Sundays in Spring concerts in Carlingford
CARLINGFORD Heritage Centre is proud to announce its fourth annual Sundays in Spring afternoon concert series.
Artistic Directors, Zoe Conway and John McIntyre, have succeeded again in attracting a superb line-up of musicians, singers, songwriters and performers to match the Centre’s ever growing reputation. Tickets available on line at www. carlingfordheritagecentre.com or by e-mail at info@carlingfordheritagecentre.com or by phone +353 (42) 9373454 or +353 (42) 9373888. Price €12/ concession €10. All concerts commence at 4.00 pm and last approximately one hour.
The series programme for 2019 promises some happy returns, old friends and some very welcome new visitors. Our opening concert on Sunday April 7 is the inimitable The 4 Of Us, brothers Declan and Brendan Murphy. They won’t have to travel far to join us, although originally from Newry, both are now living in Carlingford and are active members of the local community. From the earliest acclaim surrounding classics like Mary and Drag my Bad Name Down, they have continued – as in their recent much praised album, Sugar Island - to combine searingly poignant lyrics about the places and the times we live in with their stunning musicianship and performance. Early booking is essential as places are already filling fast and the Centre can only accommodate limited numbers.
Keeping faith with our pledge to bring a miscellany of high quality acts to the Sundays in Spring Series, the second concert, on Sunday April 14, brings a distinct change in musical genre and tradition. We are delighted to welcome for the first time two artists at the top of their art. The renowned Irish and RTE concert pianist Anthony Byrne, and his wife, international soprano, Mairéad Buicke, have performed together in recitals throughout Ireland, the House of Lords in London, Malaga and the Metropolitan club, New York. They are looking forward to sharing some of their extensive repertoire of operatic arias and Irish songs in the picturesque setting of Carlingford Heritage Centre.
Skipping a week for Easter, for our Sunday concert on April 28, we are expecting a full house for the much loved O’Connor Family, also known as ‘ the O’Connors from Dundalk’. Various members of the family are known individually for their musical mastery throughout the world. The name is synonymous with the music and song of their native County Louth and the Oriel region. Bringing this talented, award winning family together for this occasion has been a real achievement and says much about the drawing power of our two artistic directors, Zoe and John. The O’Connor clan celebrates the fiddle music learned from Gerry’s mother Rose and the songs created and sung by the late Eithne Ní Uallacháin, mother of Dónal, Siúbhan, Féilimí and Finnian. Eilish O’Connor, Gráinne Smith and Síle O’Connor complete the line-up. Another Sunday in Spring not to be missed.
On Sunday May 5, it’s a welcome return for the legendary Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill, formerly of the Bothy Band and before that, Skara Brae. When Triona finished her short gig here last summer, in the company of Zoe and John, she vowed to come back with her sister, the wonderful, Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill, to perform together. It didn’t need more encouragement than that – and so we struck while the iron was still hot to sign these superb artists up for an hour long concert this Spring. They bring a unique style and harmony and a repertoire of traditional songs and music from Donegal, the Kildare Gaeltacht and from across Ireland. They have been described by Iarla Ó Lionáird as ‘sisters, and singers, who share a deep and instinctive bond in song and life’. An utter treat for traditional music lovers.
To close the 2019 Sundays in Spring series, we are pleased to introduce another musical partnership in the persons of harpist, Laoise Kelly from Westport and Achill and uilleann piper, Tiarnán Ó Duinnchinn, from Monaghan. Laoise has been described as ‘ the most significant harper of her generation’ and has played alongside some of Ireland’s foremost artists including Seamus Heaney, The Chieftains, Christy Moore, Sharon Shannon, Dónal Lunny, Tommy Makem, Matt Molloy, Tommy Peoples, Mary Black, Maighread & Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill, as well as Kate Bush and American country/ bluegrass icon Tim O’Brien. She tours regularly with Tiarnán and together they have produced the much acclaimed album Ar Lorg na Laochra. For his part, Tiarnán, another distinguished graduate of the Armagh Pipers’ Club, has won many awards for his mastery and musicianship. Andy Irvine describes how he ‘shed a tear’ when listening to Tiarnán in concert, such was the emotion and the recall of a similar moment in the company of the great Willie Clancy.
We are truly grateful to Create Louth, the cultural arm of Louth County Council, for their support for our efforts to bring artists of such calibre and reputation to the iconic, intimate and evocative venue that is the Heritage Centre in the medieval town of Carlingford. Can’t wait to hear them!