Le Chéile was formed in the early 1970s by musicians who played regularly in the famous sessions at The White Hart, on Fulham Broadway. The 1960s and ‘70s were golden years for traditional Irish music in London, when musicians played to packed houses and sparked the revival which went on to spread back home and around the globe.
Afternoon Concert – Danny Meehan and Le Chéile / Caitlín Nic Gabhann and Ciarán Ó Maonaigh – 2pm ¤ London Irish Centre ¤ £10
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Album Launch – 5pm – London Irish Centre – Free
Le Chéile was the cult Irish band of 1970s London, producing some of the most memorable recordings of the time. The 1970s album, Lord Mayo, was reissued on CD in 2006. To coincide with that release, the surviving original band members – master fiddlerDanny Meehan, Liam Farrell (banjo), John Roe (piano) and Kevin Boyle (guitar) – reformed alongside new recruits, flautist Paul Gallagher and accordionist Andy Martyn.
Now they’re back, adding powerful momentum to the revivalist movement within Irish music today with their exciting new big band mix of back to basics traditional Irish music from Donegal and Galway. Their long awaited third album, Out of the West, is now available.
Highly regarded musicians in their own right, Caitlín Nic Gabhann and Ciarán Ó Maonaigh have joined forces to create an exciting duo. A three times All-Ireland winner on concertina, Caitlín is a regular performer at festivals and in concert halls from North America all the way to Asia. Her compositions have been performed in the Cork Opera House and The National Concert Hall, Dublin and recorded in Ireland and abroad. She teaches concertina annually at summer and winter schools in Ireland, Europe and USA and has performed with the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet, Paddy Keenan, Liam Ó Maonlaí and for Presidents and Royalty around the world.
She is also an accomplished dancer and has toured the world with Riverdance. Her debut solo CD, Caitlín was voted the 2012 ‘CD of the Year’ by tradconnect.com and ‘top Irish traditional album of 2012′ by The Wall Street Journal.
A former recipient of the TG4 Young Musician of the Year award, fiddle player Ciarán Ó Maonaigh hails from the Gaoth Dobhair gaeltacht in Co. Donegal. His playing is influenced by his grandfather and teacher Francie Mooney, Altan members Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and Frankie Kennedy, Derry fiddle player Dermot McLaughlin and the Donegal fiddle legend, John Doherty.
His first album, Ceol a’Ghleanna (The Music of the Glen) was released in 2004. Fidil, released in June 2008, was described by Irish Music Magazine as “One of the most challanging and beautifully austere albums of the last fifty years”. 3 was released in 2009 and was awarded a 5 star review and made CD of the week in The Irish Times. He released his fourth album, The Old Wheel of Fortune, in 2011.