The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
Since Noel O’Donoghue first picked up a flute in the 1970s, he has been an advocate for the music of Clare and the North Clare tradition in particular. Whether performing in groups such as Moher and the Gold Ring Céilí Band, or in informal sessions around the county, he has always brought his own style and the blás of Kilfenora and North Clare with him. Next Wednesday, Noel will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Corofin Traditional Music Festival. It is something that he could never have imagined when he began his musical journey under the guidance of Tony Linnane in Kilnaboy School some 50 years ago. “I was always very interested in music, right from a young age. My uncle played the flute, but I never knew him because he died young, when he was only 23 years old. But maybe it was that, that put the flute in my head, I don’t know,” said Noel. …
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