From Prince Edward Island to the banks of the Boyne
GORMLAITH RETURNS HOME - AND HAS BROUGHT THREE CANADIANS WITH HER!
A YOUNG Drogheda musician will mark another milestone in her remarkable life next Friday when she plays at the Coca- Cola Dome with her group, ‘Inn Echo’.
But Gormlaith Maynes is no ordinary girl and Inn Echo are no ordinary act.
The story begins late last August when Gormlaith was offered a teaching post at the University of Prince Edward Island in Canada and went on to teach a module in the Irish language over the course of the past college year.
But not only did she get a taste of passing on her own language, she got to inspire and explore more of her traditional Irish music roots.
A superb concertina player, she met three Canadians and so was born ‘Inn Echo.’
‘We have recently released our debut album and performed across Eastern Canada, and now I’m thrilled to bring them to my hometown and to perform at the biggest annual cultural event,’ she states.
The album ‘Inn Echo’ is a stunning combination of the craft of each performer and features the haunting ‘Hibbs in the Big City’. It’s a music for those that appreciate the art of true, tight playing.
Though her main instrument with Inn Echo is the concertina, Gormlaith is a well regarded multi-instrumentalist. Playing tin whistle since the age of 6, and then taking on more instruments like the concertina, fiddle, guitar, and harp as the years went on, she has made a name for herself and has won several county and provincial Fleadhanna over the years.
Since earning her Masters Degree in Traditional Irish Music Performance from the University of Limerick, she moved to Prince Edward Island as an Irish Gaelic language teacher and as a faculty member for the School of Performing Arts program.
Over the years, Gormlaith has learned from players such as Padraigh Rynne, Micheàl Ò Raghallaigh, and Noel Hill, and continues to draw inspiration from them.
Being one of the only concertina players in Charlottetown, her unique style of playing has already become well-known and recognized by many players across the island.
Gormlaith features with guitar player Jesse Périard (Fredericton, New Brunswick), fiddlers Karson McKeown (Ottawa, Ontario) and Tuli Porcher ( Victoria, British Columbia).
Their promotion literature describes them as a ‘contemporary trad band who add a modern twist on the typical structures and sounds of traditional music. Through intricate arrangements, rhythmic grooves, harmonic lines and energetic repertoire, Inn Echo hope to captivate audiences both familiar and unfamiliar with traditional music, opening up new listeners to the world of progressive trad music. Incorporating elements of indie & jazz, Inn Echo’s music is a vibrant, instrumentally-fuelled road trip through genres, echoing melodies of old and new, while maintaining true to the fun and energetic spirit of traditional music.’
Jesse has toured in the past to the US, England, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Scotland, and Australia as a member of the trio ,Ten Strings and a Goat Skin.
Karson McKeown has been playing fiddle since the age of 10. Originally from Ottawa, Ontario, he has been a regular and well-recognized player in the Irish session scene in both Ottawa and Prince Edward Island, and has won numerous fiddle competitions in Eastern Ontario. On top of playing with Inn Echo, Karson teaches violin on PEI and is helping to keep the fiddle tradition alive in Canada.
Tuli Porcher has been pllaying classical violin since the age of 3, fiddle tunes since she was 5, cello since 10, and now recently the 5-string fiddle, it’s easy to say that music has always played a large part in her life.
Friday’s concert (7.30pm at the Dome) is set to be special.
Headlining the evening is Frankie Gavin and the Provenance. Frankie was Gradam Ceoil’s 2018 Traditional Musician of the Year and The Provenance comprises Sorcha Costello, Eadaoin Ni Mhaicin and Ciara O’Brien, three powerful, highly experienced fiddle players and stars in their own right.
Meanwhile, Karan Casey has long been recognised as one of the most innovative, provocative and imitated voices in Irish traditional and folk music. This evening she is joined by her band; Sean Óg Graham & Niamh Dunne (Beoga), and Niall Vallely.
A welcome return is offered to Clogherhead native Stevie Dunne, who will be accompanied by his band, Gerard Thompson and Brian McGrath, while Inn Echo will also play an historic set too.
The evening opens with a special performance of Irish songs by the unrivalled St Peter’s Male Voice Choir. Tickets are €25 and available on www.fleadhcheoil.ie and live from the Box Office in Laurence Shopping Centre.