The Lights Of Ranzanico

Kevin Barry Room, NCH Tomorrow 8.30pm 12/10 01-4170000

Kevin Barry Room, NCH Tomorrow 8.30pm 12/10 01-4170000

Cork piper, whistle player and composer Diarmaid Moynihan had already whetted appetites for tightly-arranged, deliciously-concocted original tunes during his time with his own band, Calico. More recently, he's been busily exploring the interface where Irish traditional and other European music meet, and tomorrow night he's airing music from his superb album, The Lights Of Ranzanico, in the hospitable surrounds of the National Concert Hall's Kevin Barry Room.

Moynihan’s piping is a joy to behold: laser-sharp and yet beautifully intimate. Keeping him company will be his brother Donncha on guitar, his sister Deirdre on fiddle and vocals, Brian Kissane on accordion, Larissa O’Grady on viola and Kate Ellis (last seen performing with Francesco Turrisi’s cerebral Tarab) on cello.

This should be a performance well worth catching by the countless musicians who’ve incorporated Moynihan’s tunes within their set lists, and for those with an ear for pitch perfection in arrangements and composition.

Siobhán Long

Siobhán Long

Siobhán Long, a contributor to The Irish Times, writes about traditional music and the wider arts