www.liet-lavlut.eu

The fifth Liet Lavlut pan-European song-contest for minority languages, held in Luleå, Sweden, was won by the Corsican, Jacques Culioli, with his song Hosanna in Excelsis. The jury award, sponsored by the Council of Europe, was presented to the winner by Alexey Kozhemyakov, the Council of Europe official responsible for the Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.
Eleven artists participated, representing minority languages across Europe from Brittany and Wales to Galicia, northern Scandinavia and the Republic of Mordovia (Russia).
“The Council of Europe is proud to support the Liet Lavlut festival because it substantially contributes to the richness of Europe, its culture and its diversity, and we are particularly happy that the universal language of music has proven so attractive to the young”, said Sonia Parayre, a Council of Europe official. Since the event began in 2002, it has developed into a major cultural festival, highlighting Europe’s cultural and linguistic diversity.
Apart from music, the festival also covers literature, film, and arts and crafts, with seminars and meetings about minority languages and regional issues.
For more information visit www.liet-lavlut.eu or visit the website www.coe.int/minlang

www.sandsfamilyfolk.com

The Sands Family were named Best Irish Folk Band at the Newry Gala Music Awards held recently at the Canal Court Hotel, Newry. The very popular musical family came top of the polls from 14 different categories as the votes were counted from the readers of the local Newry Democrat. The awards were a plush affair, with music industry professionals attending the awards supper which raised money for two cancer charities, the Marie Curie Foundation and the Macmillan Nursing Homes.

www.barrytierney.com

Teenage songwriter, Barry Tierney (19) from Kinsale became the first Irishman to win the UK’s Festival4stars’ International Song Writing Competition with Da Rocket Boy. The prestigious panel of judges included Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, who placed Barry in the number one spot in the Folk and Country category.
Barry and his band are available to perform live by calling Tel: 0862895075, or checkout www.barrytierney.com

www.compassrecords.com

This is a special compilation album from Compass Records, put together as part of a fundraiser by John Coyne, father of Compass-signed banjo player, Eamon Coyne (of Salsa Celtica). Profits from the sale of the album will go towards supplying fresh water to people in Northern Malawi - we have a feature on the project in this issue.

www.enya.com

Enya’s new album, And Winter Came, could be ordered on the internet from Amazon three weeks prior to its availability in record shop - a clever ploy to get the customers to pay for distribution. This album contains twelve tracks - ten brand new songs plus a newly recorded choral rendering of Oíche Chiúin (Silent Night) and we are informed a stunning version of the traditional Christmas hymn, O come, O come Emmanuel.

www.musicnetwork.ie

With Slide finishing off a tour in November and the lads from Fidil signed up for the next roster of Young Music Wide events, there could be a small lull in the trad elements of these government sponsored touring programmes were it not for Paudie O’Connor and John O’Brien, who will play the Teach Siamsa na Carraige, Dingle, Co Kerry on December 10th. The Duo will travel to the Seamus Ennis Centre for the Dublin launch of their new album Wind and Reed on December 13th.

www.danu.net

Irish-based fans can catch the lads live in Dungarvan in February before they head out on a St. Patrick’s month long tour of the USA. Danú have announced a special concert as part of a great concert series in Donnchadh Gough’s Pub in Dungarvan. The pub is called The Local and is situated in the heart of the old Town in Co. Waterford. The concert will take place on Tuesday, 10th February 2009.

www.irishwriters-online.com/brendangraham.html

Irish Song writer becomes a ‘Million-Air’
Founder member of The Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO), Brendan Graham has now officially been included in an exclusive club with the world’s top songwriters.
Brendan Graham is no one hit wonder. He penned Ireland’s two last Eurovision winners Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids (1994) and The Voice (1996). His more folksy material such as Crucán na bPáiste, and Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears, has been recorded by a broad array of artistes from Sean Keane to New York Metropolitan Opera star, Young Ok Shin. Perhaps his best-known song You Raise Me Up, (a co-write with Secret Garden’s Rolf Lovland) has been performed at both the Winter and Summer Olympics, The Superbowl, the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, the opening of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the White House and also the state funeral of George Best.
So popular is the song that it has entered popular culture and become a ‘Million-Air’ on US Radio stations. Only 3,900 (0.06%) songs of the 6.5 million works which BMI represent, have ever been awarded Million-Air certificates.
To be included in this exclusive roster a song must have been broadcast over one million times on American radio. This definition equals at least 50,000 broadcast hours, or more than 5.7 years of continuous airplay. Well done to the Mayo-based song-maker.

Cork City on Tuesday November 11th
www.edelsullivan.com

Doors Open at 8.30pm/Tickets on door – 10/8 euro
Wheelchair Accessible/Contact: 087 2344669

Edel Sullivan (fiddle) with
Donncha Moynihan (guitar)
Brian Hanlon (bodhran) + Aideen Curtin (flute)

A rare solo performance by the musician whose debut solo album,
“In The Time Of” (2006) was described as:
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November 6th – 10th, 2008
www.ennistradfestival.com

The 15th annual Ennis Trad Festival gets underway on the 6th of November and promises to deliver a highly enjoyable weekend’s music in its ever innovative and always exciting way..

This year’s event takes place between the 6th to 10th November in almost every venue in the town of Ennis. It is a non-stop intensive programme of free day and night sessions along with a varied and comprehensive menu of afternoon, evening and night-time concerts, recitals, singing sessions, workshops, presentations, CD launches and of course the ever popular highly enjoyable Trad disco.

The festival will be launched on Thursday 6th November at 6.30pm in Glor Music Centre with an informal session and reception copled with an art exhibition of new tunes composed by well known musicians inspired by art works and vice versa! The Turloughmore Ceili Band will release their latest CD “The Green Road” with special guest Sean O Se, also in Glor, on the same evening . Sessions will take place in 10 venues on a pub trail with every style exposed. The headline festival concert later on the 6th will feature Dundalk fiddler Gerry O’Connor, Donal O Connor, Martin Quinn and Gilles le Bigot. And all that is just the first evening of this mammoth festival. Stamina has long been a requirement for this much loved weekend.
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