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Performers: Zoë Conway and John Mc Intyre
With an exciting blend of eclectic fiddle and guitar music, Zoë Conway and John Mc Intyre bring to the stage sympathetic arrangements of traditional Irish music, compositions and songs, old and new. The husband and wife folk duo possess a rare facility to draw pieces into their repertoire from other genres such as classical, jazz and world music and express this material in waywhich not only displays the sheer range and knowledge of both instrumentalists but also exhibits the wonderful versatility of their instruments.
They have released two recordings to date - one is a superb collection of live European performances, Live in Concert, released in spring 2017. The album showcases their mesmerising musical interaction on stage, and also reveals some of their more virtuosic repertoire outside of the Irish traditional genre.
Relaxed and atmospheric, the respect and understanding that they have of traditional Irish music and song also shines through. Their debut duo album, entitled Go Mairir I Bhfad (Long Life To You), received a glorious five stars from national newspaper, The Irish Times. For this unique album, they commissioned twelve leading Irish composers to each compose a piece specifically for Zoë and John, for fiddle and guitar, with the aim of collectively presenting a snapshot of traditional Irish music alive today.
The renowned composers who took part in the project were Liz Carroll, Steve Cooney, Frankie Gavin, Andy Irvine, Charlie Lennon, Donal Lunny, Máirtín O’Connor, Peadar Ó Riada, Mícheál Ó Súilleabhán, Tommy Peoples, Niall Vallely and Bill Whelan. The release of these albums has brought international attention to the duo, and so they are increasingly in demand in Ireland and abroad for performances, talks and workshops.
Admission is free and all are welcome.