Dublin Trio set to play the Hot Spot
THE Dublin Trio – Kevin Coneff, Joe McKenna and Tony Byrne – are set to perform at the Hot Spot Music Club in Greystones on Saturday, April 18. Tickets are €12-€14 at thehotspot.ie.
The three Dublin musicians come together for an evening of originals, trad Irish, trad English, bluegrass and Breton.
Kevin Conneff is probably best known as the bodhrán player and vocalist with The Chieftains since 1976. A Dubliner, he first became interested in traditional Irish music in the 1960s, when he and some workmates hitched to Fleadhanna Ceoil all over Ireland, sleeping in haybarns and eating tins of Denny’s stew!
In Dublin, he frequented O’Donoghue’s, the Pipers Club, The Clareman’s Association and the weekly session in Church Street. For many years, he and friends ran the prestigious Tradition Club in Slattery’s of Capel Street, where singers and musicians from all over Ireland and the UK performed.
These included Willie Clancy, Séamus Ennis, Joe Heaney, Treasa Ní Mhiolláin, Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger and Anne Briggs. Apart from touring and recording with The Chieftains, he has performed with Mary Bergin, Tim Edey, Redmond O’Toole and, from Nashville, Jeff White, Laura Cash and Deanie Richardson.
Joe McKenna from the Liberties in Dublin studied the pipes in the famous Pipers Club in Thomas Street, where he learned from, and was influenced by the great Leo Rowesome. Other influences were Patsy Toughy, Johnny Doran and Willie Clancy. Over the years he absorbed and extended the art of piping, creating his own individual style and technique, and also designed and made he own pipes. He is now one of Ireland’s most respected pipers and an accomplished low whistle and button box player.
Joe was most known early on as one of the harp and pipe duo, playing with his now deceased wife Antoinette McKenna They recorded their first LP in the early days of Shanachie Records. Later, they were joined by Antoinette’s sister Mary Bergin, then being part of other groups, such as Slua Nua and De Dannan
Tony Byrne, Dublin guitarist, has been involved in music from a young age. Starting out playing in rock bands as a drummer at age 11, Tony began performing around Dublin city centre venues at age 12. Following family holidays in West Kerry, Tony developed an interest in Irish traditional music and has been involved in the performance, recording and teaching of it since leaving college in 1999. Past performances include concerts with acts such as Danu, Sharon Shannon, Michael McGoldrick, Gerry O’Connor, David Munnelly Band, Matt Molloy, Paul Brady, Julie Fowlis, Lunasa and many more.