Video
Comhaltas Video Archive
Irish traditional music is a passionate art form. The energy of dance music and the pathos and humour of traditional singing can be difficult to appreciate unless you have the chance to observe it at close quarters. Short of being there, we think that the ComhaltasLive video programmes give you a great chance to do just that.
We began a project a few years ago to document some of the great performances of traditional music. In association with the Irish International Webcasting Company, the ComhaltasLive project set out to capture some of the current ‘greats’ of traditional music, document some of the promising young stars and also to show music within its historical context by referencing audio and video from the past.
The weekly ComhaltasLive programmes have been well-received, and thousands of people have had a chance to see some of this great music up close and personal. Please take a look at this week’s programme, or browse through excerpts from our past programmes.
Suggest a show
If there’s an event or opportunity coming up that you think we ought to cover, just send us a note and we’ll see what we can do. And if we can’t get there, maybe you’d like to write up the event for our journal, Treoir. Don’t forget to include some photos and, where possible, one or two video clips on DVD which we may be able to upload on to the website.
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- ComhaltasLive #280-2: Flute Trio at Scoil Éigse
- 21 November 2008
- A selection of reels, “The Wrong Roll” composed by Liz Carroll and “Put Me In the Big Chest”. The three concert flute players are Louise Mulcahy (Limerick), Mairéad McManus (Glasgow) and Deirdre Granville (Kerry), joined by Deirdre’s sister Aoife on harp.
The music was recorded at Scoil Éigse 2008 in Tullamore, Co. Offaly.
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- ComhaltasLive #280-1: Darren McGee and Rosie Ferguson
- 20 November 2008
- Three reels played by fiddle players Darren McGee and Rosie Ferguson, with guitar accompaniment by Declan McGee, all from Co. Down. The first reel (in the key of C), is associated with Larry Redigan and Andy McGann, the second (in F) is “The Humours of Westport”, and the third is “Roaring Mary.”
The music was recorded at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2008, held in Tullamore, Co. Offaly in August 2008.
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- ComhaltasLive #279 (Full Programme)
- 19 November 2008
- This week we feature Erin Loughran on fiddle, a duet with Darren Breslin (button accordion) and Laura Beagon (fiddle), and from the Senior Fiddle competition at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2008, the fiddle players Maeve Flanagan, Katie Lawrence, Johnny Canning and Aurora Burd.
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- ComhaltasLive #279-6: Aurora Burd on Fiddle
- 18 November 2008
- “The Maid at the Spinning Wheel” jig played by Aurora Burd from Seattle, WA, USA in the Senior Fiddle competition at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2008 in Tullamore, Co. Offaly.
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- ComhaltasLive #279-5: Johnny Canning at the All-Ireland
- 17 November 2008
- Second place in the 2008 Senior Fiddle competition went to Johnny Canning from Glasgow, Scotland, who played the hornpipe: “Garry Kennedy Castle”. The tune was composed by Paddy O’Brien in the key of ‘F’, though Johnny’s setting here is in ‘G’.
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- ComhaltasLive #279-4: Katie Lawrence playing a slow air
- 16 November 2008
- Katie Lawrence from Isle of Man plays a slow air in the Senior Fiddle competition at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2008 in Tullamore, Co. Offaly. Katie and her sister Kirsty (piano) were members of the Isle of Man Céilí Band, which made its first-ever appearance at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in 2008.
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- ComhaltasLive #279-3: Maeve Flanagan on Fiddle
- 15 November 2008
- “Lord Gordon’s Reel” played by New York fiddle player Maeve Flanagan, who took third place in the Senior Fiddle competition at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2008.
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- ComhaltasLive #279-2: Darren Breslin with Laura Beagon
- 14 November 2008
- Darren Breslin, button accordion player from East London Comhaltas, a native of Co. Fermanagh, teams up with Laura Beagon from Co. Monaghan on fiddle. They play a selection of jigs, commencing with “The Gold Ring” and concluding with a composition of Kieran O’Grady. Darren was the All-Ireland Senior Button Accordion champion for 2008, while Laura won the Senior Fiddle competition in 2007.
The music was recorded at the Bridge Hotel during Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, held August 2008 in Tullamore, Co. Offaly.
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