COMING TO THE IRISH FEST CENTER
OCTOBER 4, 2008 PIPERLINK
8:00PM Concert - Doors Open 7:00PM
Ticket Price $15.00

A Multi - Media Performance

Sponsored by the Irish Fest Foundation


"Piperlink will not only see the country´s (Ireland) leading pipers perform at your local venue but will give you a chance to interact with the players and the instrument. Following an audio-visual introduction and a demonstration to show how the pipes work, eminent folklorist Sean Donnelly will conduct an entertaining talk on the history of the instrument, navigating a clear path through the development of the pipes, their evolution, the different styles and how to identify them, the great players and the famous `piping´ tunes.

This original artistic experience will be introduced by one of Ireland´s best known traditional singers Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh (Danu) who will also perform some of the songs associated with the pipes."

MUIREANN NIC AMHLAOIBH was born in 1978. She lived on the islands of Inisheer and Cape Clear for nine years, after which her family settled in Dun Chaoin, Co.Kerry. Growing up, she was immersed in the dance music, slow airs and songs of West Kerry, attending sessions with her fiddle-playing father from a young age. There she began to play music, the flute and tin-whistle and to learn sean-nos songs from such local singers as Aine Ni Laoithe, Eilin Ni Chearna and the Begley family. She has a Diploma in Fine Art from the Dublin College of Art and in 2002 was awarded an M.A. in Traditional Music from the University of Limerick. Muireann toured and performed with various musicians and groups before, in 2003, joining the group Danu. In 2004 they won the BBC 2 Folk Award for "Best Group". At the same awards, the song "The County Down" by Tommy Sands that Danu had recently recorded, won "Best Song". Muireann herself won "Best Singer" at the liveireland.com Awards in 2005. Now a regular contributor to television and radio programmes at home and abroad, she featured prominently in the recent "Highland Sessions" BBC television series, celebrating the best of Irish and Scottish traditional music and song. Muireann's choice of song reflects her musical interests, varying from traditional Irish to American old-time and contemporary folk.

GAY MC KEON was born in Dublin in 1957 and took an interest in uilleann piping in the 1960's under the tutelage of the renowned piper and pipe maker Leo Rowsome at the Piper's Club on Thomas Street in Dublin's city centre. Understandably, Leo had a profound influence on Gay's playing as did the other musicians who taught at and visited the club, including the uilleann pipers Dan O'Dowd, Mick Touhy, Sean Seery, Tommy Reck, Willie Clancy and Peadar Broe. Gay was also heavily influenced by many of the fiddle players who lived and played in Dublin at that time - such as Sean Keane and John Kelly. At an early age, Gay's interest in slow air playing was encouraged by Dan O'Dowd, Peter Flynn and Matt Kiernan. After Leo Rowsome's death in 1970, Gay sourced much of his repertoire from published collections such as Breathnach's Ceol Rince Na hEireann. Gay has recorded and toured with artists including Christy Moore, Maddy Prior and June Tabor and has recorded on numerous compliation albums including The Ace and Deuce of Piping Vol 2 and The Piper's Rock as well as a solo album Irish Piping Tradition, and a trio CD with his two sons Conor and Sean entitled The Dusty Miller. Gay has also produced a number of acclaimed recordings and DVDs featuring featuring other uilleann pipers. Since the mid 1970's Gay has toured and broadcast extensively as a soloist. Gay is a much sought after teacher and has for many years taught at major summer schools and music festivals, also he has performed on three volumes of the acclaimed tutor series The Art of Uilleann Piping published by Na Piobairi Uilleann. Gay has served on the board of Na Piobairi Uilleann (the organization of uilleann pipers) for over twenty years including several as chairman and is currently Chief Executive of that organization

SEAN DONNELLY was born in Dublin in 1951, and educated at Trinity College, Dublin. As a teenageer, he became interested in bagpipes of various kinds, and began learning the uilleann pipes in Na Biobairi Uilleann in the 1970s. Breandan Breathnach, founder and chairman of NPU, encouraged Sean's interst in research and writing, publishing his first articles in his own journal, Ceol. Since then, Sean has contributed articles on piping, harping, dancing, and on various aspects of Irish music, to academic and local history journals, as well as to An Piobaire, the newsletter of Na Piobairi Uilleann, and to other publications dealing with piping of various kinds.

TOMMY KEANE was born in Waterford City in 1953. He was encouraged by a local piper to take up the uilleann pipes. As well as his early tuition from Tommy Kearney, he also received lessons from Pat Mitchell and Liam O'Flynn. In the 1980's Tommy spent seven years in London where he played with many of the legends of Irish music, including Tommy McCarthy, Bobby Casey and Roger Sherlock. While there, he also provided music for productions by the National Theatre Co and Rambert Ballet Co. He has also recorded with Elvis Costello and on The Pogues album - "Rum, Sodomy and the Last'. Other recording credits in London include Clannad and Ralph McTell. Since 1987 he has lived in Galway and in 1991 he released his first solo album - "The Piper's Apron". He released a duet album, "The Wind Among the Reeds" with his wife, concertina player Jacqueline McCarthy. In 1996 he toured Europe with Tony McMahon and Seamus Tansey and 1997 performed with larla O Lionaird and The Irish Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra at the Point, Dublin and Carnegie Hall, New York. He has produced three albums on the Maree Music label - founded in1995.

All You Ever Needed to Know About the Irish Uilleann Pipes.
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