Three true legends of trad on one very special night of music and craic
FANS of traditional Irish music are in for a rare treat on Saturday, April 29 when three of the country’s finest musicians share a stage in Ovens.
Séamus Begley, Jim Murray and Liam Ó Maonlaí will play a very special fundraising concert at the Éire Óg GAA Club in Ovens, with proceeds going to support the running and expansion of the community-run Independence Museum in Kilmurry.
Since its opening last August by President Higgins the museum, the brainchild of the Kilmurry Historical and Archaeological Society (KHAA), has already welcomed more than 1,000 visitors.
The purpose-built museum features artefacts from Kilmurry relating primarily to the 1916 period and focusing in particular on local events and participants.
Items on display also have a strong connection to events in the wider Macroom area including the 1920 Kilmichael ambush led by Tom Barry and the 1922 ambush at Béal na Bláth in which Michael Collins died.
The museum is almost entirely run by volunteers, who hope to use it as an educational resource for local schools and, in the long term, develop it as a hub for a heritage trail of local historic sites.
Saturday’s concert is part of a drive to help fund these ambitious expansion plans, with the society also running a raffle on the night with great prizes up for grabs.
Saturday’s concert promises to be a lively mix of tunes, songs and stories from three of the country’s most versatile and exciting musicians.
While Begley and Murray have paired up on two albums since first combining their talents almost two decades ago, their busy schedules have meant their live appearances together have been limited in recent years.
This is one of the reasons why their concert on Saturday week is being so eagerly anticipated, not just by music fans but also the duo themselves.
“Myself and Séamus first started playing in 1998, and we’ve been playing on and off since then. We’ve been all over the world, to Japan, the US, and across Europe,” said Clondrohid native Murray.
“Séamus has done a lot of work with different people. But myself and himself love playing together, we always have a great time on stage.”
The audience can expect to share that craic, as well as enjoying Begley’s usual witty observations in between tunes and songs.
“It will be a rousing mix of polkas, slides and reels, as well as opportunities to hear how Séamus earned the TG4 Gradam Ceoil Singer of the Year accolade in 2013,” said Jim.
Jim will also be singing and playing a few tunes on his own in addition to accompanying his long-time musical partner.
They will be joined by Liam Ó Maonlaí whose recent shows have included gigs with the Hothouse Flowers, as well as his other partnerships with Ré, and with Kila’s Rónán Ó Snodaigh.
“We’d have shared the stage a good bit with Liam over the years - playing with Sharon Shannon, for example, he would have joined us. But this is probably the first time we’ve been on the same line-up in this combination,” said Jim.
For tickets to see this unique line up visit www.eventbrite.ie or contact Mary on 087 656 8110.