Caitlín
In Brief:
Three times winner of the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil on concertina, Caitlín is a regular performer at festivals and in concert halls from North America all the way to Asia. She is also an accomplished dancer and in 2009, joined Riverdance as troupe dancer. She is an award winner in the University College Cork Music Department, where she graduated in 2009 with first class honors, and she returned to UCC in 2011 to complete a Masters degree in Ethnomusicology. Writing tunes since the age of ten, her compositions have been performed in the Cork Opera House and The National Concert Hall, Dublin. 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, Cherish The Ladies, The Kilfenora Ceili Band and for Presidents and Royalty around the world.
In full:
Three times winner of the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil on concertina, Caitlín is a regular performer at festivals and in concert halls from North America to Asia. She was raised in a home full of music and dance in Co.Meath, Ireland. Her father is a fiddle player and her mother is a dancer, and so it was inevitable that Caitlín, the youngest of four, would also learn to play and dance. From a young age, Caitlín excelled in both, winning her first All-Ireland on concertina at the age of 12 and dancing in concert halls on both sides of the Atlantic.
Caitlín learned most of her music from her father Antóin Mac Gabhann, a noted fiddler and fiddle teacher and his playing has greatly influenced her style and rhythm. She started playing the concertina at the age of 8, under the tutelage of Clare concertina teacher, Riona Traynor and later Meabh Ni Lochlainn. She was also greatly influenced by the playing of Micheál Ó Raghallaigh and Catherine McEvoy who lived nearby. Receiving requests for lessons since the age of 14, Caitlín teaches the concertina annually at summer and winter schools in Ireland, Europe and USA and has performed with the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet, Paddy Keenan, Liam Ó MaonlaI, Cherish The Ladies, The Kilfenora Ceili Band and for Presidents and Royalty around the world.
Caitlín is also an accomplished dancer and in 2009, she joined Riverdance. For two years, she toured in Australia, South Africa, China, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, all around Europe and she still dances with the show on occasion today. Her mother Bernie was immersed in the Clare set dancing culture from childhood and she passed a love of this on to her children – Caitlin being her dance partner at ceilís from a young age. Bernie and her brother John Murphy have influenced Caitlín’s dancing greatly, as have Willie Keane, Aidan Vaughan and Tommy Browne.
In 2005, Caitlín’s first band, ‘Cruinniú’ was formed to perform at the L’Orient Interceltique Festival in France and in 2006 they released the popular album, ‘Live in Corofin’. Around this time, Caitlín was invited to join the band ‘Cuisle’, who went on to win the national Gael-Linn Siansa competition for young groups and bands. In 2009, Caitlín and her sister Bernadette formed a trans-Atlantic instrumental band, ‘NicGaviskey’ with Baltimore native Sean McComiskey and Sean Gavin from Detroit. ‘NicGaviskey’ released their debut album, ‘Home Away From Home’ to critical acclaim in 2010 and tour Ireland and America annually. Caitlín also plays regularly with Italian based traditional music band, ‘Birkin Tree’.
In 2009, Caitlín graduated from University College Cork with first class honors. During her studies, she was awarded the ‘Doc Gleeson Award’ and the title of ‘College Scholar’ from the University. She returned to UCC in 2011 to complete a Masters degree in Ethnomusicology. During this course, she directed her focus on composition and choreography. Writing tunes since the age of ten, Caitlín’s compositions have been performed in the Cork Opera House and The National Concert Hall, Dublin and her new album features six of her own tunes.
Her debut solo album, ‘Caitlín’, was released in 2012.
Caoimhín Ó Fearghail
Caoimhín Ó Fearghail was born in 1989 and comes from An Rinn in the Waterford Gaeltacht. He started to learn the tin-whistle at the age of eight, taking lessons from Bobby Gardiner. He quickly progressed to the uilleann pipes, under the tutelage of David Power and later Jimmy O’Brien-Moran, both of whom he regards as some of his strongest influences. Others include Séamus Ennis, Willie Clancy, Tommy Reck and Patsy Touhey.
As a fledgling piper he won three All-Ireland titles under the age of twelve. He has also won awards as a soloist on other instruments.
The influence of Nioclás Tóibín and the other sean-nós singers from his home area are evident in his music, especially in his slow airs. He is also self-taught on flute and guitar, inspired by such diverse flute players as Matt Molloy, Mike Rafferty and Tom Doorley.
In 2006 as part of his school transition year project he released an album entitled Giorraíonn Beirt Bóthar, with Bóthar na Sop, a group of local musicians and singers. It features guest appearances from well-known local artists – Liam Clancy, Áine Uí Cheallaigh, Donnchadh Gough and Ciarán Ó Gealbháin. Caoimhín performs a solo track on this CD and the group has toured Newfoundland on two occasions.
He has performed with the well known group Danú playing various instruments. He’s also featured regularly over the past three years in the Booley House show based in Ballyduff, Co. Waterford.
He teaches music locally and has given piping workshops most notably in 2011 at the Skerries Traditional music weekend. In the past he has attended the annual piping Tionól run by Na Píobairí Uilleann.
He is at present studying for an MA in Irish at Cork University and can be heard frequently in session in that city.
