Description
Date and time
Monday 28th October 2024, 14:00
Description
Featuring the following artists:
- Eleanor Shanley and John McCartin
- London Irish Pensioner’s Choir
- Laoise Kelly and Josephine Marsh
Vocalist Eleanor Shanley started her musical career as a vocalist with De Dannan, and has gone on to release a number of solo albums, each presenting her unique interpretation of traditional Irish songs. Her long and rich international career has seen her perform and collaborate with Dubliners legend, Ronnie Drew (with whom she recorded two albums), Mike Hanrahan, U2, Sharon Shannon and Donal Lunny. Across her collective projects, Eleanor Shanley has truly spread her wings and enjoyed mixing up the sounds within the folk and traditional music genres and on her most recent album, ‘Cancion De Amor’, with John Feeley we also get to enjoy some beautiful classical arrangements.
John McCartin began to play the fiddle under the direction of Frank Kelly and later, Maureen Fahy, winning many county and provincial titles as a child. Inspired by bands like Planxty, Dervish and Lunasa John turned his attention to accompaniment in his adult life. Since then he has become a regular accompanist to many of the traditions greatest exponents. His contribution to the collaboration albums, ‘Carlos Sweeney McCartin’ (2019) and ‘The One After It’ (2024) has been widely acclaimed in Ireland and beyond.
Laoise Kelly from Westport, Co. Mayo, now living on Achill Island, has pioneered a new style of driving instrumental harping showcased in her three critically acclaimed solo albums Just Harp, Ceis and Fáilte Uí Cheallaigh.
Laoise was a founding member of traditional group Bumblebees with whom she recorded two albums and toured extensively. She is a founding member of Fiddletree a group from America, Cape Breton and Scotland who play 8 instruments made from the same tree-they have two albums to date. Her latest album release is Ar Lorg na Laochra with Monaghan Uilleann piper Tiarnán Ó Duinnchinn.
Throughout her solo career she has recorded on over 70 albums with many of Ireland’s foremost artists including Séamus Heaney, The Chieftains, Christy Moore, Sharon Shannon, Dónal Lunny, Tommy Makem, Matt Molloy, Tommy Peoples, Mary Black, Maighread and Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill, as well as Kate Bush and American country/bluegrass icon Tim O’Brien.
Laoise composed new music in 2018 for Theatre Gu Leòr’s Scotties, a co-commission of the National Theatre of Scotland and The Abbey, Dublin. She was Musical Director on Brendan Beehan’s The Hostage and Seán O’Casey’s Purple Dust with Glasgow theatre company Arches at the Edinburgh Festival. She toured with NY based Mabou Mines award winning production of Peter & Wendy to the Edinburgh Festival and the Old Vic, off Broadway.
She has toured and performed worldwide, at festivals including Womad, Celtic Connections, Celtic Colours, Tonder, Dranouter, Lorient, Milwaukee, Armagh Piping Festival, and at harp festivals throughout Europe and South America.
In 2020 Laoise was awarded Musician of the year, TG4’s Gradam Ceoil Ceoltóir na bliana
Josephine Marsh is an accordion player/multi-instrumentalist and award-winning composer. Josephine comes from a musical east Clare/Co Meath family and began to play the accordion at the age of seven and cites her father Paddy as her earliest musical influence. From a very young age she began to perform on radio and television and recorded her first album with Cyril O’ Donoghue at the age of twenty. Since then she has gone on to record three more albums: ‘Josephine Marsh’, ‘I Can Hear You Smiling’, with her band (The Josephine Marsh Band) and her latest release in 2018 – ‘Music in the Frame’.
In 2020 Josephine was honoured with the prestigious Gradam Ceoil Award for composer of the year.
Josephine and Laoise Kelly collaborated with Clare fiddler, Tara Breen and Cork singer and musician, Nell Ní Chróinín in the Music Network Ireland’s 2019 tour of Ireland and London.
The London Irish Pensioners Choir brings together more than 30 older Irish people, most in their 70s and 80s. They come from all over Ireland and have made their homes here in London over many decades. The choir was founded over 10 years ago. Although an independent group, it has been supported by the Irish Elderly Advice Network throughout this time.
The choir has performed for audiences of tens of thousands including at London’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Trafalgar Square for several years, and as part of the Irish community choir in the Royal Albert Hall in honour of President Michael D Higgin’s state visit to Britain in 2014. They have sung on UK television, including for Sir Terry Wogan on ITV and on the BBC’s The One Show. They have performed on RTĖ Radio and Television, and are regularly played by Donncha Ó Dúlaing on the very popular Fáilte Isteach (10 pm on Saturday evenings on RTÉ Radio 1.)
The choir has recorded a beautiful album of old Irish songs, Songs of Love and Emigration, which has been very popular with the Irish community, both in London and in Ireland.
Please note that all advertised concert times are door opening times. Performances will commence 30 minutes after doors open.