Eimhearr (13) is youngest in race for Ó Riada gold medal

A 13 year old North Cork musician will have the honour of being the youngest musician to take to the stage in the Rochestown Park Hotel in Douglas on Friday, February 2 in the final for the Seán Ó Riada Gold Medal.

Eimhear Flannery from Rockchapel will be the youngest of 16 finalists, one of only two musicians from Cork, along with Maighréad Ní Luasa from Cúil Aodha, who will compete for the prestigious title.

John Paul Wick, from New Jersey, will be the competitor who must travel the furthest for the final. Peadar Ó Riada will present the event live on his ‘Cuireadh Chun Ceoil’ programme on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.

Eimhear is just 13 years old and is a talented multi instrumentalist from Rockchapel. Coming from the Sliabh Luachra region, she feels the music is in her soul.

She was only two when she took up the whistle, and started on piano at about six years old. When she was nine, she received a concertina for Christmas and she has been playing it ever since, and will compete on concertina in the final.

Eimhear plays regularly with Matt Cranitch and Jackie Daly, and she has performed at the Cork Folk Festival with her sister, Caoimhe, who is an All-Ireland fiddle champion.

Meanwhile, Maighréad Ní Luasa is a primary school teacher in Gaelscoil Thomáis Dáibhís in Mallow. Maighréad has been playing the box since she was six years old.

The final starts at 7pm and will be broadcast live on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, and also streamed live on their Facebook page. Tickets can be purchased from the Rochestown Park Hotel for €10.