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Ceol Le Clapsolas, Courtyard Session with Jason McGuinness and Tadhg Mulligan

Friday, September 18, 2020

Continuing the Two Chairs series from 2019, which saw musicians like Zoë Conway and Donal Lunny, Padraic Rynne and Tara Breen, and Dave Sheridan and Padraig McGovern perform within the gallery, we are delighted to present multi-instrumentalists Tadhg Mulligan and Jason McGuinness (who were due to perform this St Patrick’s Day) in this rescheduled event. They will perform in what we hope will be a balmy autumn evening, in the courtyard, where you can pass by and enjoy the sounds of their music.

 

Tadhg Mulligan hails from Dundalk, County Louth. The Mulligan dynasty originally from Leitrim have a rich musical heritage of playing Irish music which dates back for at least five generations and this is indeed evident in Tadhg’s playing today. Tadhg’s uncle Tom is the owner of The Cobblestone Pub which is home to fabulous Irish traditional music in Dublin. Tadhg originally started playing the tin-whistle at the age of seven during the annual Joe Mooney Summer School in Drumshanbo Co. Leitrim.

He then progressed onto the fiddle at the age of ten under the tuition of local Dundalk fiddle player Austin Dawe. His main influences on the fiddle come from Frankie Gavin, Donal McCague, John Carty and Siobhán Peoples. Tadhg then decided to teach himself the Uilleann Pipes after a trip to Manchester in 2010 to see the famous travelling Uilleann Pipers the Doran’s, the Rooney’s, and the Dunne’s. Tadhg is a fond admirer of the playing of Felix & Johnny Doran, Ronan Sweeney, Padraig McGovern, Mick O’Brien and Liam O’Flynn. Tadhg is also self-taught on the bouzouki.

Tadhg’s style of Bouzouki playing has developed through a mixture of influences from Donal Lunny, Alec Finn, Michael McCague and Dave Sheridan. The combination of the Fiddle, Pipes and Bouzouki has encompassed Tadhg’s style to resonate with the great bands of the 1970’s, The Bothy Band, Planxty and De Dannan but with the addition of his own personal stamp on the music.

Tadhg can be seen playing music side by side with his brother Sárán, on concertina, almost every weekend in some part of the country, alongside the Sweeney family from Killeshandra, in Cavan, the McKenna family from Augher in Tyrone and a host of other high calibre musicians including Button Accordion player John McCann from Fermanagh and Jason McGuinness, with whom he will perform with for this special session.

 

Jason McGuinness from Dromore West, Co. Sligo plays Fiddle, Drums, Bodhrán and whistles. The first Sligo fiddler since 1970 to win the Fiddler of Dooney competition in 2016, and current Ed Reevy International Senior Fiddler of the year, he has performed on the Comhaltas tours of Ireland, Britain and Canada in 2011-2012, and has recently finished a tour of Germany and France. Having been introduced to music by his family, he has a research interest in several regional styles and has been particularly influenced by the Sligo and North Connacht music tradition and styles.

He has won many music awards in county, provincial and All-Ireland fleadheanna most recently winning the All-Ireland Slow Airs title, 2nd and 3rd places in the senior Fiddle competition for the past three consecutive years, and won the All-Ireland Senor Drums title in 2015. He is a winner of Siansa Gael Linn with his group ‘Teaspach’, and has performed at many events, on radio and television in Ireland and abroad.

He is a much sought after tutor for fiddle and other instruments and enjoys working with groups including céili band and grúpa ceoil. Jason is a graduate of Maynooth University having completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music, Geography and History, and most recently obtained a Professional Master of Education.

  • Type: Evening Event
  • Time: September 18, 2020 - 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm