Local musician plays for Queen of England

A young North Clare musician had the gig of her life last week when she performed for Queen Elizabeth II.
Tara Breen from Ruan played the fiddle at the State dinner hosted by President Mary McAleese and her husband Dr Martin McAleese in Dublin Castle last Wednesday evening. A young North Clare musician had the gig of her life last week when she performed for Queen Elizabeth II.
Tara Breen from Ruan played the fiddle at the State dinner hosted by President Mary McAleese and her husband Dr Martin McAleese in Dublin Castle last Wednesday evening.
“It was the best gig so far. It still hasn’t sunk in but hopefully it will,” the talented musician told The Clare Champion.
Tara was introduced to Queen Elizabeth after finishing her performance alongside music legend Donal Lunny.
“Donal was asked to perform at the event and I was a member of his group that he put together for Lorg Lunny. He kept in touch and asked me if I would like to play on May 18 but he didn’t tell me what we were performing at.
“Then my mam put it together when she heard the date and that I was playing in Dublin castle so she figured it out but it only really hit me when I was searched by security three times before I went in. There were snipers on the roof and everything but it must have been the safest place in the world to be with the snipers and everything,” Tara recalled.
This was not the University College Cork student’s first time meeting Ireland’s first citizen but it was her first encounter with the British head of state.
“I met President McAleese in Shanghai and we played for her then and we met her afterwards and she was very nice and so kind. Musicians wouldn’t normally meet the Queen either but President McAleese made sure we got introduced,” she outlined.
“The queen was lovely, having a laugh and talking to us and the dancers. She said to the dancers ‘I don’t know how you are so energetic’, but then when she was talking to us and said ‘oh you don’t need to be too energetic.’ She was up for the banter,” Ms Breen stated.
Tara played alongside James Mahon, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Michael Rooney and Dónal Lunny for a 12-minute slot.
“We were told what we could play and all that and then we had to play the slot then go outside and meet the queen. It was all to schedule. When I tried to get up from the stage, my mic was attached to my back but I couldn’t get it off so Donal had to help me but we were still on stage so the audience then gave a second round of applause, it was so embarrassing,” she conceded.
“Then Prince Philip met us outside and he said ‘oh you were the one with the mechanical problem’. I think he and the Queen really enjoyed the music and dancing,” she concluded.