Nyah Concert - February 8th
Chieftains flute player, Matt Molloy, John Carty (Fiddle) and Arty McGlynn, (guitar)

To celebrate the Nyah launch of their new album Pathway to the Well Matt Molloy, John Carty and Arty McGlynn will appear at the Don Smith Lounge in Cootehill, Co Cavan on Friday 8th  February as part of the Nyah Co Cavan Arts Festival music for all concerts .

The gig on Friday 8th February starts at 8.30pm.

Admission is €20. Ticket Only. This is guaranteed to be a sellout, so early booking and advance payment is essential for this one.
Bookings on 086 2342270  and Tickets from Don Smiths 049 5559057 after 5pm .

Pathway to the Well - Matt Molloy and John Carty with Arty McGlynn

Pathway to the Well, a duet album featuring Matt Molloy on flute and John Carty on fiddle with accompaniement from Arty McGlynn. Probably the most exciting trad combination of recent times, Matt Molloy and John Carty explore the rich and varied tapestry of the fiddle and flute tradition of North Connaught. Matt Molloy is regarded as the greatest exponent of flute playing alive, a member of the Chieftains  he was also a founder member of the legendary Bothy Band. John Carty’s musical prowess has grown steadily since his debut recording 12 years ago and he has since produced a plethora of solo recordings. He is also a member of the bands At the Racket and Patrick Street.

 Both Matt and John are recipients of the prestigious TG4 Musician of the year Award. They are delighted to be joined in Don Smiths  by Ireland’s number one guitar player, Arty McGlynn. His subtle guitar playing is the perfect accompaniment to this unique duet

Matt Molloy  (Flute)Biography
Matt Molloy was born in Ballaghadereen, County Roscommon,an area well known for flute players. Coming from a strong musical background, his playing is influenced by the famed Sligo tradition of flute playing. Matt began playing the flute at age 8 and by the age of 17, he had won the All-Ireland Flute Championship and had a string of successes in National Fleadh Cheoil and Oireachtas. He moved to Dublin in the early 1970's where he started playing in the traditional music scene where he became acquainted with Paddy Moloney. Molloy's first appearance with the Chieftains was at a folk festival in Edinburgh in July 1979.
During the burgeoning folk scene of the 1970's, Molloy was a founding member of the famous folk-rock group, The Bothy Band. After the Bothy Band disbanded in 1978, he appeared briefly with the reformed group, Planxty recording one album with them. Molloy has released several acclaimed solo albums and has worked with other accomplished musicians. He has teamed up with Paul Brady, Tommy Peoples, Micheál Ó Súilleabháin, Dónal Lunny and the Irish Chamber Orchestra among other artists. In 2000, Molloy was awarded the first ever-prestigious TG4 National Traditional Musician Award.
In addition to playing, Molloy owns a pub in Westport, County Mayo, Ireland called Matt Molloys where he has also recorded a live session album. His pub is well known for having sessions including many different musicians. He is best known for his breathy style and energy in his playing. www.mattmolloy.com

John Carty (Fiddle /Banjo)  Biography
John Carty is the TG4's Traditional Musician of the Year for 2003. He received a specially-commissioned sculpture by John Coll plus €4000. There have been five other recipients since the awards were instituted: Chieftains flautist Matt Molloy, fiddler Tommy Peoples, whistle-player Mary Bergin, harper Máire Ní Chathasaigh and piper Paddy Keenan—all of whom are considered to be the leading exponents of their instruments within the Irish tradition.
John Carty was born in London, England in 1962. There was music on both sides of his family and it was handed down from generation to generation. John’s own father, John P, is a fine flute player and a multi-instrumentalist. With such a selection of instruments available to the young John it was inevitable that he dabbled with most of them.
John started playing in the early 1970s when Clareman Brendan Mulkere started music lessons in the school John attended. He went on to enter Fleadh competitions over the years securing titles at all levels culminating in wining the Senior All-Ireland banjo title in 1982. During the 1980s John became a mainstay of the flourishing London session scene. In 1982 he spent a year playing and teaching music in Australia.
In 1991 John moved to Ireland settling in Boyle, Co Roscommon. He recorded his first solo album on banjo entitled “The Cat that ate the Candle” in 1994 which was released by Clo Iar Chonnachta (CIC099). The one fiddle track on this led to a three album contract with Shanachie Records and his first fiddle album Last Night’s Fun (Shanachie 79098) was released in 1996. This album has been described as a milestone in recorded fiddle music. The end of 2000 saw the release of his second album with Shanachie Yeh, That’s All It Is (Shanachie 78034) on fiddle and tenor guitar accompanied by Brian McGrath and Arty McGlynn. This CD has been hailed as his best yet. “Carty’s fiddle mastery makes this one of the finest new CDs showcasing the Irish melodic tradition at its best” – Paul Carr, Tower Records. In August 2003 Shanachie Records released Carty's latest fiddle CD At It Again, on this album he is accompanied by Alec Finn, Brian McGrath, Francis Gaffney and Arty McGlynn. “Sheer joy from the get go” –Siobhan Long, Irish Times
John Carty is a musical rarity in more ways than one. He is left-handed, but plays a 'right-handed' fiddle, fingering with his stronger left hand and bowing with his right. Even stranger, when he plays banjo he again fingers with the left and picks with the right. Not only is he highly proficient on both aforementioned instruments, but he is also an adept flute player too.John has established himself among the elite in traditional music, and as a staunch supporter of its preservation.
In addition John plays with his band AT THE RACKET which includes himself, Brian McGrath, and Seamus O’Donnell. He has also guested with the Chieftains, and De Danaan and has been involved in many other recordings notably Brian Rooney’s acclaimed albums The Godfather and From London to Leitrim which he also produced. John also performed the lead violin on the sound track of the film Mapmaker shot in Co Leitrim. . www.johncartymusic.com

Arty McGlynn (guitar) - Biography
Arty McGlynn was born in Omagh, Co. Tyrone, into a family steeped in traditional music, his father played the accordion and his mother the fiddle, and by the age of five Arty was playing reels proficiently on the accordion.
When his mother bought him his first guitar at the age of eleven, Arty began to delve into the playing of great jazz guitarists such as Wes Montgomery and Barney Kessel, and by the time he turned fifteen, he was already playing professionally.
The late sixties saw him move further afield, trips to UK and USA, moving from band to band and adding the pedal steel guitar to his musical arsenal along the way. But by the mid seventies the endless run of one nighters had begun to lose their appeal and Arty was beginning to look for something more real, something that would excite him again.
There followed a phase in his life where rather than play "what he was told to play", by whoever controlled the purse strings in the dance band, he began to have more control over his artistry. It was now that he started to focus his attention on the very different world of Irish traditional music. In 1979 he recorded his first solo album, "McGlynn's Fancy", which was the first recording ever in which the guitar is played in an authentic traditional style, and as such has been hailed as a classic in the traditional music world. His reputation was now spreading in a whole new direction.
Arty subsequently became one of the most sought after musicians in the country, playing and recording with the likes of Christy Moore, Paul Brady, Donal Lunny and Liam O'Flynn. He played as a member of such prestigious groups as Planxty, Patrick Street, De Danann and the Van Morrison Band.
In 1989, Arty and his wife fiddle player Nollaig Casey released their first duet album, "Lead the Knave" to great critical acclaim, and in 1990 they were awarded the Belfast Telegraph Entertainment Media and Arts Award for excellence in the field of Folk Music.
Arty is equally in demand as a live performer, recording artist and producer. The album "Barking Mad" by the group Four Men & A Dog, which Arty produced, was voted Folk Album of the year by Folk Roots Magazine. He produced Christy Hennessy's album, "The Rehearsal", which remained in the Irish charts continuously for eighteen months and also collaborated with Frances Black on her first two solo albums, "Talk to Me" and "The Sky Road", both of which have topped the charts in Ireland and have been critically received in the UK. and America.
Arty has composed music for several television documentaries and together with Nollaig arranged and played music for the sound track of the Irish feature film "Moondance" as well as "Hear My Song".

Chulrua in Ramor Theatre Virginia - August 31st

Nyah Music for all 2007 Show

The name of our group is Chulrua, and we play Irish traditional music.

Chulrua (pronounced cool-ROO-ah), translates from the Irish as "red back," and was the name and distinguishing feature of the favorite wolfhound belonging to ancient Irish hero Fionn MacCumhaill.

The music we play is the old instrumental dance music of Ireland: jigs, reels, hornpipes, polkas, and slides. We also play walking marches, songs, slow airs, set dances, and the harp music of Turlough O'Carolan and others. We strive to present these tunes and songs in keeping with the old tradition—as they were handed down from generation to generation in Ireland.

The heart of Irish music is the session, where tunes are played and traded, and conversation about music is the central theme. Sessions can be held anywhere, but are usually the best—and most relaxed—in a small, intimate place like the kitchen of a house or a small pub. The music we present onstage comes from that tradition.

Together we have almost 70 years of experience performing at community fairs and festivals, colleges and universities, folk clubs, and a variety of other venues—doing concerts, workshops, dances, and school residencies all over the World . USA Band Chulrua Paddy O'Brien, Button Accordion

Pat Egan, Guitar & Vocals Patrick Ourceau, Fiddle

Booking at Ramor Theatre, Main Street, Virginia, Co Cavan
+353 049 854 7074; e-mail: ramortheatre@cavancoco.ie

Info www.cavanmusic.com www.chulrua.com

Galway’s Marcus Hernon -Fluteplayer & maker to play on Friday 14th Sept in Don Smith’s Cootehill and Saturday 15th Sept Cronin’s lounge Ballinagh in Nyah September shows.

Cavan traditional music enthusiasts are in for a rare treat indeed over the upcoming performance in not one but two of the county’s prime trad venues.

Don Smith’s, Cootehill and Cronins Ballinagh are the places to be for these not-to-be-missed shows, which will also feature a host of local talent in what will surely prove another major feast of music, dance and song organised by Cavan’s Nyah Music For All Group .

Better still, admission is free on both nights.

Marcus Hernon is a World Class traditional Irish musicians and Instrument maker . Marcus plays the concert flute and the B Flat flute.

Marcus Hernon was born and raised in Roisín na Mainíach in Carna, the heart of the Connemara Gaeltacht about 50 miles west of Galway city. It is into this environment Marcus were born and bred. He is a self-taught musician, playing by ear and instinct. Music for him is a vocation, not a choice and is as essential to them as breathing. And it is a very particular type of Irish music he play’s, traditional, unadorned, played as he heard it from his elders. Marcus has won seven all-Ireland championships. His new CD is The Grouse in the Heather .

Cavan traditional music enthusiasts are in for a rare treat indeed over the upcoming August Bank Holiday weekend, when Bohola — the “superduo” who’ve been stirring up a storm across the Atlantic — play in not one but two of the county’s prime trad venues.
  Widow’s Bar, Belturbet and Don Smith’s, Cootehill are the places to be for these not-to-be-missed shows, which will also feature a host of local talent in what will surely prove another major feast of music, dance and song organised by Cavan’s Nyah Festival. Better still, admission is free on both nights.
    Made up of veteran piano accordion genius Jimmy Keane and singer and guitar-bouzouki (“bouzar”) wizard Pat Broaders, Bohola show how the music can be played true to the tradition yet with a remarkable degree of innovation and vitality. Weaving through intertwined tunes and songs in sets that can last up to 20 minutes, the purest of the pure drop flows here — but sparkling with a new freshness!
  Jimmy and Pat will be in the Widow’s Bar, Belturbet on Sunday August 5th as part of the Festival of the Erne, and in Don Smith’s Lounge, Cootehill on Monday 6th.
  The Belturbet show gets going with Bohola themselves at 10pm, while from 11.30pm onwards; local singer Eimer Henry and ballad man Liam Fagan, along with Martin Donohoe and Fintan McManus will close the night. Be sure to come early for another great Nyah night of music and song.
  The Cootehill session in Smith’s lounge, Bridge Street starts on Bank Holiday Monday at 8pm with Cootehill Ceili Crew and a host of local artists including Philip Clarke, John McEntee, Kilnaleck Trio, Cavan Town Comhaltas Youth, Seamus Fay,Trevor Bury , Aoife Murray, Marian Crowe, Donohoe Family, and Fintan McManus.
  This it’s the USA masters Bohola who finish the night off, with another of their trademark raise-the-roof performances guaranteed. Jimmy and Pat’s Nyah shows in Belturbet and Cootehill are part of a nine-show tour of the country at the end of July and early August.
  And remember, the Cavan gigs are where you get to see them free, so the secret is to get there early

Irish music's accordion virtuoso Jimmy Keane and the remarkable bouzar player and vocalist Pat Broaders, comprise bohola, Irish music's newest "supergroup" as penned by The Irish Herald. bohola play a driving, muscular, and yet very emotive style of Irish music with deep roots in the 'pure drop' tradition, infused with the raw and gritty urbanized musical vernacular of the Irish and Irish-American experience.
bohola's debut album is championed by the Irish Voice as "one of the most impressive debut recordings ever by an Irish traditional music group." The Courier News added, "Though most of the tunes bohola plays are well over 150 years old, the music comes across more vibrant than the moribund sounds of much of today's alternative rock. Their sound comes from the Irish version of jam sessions, but bohola puts the noodling of many current jam bands (Dave Matthews, among others) to shame."
The Irish Echo captured the essence of bohola when it reviewed their self-titled release. "The sum here is greater than the parts, and egos are subordinate to both execution and effect. bohola have crafted an album of intricate, nearly invisible latticework, relying not on gimmickry but on imagination and vision. What a welcome concept: muse-imbuing music."
Born in London of Irish-speaking parents, Jimmy Keane's accomplishments are far reaching. The son of a sean nos (old style) singer, he is All Ireland accordion champion for five consecutive years. He is a composer and arranger of Irish music and has produced and recorded numerous albums. Many regard Keane as the premier exponent of Irish music on the piano accordion. Noted University of Limerick Professor, composer, and musician Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin praised Keane as the "savior of the piano accordion." Emusic described him as "one of the true giants of Irish traditional music of the past fifty years."
Keane has performed and recorded with some of the best musicians in Irish music over the years including Liz Carroll, Michael Flatley, Mick Moloney, Eileen Ivers, and Seamus Egan. However, it was not until he started playing with Pat Broaders that the style of Irish music that Keane plays "really started to jell and this big huge raw and powerful sound came out of nowhere," reflected Keane. "We were like a glove - instinctively darting in and out of the music as if we were "as-one" playing the same big instrument."
Pat Broader arrived in Chicago from Ireland in the 1990's. "Pat is a real veteran of the Irish music scene both here and abroad, playing, recording, and performing with many artists and bands over the years," said Keane. "Pat has this acute sense of music and rhythm that enables him to "lock in" his bouzar (bass bouzouki & guitar hybrid) playing to whatever I might do musically and rhythmically. The synergy that results spurs on bohola and draws in the audience. And his singing is brilliant - if I could sing, I'd love to sing like Pat."
bohola's key to their sound is the interplay between the musicians and the approach they take to their music. "It is the music that counts," states Keane. "We really listen to and respond to each other when we play - bending, twisting, and caressing the music as it flows along." Keane considers bohola fortunate to be able to perform and carry forward the traditional Irish music art form while placing their special touch to the music. "We are here to serve this great music and bring out what we feel is the best nature in the tunes and songs we play."
The Chicago Tribune wrote, "bohola plays 300-year-old jigs and reels as if they were trying to tear the house down. Keane's rippling accordion playing rapid, swirling melodies, while Pat Broaders accents the rhythm with his staccato bouzouki strumming. Broaders also takes the spotlight to sing plaintive ballads."
"We try to always play from the heart," said Keane, "and bring to the audience the core and the spirit of what the music we play and sing is about."
In concert, bohola perform music selections that weave in and out between tunes and songs that can continue for twenty minutes or so, ever evolving and flowing. They play tunes that range from hundred-year-old harp pieces, reels, jigs, slides, polkas and barndances to newly composed pieces in the traditional idiom. And the songs run the gamut from the ancient melodies of Ireland, to songs brought to North America by immigrants, to newly composed songs from here and abroad. All played with a freshness and subtlety of approach that is unique in Irish music today. http://www.bohola.com
Irish American News
“Arguably the hottest group in traditional music,”

A Gig for Mícheál - Vicar Street- Dublin- May 24th 2007

Ómós
A Gig for Mícheál
Vicar Street- Dublin- May 24th 2007

The tragic and sudden death in July last year of Mícheál Ó Domhnaill deprived the world of Irish traditional music of a quiet hero. His family and friends have come together to celebrate his life and music in a "Ómós- A Gig for Mícheál" to be held on May 24th, 2007 in Dublin's Vicar St.

Mícheál Ó Domhnaill, singer and guitarist, was a founding member of seminal bands Skara Brae, The Bothy Band, Relativity and Nightnoise. He forged influential musical partnerships with Mick Hanly, Kevin Burke and Paddy Glackin and oversaw the production of many albums for other artists like Noel Hill and Tony Linnane. As a song collector working with Breandán Breathnach and as a radio presenter (The Long Note) Mícheál left a legacy of enduring quality.

Sisters Maighread and Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill have assembled a remarkable gathering of traditional musicians and singers to celebrate the life and music of their brother. On stage at Vicar Street on May 24th next will be...

MAIGHREAD & TRÍONA NÍ DHOMHNAILL, PADDY KEENAN, DONAL LUNNY, MATT MOLLOY, KEVIN BURKE, PADDY GLACKIN, MICK HANLY, NOEL HILL & TONY LINNANE, MAIRÉAD NÍ MHAONAIGH, MARY BLACK, MOYA BRENNAN, BRIAN DUNNING, MAIRTIN O'CONNOR & CATHAL HAYDEN, DÁITHÍ SPROULE, CONALL Ó DOMHNAILL, JIMMY CROWLEY and other special guests.

All proceeds from the concert will go to The Irish Traditional Music Archive. Tickets at € 35 are available from Ticketmaster www.ticketmaster.ie from April 20th and Claddagh Records phone.01 6770262.

See www.michealodomhnaill.com

Darren Maloney