THE RE-ENCHANTMENT OF IRELAND

Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin (song) and Helen Davies (harp) in concert with Theo Dorgan

Enchantment embodies magic, music, beauty, sound and song. Three leading artists weave a unique and powerful concert of contemporary and traditional works, invoking monastic and mythological Ireland, to charm and enchant our modern world.

‘Not to be missed’ Arts Review

‘An entrancing performance’ Irish Times

Friday 23 July at 8.00pm

Tickets 15 euro (Concessions 10 euro)
Place: Carlingford Heritage Centre, Co Louth. 0429373454
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Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin is a professional musician, author and writer of songs. An accomplished traditional singer, her work in restoring the connection with our ancestors in a contemporary voice is unique and hugely enriching. The recipient of many awards, she is currently preparing her eighth album of song. The concert in Carlingford allows the audience to hear some of these new song compositions of early Irish works, also sung in English from translation by Seamus Heaney and Ciaran Carson. She is Traditional Singer in Residence at the Seamus Heaney Centre in Queen’s University.

Helen Davies, now based in Copenhagen, lived in Ireland for over twenty years. A professional harpist, her main work is in the field of contemporary improvised music with trumpet player/composer Palle Mikkelborg. She is also particularly associated with the work of Irish composer Shaun Davey and piper Liam O’Flynn and has taught both classical and Irish harp at the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin. She has recorded extensively and her award winning solo recordings have been highly acclaimed. Ní Uallacháin and Davies have been performing together since 1997.

Theo Dorgan, poet and broadcaster, has worked on arts programmes on radio and televison and for many years was director of Poetry Ireland. A celebrated presenter and poet, he has worked frequently with various musicians and his work has been set to music and premiered in the Royal Albert Hall in London in 2004. Among his numerous edited works is the highly successful , Great Book of Gaelic 2002. He has published several collections of poetry and is a member of Aosdána. His innovative performance with Ní Uallacháin and Davies has been very warmly received.

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An Chuirt Chruitireachta the International Festival of Irish Harp takes place at An Grianán, Termonfeckin, Co. Louth, from 27^th June to 1 July 2010 and incorporates a full programme of tuition, a series of public evening concerts, a number of outreach events, a Jubilee Symposium and a Keynote Address which will be given by Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Mary Hanafin T.D.

Concert Programme 2010

All concerts and workshops are open to the public.

Admission €15, Concessions €10

While these objectives espoused the provision of expert tuition, the publication of music and the establishment of a festival for the Irish harp, the society’s mission has continued to evolve and it has made a significant contribution to the development of a vibrant dynamic role for the Irish harp in Ireland and abroad.

It’s within this context, and bearing in mind the increased levels of interest in the Irish harp nationally and internationally as well as the growing numbers of harp players, that we believe it is timely to ask where we would like to see the Irish harp positioning itself in the immediate and longer term and how Cairde na Cruite could facilitate any future development.  As part of the programme for An Chúirt Chruitireachta 2010, we propose  hosting  a symposium  ‘The Irish harp – future directions ’  facilitated by Nicholas Carolan, Director of the Irish Traditional Music Archive, on Tuesday June 29 at 2.30 – 5 pm. in An Grianán, Termonfechin, Co Louth.  We hope that this initiative will provide an opportunity for everybody interested in the Irish harp to contribute to a strategy for its future.

We value your opinion and would be delighted if you could join us in An Grianán for this very important discussion.  If you would like to reserve a place at the symposium, you can RSVP your acceptance to info@communique.ie.   (Please respond in any event.) Admission is free.

We have an exciting programme of events planned for our 25th international festival. Please click here to view the attached concert programme for the festival week.

Best wishes,

Aibhlín McCrann

Director

An Chúirt Chruitireachta

Altan celebrating 25 years together in 2010.
Over those years they have established themselves as one of the most important live acts to play traditional Irish music in Ireland and on the World stage. The Boston Globe has described them as “The hottest group in the Celtic realm!” Altan have toured all over the USA and Europe. They also enjoy popularity in Japan where they frequently tour and have hosted Altan festivals in the middle of Tokyo to thousands of enthusiastic fans.
Altan have proven to be important ambassadors of the music and culture of Ireland, so much so that they were invited to accompany the Irish President, Mary McAleese on several State visits, visiting Greece, Korea and Japan. Altan were asked to play at the White House twice by US President Bill Clinton, and played again for him when he visited Ireland. In 2006, the Irish government also honoured the band by putting them on an official Irish postage stamp, one of the highest honours to bestow on any living artist in Ireland (The Chieftains, The Dubliners and Makem and Clancy were also honoured in this set of four stamps). Altan have been invited to play by Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives in 2007, and were granted the celebrated “Arkansas Traveller” award from state governor Mike Huckabee. “Tommy Bhetty’s Waltz” from the Red Crow album was featured in the oscar-winning film Good Will Hunting starring Robin Williams in 1997.

Altan have played their music in some of the most prestigious venues in the world; The Sydney Opera House, The Hollywood Bowl, The Royal Albert Hall, The Alte Opera Frankfurt, The Greek Theatre Los Angeles and many many more. They have played music and recorded with The Chieftains, Dolly Parton Bonnie Raitt, Alison Krauss, Ricky Skaggs to name but a few. In 2003 they won the award for Best Group at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. In 2005, they recorded their latest studio album “Local Ground” and like every other Altan offering it was met with positive and enthusiastic reviews. The band have gained gold and platinum satus in Ireland with their record sales and have won numerous awards in the music business as one of the most popular bands playing traditional folk or world music in the world.

In recent years Altan have been exploring and experimenting with their music using orchestral arrangements of their most popular pieces. The arrangements have been scored by the highly respected arranger, Fiachra Trench and have been performed with the Ulster Orchestra, The RTÉ Concert Orchestra and with the Royal Scottish Opera Orchestra. Altan hope to record an orchestral album soon and they are also in pre-production on another studio album which should be released by the end of 2009.
Altan will perform live at the TLT Concert Hall & Theatre in Drogheda on Saturday May 22nd as part of their 25th anniversary tour.
Altan will be supported by CEOLTÓIRÍ ÓGA LAIGHEAN (Leinster Youth Group)
The present “Ceoltóirí Óga Laighean” group consists of approximately 20 young musicians, singers and dancers who represent a wide range of counties.

They are an enthusiastic group of young people who meet several times throughout the year under the musical directorship of Gary Lynch, whose dedication to the group have resulted in the success of Ceoltóirí Óga Laighean. Gary, originaly from Co. Fermanagh, is a well respected musician in traditional music circles. Currently Gary is lecturing and teaching music in LIT.
The group has performed at numerous events, including the official opening of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2007 in Tullamore where they received a resounding standing ovation.