glór Arts Centre in Ennis has announced a new series within its traditional music strand this Spring.
glór has again teamed up with Paula Carroll of the traditional music strand The West Wind on Clare FM to curate ‘Inspirations’, a series of concerts where young stars of the traditional music world invite their own living musical heroes to perform with them.
Inspirations takes place in glór studio once a fortnight starting Thursday February 6th and runs until Thursday April 2nd, at 8.30pm.
Concert guests:
| Colm Broderick and Mick O’ Brien | Thurs 6 Feb, 8.30pm |
| Brian O’ Loughlin and Eamonn Cotter | Thurs 20 Feb, 8.30pm |
| Aisling Lyons and Laoise Kelly | Thurs 19 March, 8.30pm |
| Conor Connolly and Charlie Harris | Thurs 2 Apr, 8.30pm |
‘Co. Clare is such a great place in which to work in traditional music’, says series producer Paula Carroll. The audiences are fantastic. They are knowledgeable and appreciative, and have quite sophisticated taste in music. The Autumn series ‘Words and Music’ sold out every night (where we invited musical duos to tell us stories of their journeys in traditional music, as well as performing).
This time we’ve asked young musicians to tell us who their living musical heroes are, and then to invite them to do a concert with them. This one has really grabbed people’s imaginations!, Carroll said.
The theme is different this time but the aim is similar: in a county heaving with musicians and musical activity, to create a calm space where great music is presented in a curated yet informal atmosphere.’ Carroll concludes.
https://www.facebook.com/glorennis/videos/2354397451481732/
About the musicians:
Colm Broderick is a 20 year old piper from Carlow, who is no stranger to music sessions and festivals in Clare. Colm was selected by Na Píobairí Uilleann as the inheritor of Liam Ó Floinn’s pipes, on Liam’s death in 2018, and he rises to the responsibility with panache. He has selected master piper Mick O’ Brien as one of his main living influences, saying ‘He’s right up there with Liam.’ Mick O’ Brien comes from a family steeped in generations of the great Dublin music tradition. (Thurs 6 Feb 8.30pm)
Brian O’ Loughlin from Corofin is one of Clare’s finest young flute players. A member of the multi-award winning Shandrum Ceili Band, Brian is also a very fine soloist. He has selected Clareman Eamonn Cotter as one of his formative influences. Flute-player and maker Eamonn comes from the intensely musical Cotter family from Ennis. They now comprise at least three generations whose performance genres include classical and jazz as well as traditional. (Thurs 20 Feb 8.30pm)
Aisling Lyons from Newmarket on Fergus, Co. Clare, is one of the rising stars of the Irish harp world. She is also an accomplished young concertina player who trails a string of accolades. She has selected Laoise Kelly, this year’s TG4 Gradam Ceoil Traditional Musician of the Year, as her hero. From Westport, Laoise is known for her brilliance and as a pioneer promoter of the Irish harping, not least through the Achill International Harp Festival, which she founded in recent years. (Thurs 19 March 8.30pm)
Accordionist Conor Connolly, from Ardrahan, Co. Galway, received the TG4 Gradam Ceoil for Young Musician of the Year in 2019. He comes straight from the Joe Cooley cradle of South Galway traditional music; a style much loved in Co. Clare. No surprise then that he selects accordion player Charlie Harris, as one of his chief mentors. Charlie is also a past recipient of the TG4 Gradam Ceoil Traditional Musician of the Year award (2009), and is seen as one of the main carriers of that Cooley / South Galway style of accordion playing. (Thurs 2 April 8.30pm)
About Paula Carroll
Paula is an independent radio producer, documentary-maker and specialist music broadcaster. She is one of the producer /presenters of the long-established West Wind traditional music strand on Clare FM, and creator of the highly popular Kitchen Sessions Series on Clare FM.