ESB BEO CELTIC MUSIC FESTIVAL

National Concert HalL, Dublin Aug 22-29

01-4170000

Mixing it up with a nod in the direction of contemporary, visceral songwriting from Luka Bloom and Paul Brady, and a doffing of its cap to the riches of the English

folk tradition with The Watersons, this year’s ESB Beo Celtic Music Festival extends its reach imaginatively.

Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson are England’s answer to Pete and Peggy Seeger and Bob Dylan and Joan Baez rolled into one. Martin Carthy has worked with everyone from Steeleye Span to The Albion Band, while Norma Waterson was pipped to the post for a Mercury Prize by Pulp back in 1996. Their daughter Eliza will accompany them on spitfire vocals and fiddle. They last wowed a Dublin crowd last summer as part of Hal Wilner’s deliriously ramshackle touring experiment, Rogues Gallery – Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys.

This year’s programme also features flute player Garry Shannon’s Meitheal Orchestra, with special guest Sharon Shannon.