Masters of Tradition music festival returns Event celebrates 21st anniversary by “getting to the core of the music”

THE annual Masters of Tradition music festival returns this summer, and it is celebrating its 21st anniversary.

A host of iconic Irish musicians are signed up for the event, which takes place from August 23-27 in Bantry, west Cork.

As ever, the festival is headlined by Artistic Director Martin Hayes, the fiddler from East Clare, whose distinctive touch and extravagant virtuosity has brought the tradition to new levels.

“This year’s festival will take us to the core of the music,” Hayes said.

“We will also encounter many emerging ideas within the tradition, new ways of reimagining the past and also ways in which this music can relate with other music forms.”

For 2023, Hayes will be joined by a number of high profile traditional musicians, inclduing Sam Amidon, Luka Bloom, Ultan O’Brien and Laura Snowden.

Crash Ensemble, Steve Cooney, Brian Donnellan, Conal O’Kane, Scoth and Mick O’Brien will also be there, as will Kate Ellis, Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, Scoth, Ciara Ní Bhriain, the Begley Clann, Mick Conneely, David Munnelly and Christine Tobin among others.

The festival opens in the Maritime Hotel on August 23., with performanes by Martin Hayes, Conal O’Kane, Brian Donnellan, Sam Amidon and Kate Ellis.

SUDOKU

The music moves to Bantry House the following evening, where vocal performances range from indie folk to Sean Nós to American Appalachian, featuring Scoth, Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, Ultan O’Brien, Sam Amidon and Kate Ellis.

On August 25, the music comes from two legendary music families – the O Brians and the Begleys.

“Mick O’Brien is one of the most highly regarded pipes in tradition music and will be joined by his daughter Ciara who is a violist and fiddle player.,” Hayes explains.

“Earlier this year the world of traditional music lost the great accordionist and singer Seamus Begley,” he adds, “this powerhouse of music and song, a major carrier of the musical tradition of west Kerry, previously appeared at Masters of Tradition and his family of fine musicians will close the

Crossword

No. 922 concert with a rousing west Kerry celebration of their father’s life and legacy.”

Friday’s late night concert in Bantry House focuses on the ubiquitous but often overlooked guitar in traditional music, with Steve Cooney joined by Luka Bloom and Lisa Snowden.

Cooney then opens Saturday’s Ceolchoirm and Luka Bloom returns to the stage again, this time

Clues Across

1. No foot is frequently written poetically. (3)

3 & 24a. Major infrastructural project between Limerick and Sligo, or an occidental passage in which to complain? (7,4,8)

8. Felt-tipped pen. (6)

9. One who leaves his or her native country. (8)

10. Historic German submarine. (1-4)

11. Group of soldiers found amongst the Metro operators. (5)

13. Does this need to be beaten after the plane crash? (5)

15. One could take hods far from this town in Wicklow. (7)

16. Agile performer. (7)

20. Sign of the Zodiac - The Scales. (5)

21. Retails. (5)

23. Less moist. (5)

24. See 3 across.

25. Terminate a phone call, having such a fixation. (4,2)

26. Soft drink made by a molten tribe. (6-5)

27. Twenty-four hours. (3)

Sudoku requires no calculation or arithmetic skills. It is a game of placing numbers in squares using very simple rules of logic and deduction. It can be played by children and adults. Simply fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. However each number can appear only once on each row, column and 3x3 box. Answer next week.

Clues Down

1. A range of beef in Connacht? (2,9)

2. Disappearing lake. (8)

3. Cereal crop. (5)

4. Raining very heavily. (7)

5. Have a thing about the dark time. (5)

6. This fighting female has her own basin. (6)

7. Ignited. (3)

12. The art of the camera. (11)

13. Danger encountered in the middle of a super illusion. (5)

14. Carly provides some material. (5)

17. Surrounded by military means. (8)

18. Notice, keep an eye on. (7)

19. This wine cartel broke up. (6)

22. Steeple. (5)

23. Pulled with a pencil? (5)

24. Will you find corn on this swan? (3) performing a selection of songs.

“His performances are both powerful and incredibly subtle,” says Hayes.

“He will be followed by a pair of very dynamic musicians David Munnelly and Mick Conneely, a spontaneous duet of fiddle and accordion.” n Masters of Tradition is supported by the Arts Council and Cork County Council. For full programme details and booking, visit: https://www. westcorkmusic.ie/masters-oftradition/

Saturday’s late night concert takes the audience into the improvised space between Jazz and traditional music.

This programme is uniquely driven by the musical imagination of jazz singer Christine Tobin. She will be performing songs with an ensemble of jazz and traditional musician including fiddler Cora Venus Lunny, pianist Steve Hamilton, uilleann piper David Power and guitarist Phil Robson. The Festival closes with a performance from Hayes and a series of guests from the 2023 programme.

Throughout the week, there will also be talks and secret concerts on Whiddy Island, Future Forests, Marino Church, and St Brendan’s School Hall.

No. 1045

Last week’s answers:

Clues Across

1. Rough grazing 7. Arc 9. Bean

10. Living 11. Hero 14. Dress 15. Larch

16. Asps 18. Amass 21. Nodes 22. Piano

23. Tango 24. Otto 25. Cavan 26. Ashen

29. Like 33. Bleach 34. Away 36. Gin

37. Thunderstorm

Clues Down

1. Rue 2. Urns 3. Hill 4. Raver 5. Zones

6. Gaze 8. Cross-country 9. Ballincollig

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Dublin among top ten European cities to visit – according to TikTok

DUBLIN has been ranked as one of the top ten European cities to visit according to the social media app TikTok.

With over one billion active users, TikTok, which is dedicated to short videos created and published by its users, has established itself as one of the leading go-to sources of entertaining digital content for people all over the world.

And certain European cities have managed to stand out on the app - becoming must-visit destinations for content creators and travel lovers alike.

Holidu, the holiday rental portal, has collated those figures and this week revealed the most popular European cities on TikTok.

The Spanish city of Barcelona came top in the ranking, followed by Paris in France, and Manchester in the UK.

Fourth place went to Lyon in France, followed by Stuttgart in Germany, Porto in Portugal and Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Ninth place went to Ireland’s capital city, Dublin which was followed by Bordeaux in France.