Conor Connolly

Button Accordion

Conor Connolly is a button accordion, piano player and singer from Clarinbridge, Co. Galway. He started playing the tin whistle aged eight and moved onto the accordion aged twelve, with lessons from Mary Murray in Athenry and at the Anne Conroy Burke and Joe Burke school of music in Kilnadeema, near Loughrea.

In his late teens, Conor heard the music of Joe Cooley for the first time as well as other players Tony MacMahon, Fiachna Ó Mongáin and Eoin O’Neill which spurred him to change from the conventional B/C style of playing to the C#/D system. Conor was recipient of the TG4 Ceoltóir Óg na Bliana (Young Musician of the Year) Award in 2019. He has taught workshops and performed internationally, including with fellow TG4 Young Musician of the Year recipient, Sorcha Costello and guitar accompanist Pádraig Ó Dubhghaill.

On Friday evening he will be playing a concert with Tony Linane, and Éamonn O’Riordan, and on Saturday he will give an accordion workshop.