8pm Triskel Christchurch: Gala Concert ‘Tuning the Radio’, 100 Years of Traditional Music on Irish Radio curated by Peter Browne.
The Four Star Trio: Johnny McCarthy, Con ‘Fada’ Ó Drisceoil & Pat ‘Herring’Ahern, Jack Talty, Majella Cullagh, Peadar Ó Riada, Máire Ní Chéileachair, Matt Cranitch, Jackie Daly, Macdara Ó Faoláin, Muireann Ní Shé, Tove Byers and Lily Munday €25 Concessions €23
The concert traces the history of traditional music on the airwaves from the launch of 2RN, the forerunner of RTÉ, on January 1st, 1926, to the present day. It will cover such aspects as the céilí band era and the differing representations of the song tradition. The establishment of the Mobile Recording Unit in 1947 under Séamus Ennis, which introduced national audiences to musicians and singers such as Denis Murphy of Sliabh Luachra, Elizabeth Cronin of Cúil Aodha and Mrs Crotty of Kilrush, will also feature. The pioneering contributions of Ciarán Mac Mathúna and Seán Ó Riada will be marked, as will the emergence of bands such as The Bothy Band and Planxty in the
1970s and the myriads of young musicians in more recent times.
Peter Browne is a well-known uilleann piper and broadcaster. Peter learned from three of the great pipers of modern times; Séamus Ennis, Leo Rowsome and Willie Clancy. In the early 1970s he spent two periods playing on both pipes and flute with The Bothy Band. His work as a session musician included contributing to recordings by Paul Brady, The Chieftains, The Dubliners, Scullion and Cór Chúil Aodha. He worked for over 40 years in RTÉ Radio One with a special interest in traditional music and his weekly programme The Rolling Wave and The Long Note.
Peadar Ó Riada was born in 1954 in Cúil Aodha and is the eldest son of the renowned Irish composer Seán Ó Riada. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music from University College Cork in 1976. Following his father’s death in 1971, Peadar took over as director of Cór Cúil Aodha, continuing to compose both liturgical and secular works, and has since developed a significant body of music for male and female choirs in the Irish traditional idiom.
Jackie Daly, born June 22, 1945, in Kanturk, he is a renowned accordion player, widely regarded as one of the finest exponents of the Sliabh Luachra musical tradition. Jackie began playing music at age seven and in 1974, he won the All-Ireland Accordion Competition in Listowel. His 1977 album with Séamus Creagh is considered a seminal recording of Sliabh Luachra music.
Matt Cranitch who is a traditional fiddle-player and teacher. He has made various albums, including those with Na Filí, Any Old Time and Sliabh Notes, in addition to Éistigh Seal which consists entirely of slow airs. In 2025 Matt won the Gradam Ceoil TG4 ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’.
Máire Ní Chéileachair from Cill na Martra in the Múscraí Gaeltacht an area renowned for the strength and richness of its traditions in Irish song and music. In 2018, Máire won both Corn Uí Riada for sean nós singing, as well as the TG4 Gradam Ceoil award for Best Traditional Singer.
The Four Star Trio is a Cork based traditional group known for its unique blend of instruments and musical style. The group consists of Con ‘Fada’ Ó Drisceoil, accordion/song; Johnny McCarthy fiddle/flute and Pat ‘Herring’ Ahern, guitar. Their music is deeply rooted in the musical traditions of Cork and Kerry. They have released two albums The Square Triangle and Magnetic South.
Jack Talty is a multi-award winning traditional musician, concertina player, composer and educator from Co. Clare. Jack is the founder and artistic director of Raelach Records, a label that focuses on traditional and folk music. He established UCC’s first MA in Irish Traditional Music in 2024 and has been involved in the National Campaign for the Arts.
Majella Cullagh is one of Ireland’s foremost international opera singers. Her repertoire spans baroque to bel canto and has performed in Barcelona, Covent Garden, Naples and Cork. She joined the vocal faculty of the MTU Cork School of Music in 2020 and has adjudicated at competitions and conservatoires in the UK and Ireland.
Macdara Ó Faoláin is a multi-instrumentalist and instrument maker from An Rinn, Co. Waterford. His recent works include a solo EP entitled Do Shamhlaigh Mé Tír Nua and album Ar Thaobh Chill an Fhuarthainn. In 2024 he received the TG4 Gradam Ceoil Young Musician of the year award, and he has recently completed a degree in the Cork School of Music.
Muireann Ní Shé is a talented uilleann piper and singer from Co. Cork, known for her unique blend of contemporary and traditional influences. Her debut album, Éistigh Liomsa Sealad, released in 2023, showcases her mastery of the uilleann pipes and features collaborations with artists like Aoife Blake and Macdarra Ó Faoláin.
Tove Byers is an uilleann piper from Newport Co. Tipperary. She is an accomplished musician and has won several prizes at various Fleadh Ceoils over the years.
Lily Munday a talented fiddle player who studied under Johnny McCarthy at the Cork School of music.
This concert is Grant Aided by EU Presidency Culture Programme
