The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
THE Temple Gate Hotel will be host to three stalwarts of traditional music when Dónal Lunny, Pádraig Rynne and Sylvain Barou perform at the Café Sessions of the Fleadh Nua this Sunday at 6pm.
These three respected musicians have one thing in common, each have succeeded in taking their chosen instruments and music to places never heard before.
Dónal Lunny, founding member of Planxty, the Bothy Band and Moving Hearts, needs little introduction, as he is considered to be one of the more influential people in the renaissance of Irish music over the last half century. His music has taken him to new places outside of Irish music, collaborating and producing albums for bands from Japan to the USA. Dónal received an Honorary Doctorate in Music from Trinity College in 2008 and is a member of Aosdána.
Clare’s own Pádraig Rynne is regarded as one of the finest concertina players in traditional music today and has five All-Ireland titles as well as three Oireachtas titles under his belt.
By the age of 17, Pádraig had already toured the USA, Canada, Australia and Ireland, as well as having recorded an album with the young band Turas. As well as two solo albums to his credit, Pádraig is a founding member of recently acclaimed Guidewires, which was founded in 2008.
Fellow Guidewires member Sylvain Barou, seen as one of the most exciting flute players of his generation, joins them for this gig. As well as being one of the best exponent of the music of his native Brittany, he has succeeded in developing as an Irish traditional musician as well as other traditions including Greece, Turkey, Persia and that of India.
He has just released his first solo album and is currently touring with his own group and Jacques Pellen, JC Guichen, Keyvan Chemirani.
Mapping the journey the trio has been on together since March 2011, Pádraig told The Clare Champion, “Sylvain organised some concerts in Paris that brought us together and we have been lucky enough to play some great concerts since. We are currently in the studio finishing an album, which should be due for release before the end of the year”.
He explained he really enjoys playing with Dónal and Sylvain, “they bring great creativity to music and the energy from their music is quite unique”.
“Sylvain and I are very used to working together as we tour with the band Guidewires. When playing with Dónal, we have a very different repertoire of material which varies between traditional, newly composed and some foreign pieces,” Pádraig added.
The group will be performing some Irish concerts in the final week of May in Dublin, Carrick-on-Shannon and Tullamore but according to Pádraig, the highlight will be their Ennis gig for the Fleadh Nua.
Tickets for the session are available from The Irish Shop, Market Street, Ennis and further information is available on www.facebook.com/thecafesessions or 086 8520975. For a full list of events for Fleadh Nua visit www.fleadhnua.com.
