Four pairs will perform every second Thursday night from September into October.
The dates are Thursday 1st, 15th and 29th of September and October 13th. All concerts begin at 8pm.
Thursday, September 1st
Paul Dooley & Kseniya Rusnak
Paul Dooley, based in Ennistymon, is one of the leading exponents of the Irish harp in its historical form and style – using a metal-strung harp, playing with the fingernails and achieving the distinctive medieval sound that metal strings bring. He has studied the construction of medieval Irish harps and has built several harps.
Kseniya Rusnak arrived from Kyiv, Ukraine to live in Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare this year. She plays harp and bandura – a type of lute or zither which is considered the national musical instrument of Ukraine. A classical as well as folk musician, she taught at the Kyiv Conservatory of Music before her departure from Ukraine. She began her collaboration with Paul Dooley earlier this year and wowed audiences at the Willie Clancy Summer School in July 2022.
Thursday, September 15th
Elaine Hogan & Sheila Garry
Elaine Hogan is a harper hailing from Ennis in Co. Clare. She grew up with a love for all types of music, but felt a particular pull towards the Irish traditional world. She has toured extensively as a harper and is a regular performer and tutor at music festivals. A graduate of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, she has produced three albums so far, showcasing her solo work, as well has her collaborations with Sheila and other musicians.
Sheila Garry is a fiddle player from Ballynacally, Co. Clare and grew up in around traditional music. She is a graduate of UCC and the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance. She has appeared on several albums, most notably her collaboration with Elaine Hogan on the acclaimed tradtional album ‘The Shores of Lough Breda’.
Thursday, September 29th
Therese McInerney & Marian Curtin
Therese McInerney is a fiddle player and singer from Miltown Malbay. Therese works in several areas of traditional Irish music. As well as being a performer and teacher, she is a specialist music presenter on Clare FM and Tipp FM and has been on the production teams of several music series on TG4 and RTÉ. Her second studio album ‘The YouthThat Belonged To Miltown’ is a collaboration with Marian Curtin.
Marian Curtin is a flute and whistle player from Miltown Malbay. Earlier this year she recorded her first studio album ‘The Youth That Belonged To Miltown’ with fellow Miltown Malbay musician Therese McInerney. A student of the acclaimed teacher Brid O’ Donoghue, she is steeped in the music of her internationally known home town of Miltown Malbay. She now teaches that music in Clare and in her adopted Co. Laois.
Thursday, October 13th
Seamus Ó Flatharta & Caoimhe Ní Fhlatharta
Seamus and Caoimhe are a young brother and sister duo from An Áird Mhóir, Conamara, Co. Galway. They exploded on to the national Irish music scene in 2020 with their unique renditions of the sean nós song canon of their native area. The TG4 series ‘Slí na mBeaglaíoch’ and later ‘Fleadh TV 2020’ catapulted them onto international stages and prestigious festivals like ‘Other Voices’. Known as multi-instrumentalists as well as for their harmony singing, Seamus and Caoimhe are both students at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at UL. They have a touring track record that belies their young years. This is their first appearance at Glór.
