www.templebartrad.com

TASCQ (Traders in the area supporting the cultural quarter limited) announced today, Tuesday April 14th 2009, that well known musician and RTÉ Radio 1 broadcaster Mr Kieran Hanrahan has been appointed to the position of programmer at the Temple Bar Trad Festival.
Kieran Harahan brings with him an extensive knowledge of Irish Music along with a long track record of programming experience. From Ennis in Co Clare he is best known as a radio presenter and musician. Kieran co-founded the famous Stockton’s Wing in 1977, has toured and recorded as a soloist and also appeared as a guest musician with the Chieftains. He has been associated with a number of traditional bands including Inchiquin, Temple House Ceilí Band and is also producer of the world famous Kilfenora Céilí Band. He has also acted as musical director for the Eigse Mrs. Crotty Festival. Kieran currently hosts Céilí House on RTÉ Radio 1.

Temple bar Trad Fest is delighted to announce the appointment of Kieran Hanrahan to this important position, his extensive experience of Traditional Irish Music will be an invaluable asset to Tradfest, according to Martin Harte, Trad Fest Director.

Each year Temple Bar comes alive a series of festival concerts and a rich line up of musical performances, workshops, high quality street theatre, family events and much more in a celebration of traditional Irish music and culture. The 2009 festival featured such luminaries, as Kevin, Seamus and Paddy Glackin, Solas, Moya Brennan, Paddy Keenan, the Tulla Ceil Band and many other renowned artists.
The Temple Bar TradFest 2010 will run from 27th-31st January. Now in its fifth year the festival will hope to build on its previous success. Having won the coveted title of “Best Traditional Music Festival” in the 2008 Irish Festival Awards the sky is the limit as far as festival organisers are concerned. The 2009 Trad Festival was organised by TASCQ and sponsored by Bushmills and Dublin City Council.

Press information: Sinead O’Doherty / Gerry Lundberg

Gerry Lundberg Public Relations Tel: +353 1 679 8476 / + 353 86 259 1070 glundpr@iol.ie

Renowned fiddler and singer Seamus Creagh passed away on March 15th, 2009

Séamus was born in Killucan, County Westmeath in 1946. His early musical education was an introduction to dance band violin from his neighbour Larry Ward. A brief excursion with a ballad group in Dublin where he played guitar brought him closer to the traditional fold.
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www.battlefieldband.co.uk
As soon as the band returns from the USA after their March tour they’ll be back into the recording studio to start work on a new album. All being well, they’ll be hoping to have a new recording available by the time they head out on the ‘40th Anniversary Milestone Tour in Germany, Switzerland & France’ in January 2010.
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www.2duos.com
Until the Cows come Home is the name of the new CD from a combination of a pair of Scots and German duos, both of which will be well-known to our readers. Fiddle player, Gudrun Walther and guitarist Juergen Treyz from the German band Cara have teamed up with Claire Mann flute) and Aaron Jones (bouzouki and guitar) for this cross-European collaboration.
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www.francismcpeake.com
After some twenty years in existence the recession has hit home hard in Belfast where we hear that the famous McPeake music school is in dire need of funding. Francis McPeake has been actively campaigning to secure some funding from the US, to “network and build partnerships with as many Irish American groups in USA as is possible.” The school needs the sterling equivalent of about $60,000 to survive this year. The school was one of the forerunners of many of the many music schools that now operate in Ireland; it has always been about the music and has always been non-sectarian.
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www.christymoore.com
Christy Moore will release his first studio album in four years on April 17th. The album called Listen will be promoted through a series of live gigs, the brief details of which follow here. Christy has shared a number of sporting memories with to the Irish press over the past, few months. A lover of horse racing (well, he is from Kildare), and a life long passion for Rugby. One track on the new album is called the The Ballad of Ruby Walsh, written in honour of the Champion National Hunt Jockey.
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www.leitrimarts.ie
Leitrim County Council’s first Traditional Music Residency featuring the renowned traditional group Lúnasa came to a close in February 2009 with the launch of a CD recorded with 28 Leitrim musicians and members of Lúnasa. They handed over their position as Musicians in Residence to Dervish, who will work on a similar year and a half project. Dervish will be at Moniaive Folk Festival, Dumfries, Scotland on May 9th and the hugely enjoyable Wimborne Folk Festival in Dorset, England on the 14th of June.

www.myspace.com/ballyopromo
Two of the most well-known musicians on the Irish music circuit, flute player, Kevin Crawford and uilleann piper, Cillian Vallely, announced the release of their new album, On Common Ground. A couple of years of researching tunes in between a heavy schedule of band commitments has directly led to this recording from Lúnasa’s powerhouse melody makers.
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www.daisydiscs.com
Box player, Sharon Shannon was presented with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at this year’s Meteor Ireland Music Awards which were held in Dublin’s RDS on St. Patrick’s Day. Sharon Shannon joins the ranks of The Dubliners, Clannad and The Pogues as a recipient of this award.
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Tuesday 21 April 2009
Visiting from Dundalk,
well-known musicians
GERRY ‘fiddle’ O’CONNOR
and his son DÓNAL O’CONNOR (piano/fiddle )

6p.m. – 8p.m.
(doors open 5.45p.m. )
ADMISSION: €15 ( incl. complimentary finger food !)
Bar open/Tea and coffee available
Booking essential (limited space !): 087-2547574