Local musicians set to join traditional artists in Venue

Four of Ireland’s top traditional artists will be performing in The Venue, Ratoath, as part of the Irish Traditional Music Archive’s annual 'Drawing from the Well' concert tour on Sunday 29th September next. Singer Iarla Ó Lionáird, dancer Stephanie Keane, accordion player Derek Hickey and fiddle player Aoife Ní Bhriain will be joined by special guests, local performers, Bernadette (fiddle) and Caitlín (concertina, dance) Nic Gabhann for the Ratoath concert, one of six stops on the nationwide tour.

Iarla Ó Lionáird has carved a unique career in music both internationally and in Ireland. He’s a child of traditional music, born and bred in Cúil Aodha, with Seán Ó Riada a neighbour and indisputable early influence. His great aunt, the traditional singer Elizabeth Cronin, had forged a reputation for rich interpretation before him. A twice Grammy nominated artist, Ó Lionáird has has performed and recorded with such luminaries as Peter Gabriel, Nick Cave, Robert Plant and Sinead O'Connor. His unique singing style has carried him to stages and concert halls all over the world, from New York's Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House and beyond. His voice has graced the silver screen also, with film credits extending from 'The Gangs of New York' to 'Hotel Rwanda' and most recently as featured singer in the film 'Brooklyn', starring Saoirse Ronan. He is the vocalist with the critically acclaimed Irish /American band, The Gloaming.

Stephanie Keane is an Irish dance artist, performer and choreographer from Limerick. Her style is influenced by her formative dancing years as a competitive Irish step dancer at world championship level, and her immersion in the tradition of sean-nós dancing as an adult. Through learning tunes in her feet and by pushing the boundaries of her own dance experience, she has developed her own unique style of Irish dance and is a well-established Irish dance artist. She connects with the music, dancing the tune with her feet, and naturally understands the musician's interpretation of the tune. Her style is free flowing, energetic and wild.

Derek Hickey is from Adare in County Limerick. Influenced by both of his grandfathers, who played fiddle, Derek began to play music at age 10, beginning lessons with Dónal de Barra when he was 12. Three years later, he joined the Shannonside Céilí Band, touring extensively in England and throughout Europe. In 1991 Frankie Gavin asked Derek to join him for regular sessions in his then leased hotel in Kinvara, Co. Galway. The following year, Derek joined Arcady, Johnny ‘Ringo’ McDonagh’s band, performing alongside Frances Black, Brendan Larrisey and Patsy Broderick. In 1995 he joined De Dannan, recording two albums and touring until they disbanded in 2003. Earlier this year, Derek was awarded prestigious TG4 Gradam Ceoil Musician of the Year award.

Fiddle player Aoife Ní Bhriain combines the richness of a family heritage of traditional music and a lifetime of classical music training. Born in Dublin she began studying the violin at an early age winning numerous national and international competitions for both classical and traditional Irish music. Her unique musical pedigree has led her to experiment, collaborate and perform across many musical genres with artists such as pianist Eliso Virsaladze, fiddle player Martin Hayes, jazz guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel, actor Tim Robbins, and the avant garde string quintet Wooden Elephant. With her father uilleann piper Mick O’ Brien and flute player Emer Mayock she has recorded two albums of tunes sourced from the Canon Goodman Collection.

Founded in 1987, the Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA) is home to the largest, most comprehensive collection of Irish traditional music, song, and dance in the world. ITMA digitises, preserves and offers free universal access to valuable recordings, photographs, manuscripts, and other archived materials that would otherwise be lost. In doing this, ITMA also connects contemporary artists with archived materials in order to inspire new art, helping to build the living archive of the future.