comeraghcce's podcast

Another amazing performance at Cúl na Sméar Hall! Zoe's concert was simply lovely. The song she's playing may be frenetic, but she's always relaxed and exudes a calm, controlled air. Where you or I would be frantically scraping away at the fiddle, she remains composed, barely moving her body, yet producing the most astonishingly rich, amazing and exciting tones. Her playing induces rapture. And John's guitar counterpoint has an a jazz-like quality that resonates with Zoe's full timbred playing.

The Singer's Club roared successfully through the summer. Unfortunately, your archivist missed all of it, what with vacations, family commitments, a flu and suchlike. It's like being back in the bronze age (or 1999, whichever came later) - all that great music lost forever! Worry not. Back in harness, the night's festivities are here archived for your continuing pleasure.

Master players John & James Carty were joined on stage for the final minutes of a concert by local lads Sean (fiddle) & Kevin O'Farrell (guitar). About one minute into the first song, it was obvious that the young talent was in tune with the established masters and everyone on stage relaxed and roared through a lively set of reels.

John is the master fiddle and banjo player and his brother James is master of the concert flute, the bamboo flute and any other kind of flute you can name. The brothers play a lovely brand of traditional music and John plays the banjo with a happy grin on his face that you can hear. The podcast of the Carty's comes from the first half of the concert. You'll hear James playing a solo on the flute and John performing a slow air on the fiddle. Then John picks up the banjo and away they go. You get a pretty good overview of this dynamic duo's many different styles of music.

What a fabulous concert! Martin Hayes is downright amazing and Dennis Cahill's gentle guitar work is the perfect accompaniment. Hayes plays the fiddle with tremendous physical panache, but the result is some of the most cerebral, yet toe-tapping Irish music to be heard. Cúl na Sméar Hall was jammed absolutely to capacity, yet the collective intake of breath was so quiet that the gentlest vibrato notes were clear and penetrating. During the last part of concert, local David Power joined the dynamic duo on stage. What a treat! This was a session of stars, a galactic supernova of lovely sound. This slice of the concert is the first 30 minutes right after the break. It gives a pretty good representation of the style of this wonderful duet - everything from a slow air to jigs and slides and a few of their own inimitable inventions.

The best night yet! This one is a real nice listen. The songs were great and a goodly percentage of them hadn't been sung here yet. Jim O'Brien and Eddie Bennet added a few hilarious recitations, David Power had a new song, Joe Heaney was in full flight, Queenie finally made it to a session, Liam Fitzgerald sang a series of local ballads and much more.

Another great concert. The Mulcahey Family - Mick, Michelle and Louise - play so many instruments (and all of them superbly) that it's like having a group of 10. And a few of the audience were called on to perform as well. Alice Fitzgerald is included in this clip - the first 40 minutes of the second half of the concert. Prepare to tap thy feet.

What a crowd! Lots of new faces - and voices! There was some lovely and spectacular singing. They're all a joy, but this one is a particularly good listen.

Another superlative concert! Jackie is a superb button accordion player, somehow able to fit in a heart soaring surprise of improvisation in the midst of dense melodies.

Some new faces - and voices - and the standard crew. Joe Heaney performs Captain Billy, Cam Foley does Michael Collins and Jennifer adds her lovely voice to the mix. And David Power proved that he's more than just a wondrously talented Uillean Pipe player.

Bridie Dee's and Liam, the barman, were in festive good cheer. So were we as we sat by the turf fire on a frigid night.

Cathal is on the banjo and fiddle, Donal on the button accordion. Donnacha Gough made a special guest appearance. As we always say, this was the best concert yet! The music was so infectious that a fairly spontaneous set was instantly organized and the Adult Set Dancing class provided an extra attraction in the midst of the concert. A 19 minute section of the concert is podcast. This particular selection consists of the first few songs played during the second half.

Word has spread and there were even more people at the second get-together of the Singers' Club. One thing is clear: the sheer variety and talent of local singers is amazing.

This is the main portion of the recording made live at Cúl na Sméar. It was broadcast on 11th November 2006 to an international audience.

David spent the days before the concert recovering from jet lag and a miserable head cold andmoving back into his home. It's great to have this most amazing of pipers back home in Cúl na Sméar. While Stateside for the past three years, David appeared in a major broadway production - holding centre stage for the first 10 minutes of the production with no one but himself and his pipes. He also cut two CD's and gave concerts and master classes from one end of North America to the other. Ciarán is one of Ireland's best known sean nós singers and proof that the tradition lives and still inspires audiences. He was pressed onto the stage by popular demand.

spent the past few days recovering from jet lag, moving back into his home and recovering. It's great to this most amazing of pipers back home in Cúl na Sméar. While Stateside for the past three years, David appeared in a major broadway production - holding centre stage for the first 10 minutes of the production with no one but himself and his pipes. He also cut two CD's and gave concerts and master classes from one end of North America to the other. Ciarán is one of Ireland's best known sean nós singers and living proof that the tradition lives and still inspires audiences. He was pressed onto the stage by popular demand.

Tony McMahon is one of the all-time greats of traditional Irish music. This was his third visit to Cúl na Sméar and he started the concert with a few words about the place.

The students of Coolnasmear School give a rousing final song.

Father Kennedy's contribution was short and sweet.

A really lovely song sung by the students of the school at the ceremony.