The New year gets off to a flying start for music lovers on TG4 with a new performance driven music series bringing the best of music from Donegal and the surrounding areas to our screens.
Kicking off on Sunday January the 8th 2023, over seven weeks, Féile Ealaíne na hEaragaile on TG4 combines highlights of seven concerts recorded in front of lives audiences in An Grianán Theatre in Letterkenny, with specially curated intimate performances recorded in various locations around Donegal county in the Summer of 2022.
Féile Ealaíne na hEaragaile is presented by two new faces on TG4 – renowned young Donegal singer and musician Cathal Ó Curráin, along with the well-known singer Sibéal Ní Chasaide from Ráth Chairn in County Meath, best known for her incredible rendition of Mise Éire in the Centenary celebration.
Féile an Earagail 2022 Láitheroirí – Cathal Ó Curráin & Sibéal Ní Chasaide
Donegal women are very much to the fore in the first programme from Féile Ealaíne na hEaragaile with The Sí Fiddlers taking centre stage at An Grianán. The all-female collective came together originally for a performance at the Earagail Arts Festival and they are still going strong, with well-known faces, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Bríd Harper, Tara Conaghan and others from all around the county bringing the best of their own regions to this powerful line-up. Also appearing in the first programme of the series is performer and composer Belfast man Neil Martin, a regular visitor to Donegal, on cello, whistle and pipes along with Séamus Maguire. Presenter Cathal Ó Curráin takes the opportunity to showcase his talent along with former teacher and mentor Manus Lunny and young harpist Lauren Ní Néill of Glenullin in Derry is the first of the young musicians featured in the series.
The series continues each Sunday on TG4 bringing some really special performances from a fine array of musicians and singers.
Clár 2 – Féile Ealaíne an Earagail 2022 – Aniar – Ye Vagabonds 1
On January 15th programme 2 is headlined by the highly regarded Ye Vagabonds, and features performances from their Folk Music Award 2022 award winning album Nine Waves. Also featured in the second programme are Paula and Melanie Houton accompanied by Steve Cooney, John McCann from Fermanagh and Molly Walls from Toombridge in Antrim accompanied by Jack Warnock from Maghera in Co. Derry. The young musician is singer Caitríona Ní Ghribín from Gaoth Dobhair in Donegal.
The ever-popular band Goitse, that formed during their years studying music in Limerick headline programme 3 which goes out January 22nd. Also featured are the incredible duo on fiddle and keyboard Fergal Scahill and Ryan Molloy. One of Anagaire’s favourite sons, the well-known chef and sean-nós singer Brian Danny Minne Ó Domhnaill sings some lesser-known songs, and also gives a rare performance on flute. Fiddle player Sinéad McKenna from Augher in Co. Tyrone is the young musician this week.
Diane Cannon from Meenlaragh in Donegal is featured in programme 4 along with her musical colleagues Manus Lunny and Theresa Kavanagh. Diane’s unique and versatile voice is comfortable in a variety of genres and in this programme she sings a choice her of favourite songs, old and new. Also featured in this programme, to be broadcast on January 29th are a well-known duo on fiddle and flute, Dónal O’Connor from Dundalk and Harry Bradley from Belfast. Siblings Paul Harrigan and Róisín McGrory from Inish Owen join us from Ionad Cois Locha on pipes and fiddle and the young musician is Mary Josephine Ward who sings a song from the traveller tradition, A Tinkers Lullaby.
Clár 7 – Féile Ealaíne an Earagail 2022 – Aniar – The Henry Girls
After a break of one week, the series continues from Sunday February the 12th, featuring Honeyfeet, Clann Mhic Ruairí and the Henry Girls from the Grianán Theatre in Letterkenny along with Steve Cooney, Maggie Carty and Máirtín Staunton, Jack Warnock, Niall Hanna with Stephen Loughran and Rachel McGarrity, Cathal and Stephen Hayden with Seamaí O’Dowd, Tara Connaghan, Méabh O’Donnell, Oisín Duffy and, in the last programme, Sibéal Ní Chasaide delights with 3 of her favourite songs.
The music series ‘Féile Ealaíne na hEaragaile’ is produced by Aniar for TG4.
Earagail Arts Festival receives the support of Donegal County Council, Fáilte Ireland and the Arts Council. Paul Brown is the Director of Earagail Arts Festival.
