Music

Four traditional music concerts to see in Ireland this week

Trad supergroup Ushers Island, with Dónal Lunny, Andy Irvine, Paddy Glackin, Michael McGoldrick and John Doyle, play Seamus Ennis Centre

Usher’s Island play at the Seamus Ennis Arts Centre, The Naul on July 20th.

Siobhán Long's face
Siobhán Long
Sat Jul 14 2018 - 05:00

Sunday, July 15th

Mná na bhFidleacha – The Donegal Female Fiddlers

An Grianán Theatre, Letterkenny, 2pm, €15/€12 eaf.ie

This year’s Earagail Arts Festival brings together, for the first time, over 30 of the finest female fiddlers from Donegal, associated with Donegal or residing in Donegal. Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Bríd Harper, Liz Doherty, Tara Connaghan and many others will share their tunes and stories. A magical gathering, and a sign of the robust centrality of women musicians in our tradition.

KGB

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Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny, 8,30pm, €20/€18 eaf.ie

Donegal International Folk and Roots Weekend, a subset of the Earagail Arts Festival, hosts its weekend highlight event with KGB: Paddy Keenan, Frankie Gavin and Dermot Byrne, a formidable trio on pipes, fiddle and accordion. Bringing their combined histories with The Bothy Band, De Danann and Altan, this trio are likely to brew up a storm.

Mary Greene, Hank Wedel, Roy Thompson and Gary Ferguson

DC Music Club, Camden Row, 9pm, €15/€13 musiclee.ie

Four singer songwriters on stage swapping songs and banter. Mary Green is the Green in "Greenshine", including the beautiful The Girl in the Lavender Dress. Roy Thompson is a fine lyricist who is recording his first album of songs and Hank Wedel is a fine songwriter who plays regularly with his own band in this intimate venue. Gary Ferguson from Pennsylvania is an award-winning singer/songwriter and musician, who has some bluegrass classics already under his belt. An intriguing collaboration.

Friday, July 20th

Usher’s Island

Seamus Ennis Arts Centre, The Naul, 7.30pm, €25/€20 tseac.ie

Dónal Lunny, Andy Irvine, Paddy Glackin, Michael McGoldrick and John Doyle make up this veritable supergroup, bringing decades of inventive experience together, and drawing from a history that includes Planxty, Capercaille, The Bothy Band, Coolfin, Patrick Street, Mozaik and so many other collaborations down through the years.