There has been great and widespread interest in the three-day Seán Corcoran Series which celebrates the life and work of the Louth musician, presented by his daughter Rósa Corcoran, Louth County Council, and Creative Ireland.
Featuring Radie Peat (Lankum), John Banville, Máiread Ní Mhaoinaigh (Altan), Andy Irvine, Dónal Lunny, Rachel Joynt, Kevin Conneff (The Chieftans) and many other artistes, the series takes place in Drogheda over the weekend of Friday 8th – Sunday 10th September.
Traditional music and song were Seán’s life, and his career ranged across performance, broadcasting, film making, academia and field work. His songs will forever be associated with his name and that of Louth; he brought the songs and music of the county to a wide audience in this country and beyond.
The Seán Corcoran Series will bring together, for the first time, all the elements that informed Seán’s life and work. Renowned musicians and singers who counted him as a friend and collaborator will attest to his legacy.
The live series of multi-disciplinary events will feature over 25 musicians, singers, writers, dancers, actors, artists, historians, and makers celebrating the work of Seán, across five venues.
There are some incredibly special events that are not to be missed:
Radie Peat of Dublin quartet Lankum, who were recently shortlisted for the Mercury Prize for album of the year, will join one of the strongest line-ups ever staged in Drogheda on Saturday 9th September in St Peter’s Church of Ireland as part of ‘Guth na nDaoine’, a headline event of The Seán Corcoran Series.
‘Guth na nDaoine’ – a celebration of the life and work of Louth singer Seán Corcoran, will take place in a venue described by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt as having some of the best acoustics in the world.
New additions to this night of song, dance, and readings, include BAFTA nominated Irish actor Helen Behan (above) from Laytown, who most recently starred opposite Aiden Gillen in Irish film noir Barber, which premiered at Dublin International Film Festival earlier this year, and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh of Altan who brought the house down at the National Concert Hall last Friday, with a sell-out performance accompanied by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.
Piper and singer Muireann Ní Shé whose debut album launches in September, will also feature on the night to perform the mesmerising spectacle of singing while playing the Uilleann Pipes.
This illustrious bill for ‘Guth na nDaoine’ will also include the writer John Banville and composer and musician Neil Martin‘s whose ‘Sweeney, a Song Cycle’, based on Seamus Heaney’s Sweeney Astray won raves reviews following its first staging recently. And Sean-nós dancer Róisín Ní Mhainín from Connemara will also take to the stage with her three daughters Bláithín, Nell, and Fia.
Concert goers will have the opportunity to view Drogheda artist Vivienne Byrne‘s magical sculpture ‘Light Boat at High Tide’. Created in partnership with Upstate Theatre Project with the assistance of lighting designer and technician John McGovern, it will be staged in the grounds of St Peter’s Church of Ireland.
Guth na nDaoine is selling fast and spaces are limited in St Peter’s Church of Ireland so early booking to avoid disappointment is advised.
Elsewhere over the weekend:
Flute player Harry Bradley and fiddler Edel McWeeney will play what’s bound to be a mighty session in Sarsfield’s Bar on Friday 8th September from 8pm, and Oriel’s finest, fiddler Gerry O’Connor and accordion player Martin Quinn will fill Clarke’s Bar with the finest traditional music on the island on Saturday 9th Sept from 2pm.
Andy Irvine & Dónal Lunny have sold out at the Droichead Arts Centre on the Friday 8th September.
Frank Tate and Dónal Lunny’s Irish Bouzouki and Stringed Instrument Workshop on Saturday 9th September is sold out for participants. There’s a handful of workshop observer tickets left for this event.
Places for the bi-lingual traditional music and sean-nós dance workshops in partnership with Scoil Aonghusa Drogheda, taking place Saturday 9th September, are also filling up.
At the Series’ Bread & Roses Community Fair in the grounds of St Peter’s Church of Ireland, Drogheda, between 10am – 3pm on Saturday 9th September, there’s a packed programme of events with something for everyone:
Restaurateur and fiddle player Brian Montague of Dublin’s Winding Stair Group has partnered with the Seán Corcoran Series to deliver a gourmet barbecue, and coffee and a delicious selection of legacy cakes and buns using Séan’s mother Moira’s original recipes will also be available on the day.
Na Piobairí Uilleann led by piper Muireann Ní Shé will host a free Try the Pipes event with pipers Cormac Cannon and Brendan McCreanor.
Another new addition to the weekend’s programme is Kevin Conneff of The Chieftains, who will host a taster workshop on the bodhrán.
There’ll be pop-up talks, traditional music and song and a sean nós dance performance.
On Sunday 10th September at 11am the Old-Skool Double Decker bus tour will depart Drogheda’s Fiddle Case Pier with artist Rachel Joynt and Community historian Brendan Matthews. This event is almost sold-out and guests on the trip include musician Libby McCrohan on a stunning Greek bouzouki, and Seán’s lifelong friend, the singer Gerry Cullen.
All artists and craftspeople involved in the series are highly celebrated in their respective fields; each interconnected, either via Seán’s work directly, the Corcoran family, or the wider Irish traditional music and song community. For full programme details, or to book tickets, visit: https://seancorcoranseries.com/
The Seán Corcoran Series wishes to acknowledge and thank its funders and supporters, Louth County Council, Creative Ireland, The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and RTÉ Supporting the Arts.
“Louth County Council Arts Office and the Creative Ireland team are proud to support Rósa with her inaugural series to celebrate Seán’s legacy” said Louth County Arts Officer, Moya Hodgers.
“The preservation of our culture is vital and Seán’s contribution to Irish traditional music, and indeed the landscape of music as a whole across Ireland, was far-reaching.
“Just looking at the line-up of artists taking part in this series is so exciting and testament to the high regard in which Seán was held. I look forward to enjoying what will undoubtedly be a fantastic experience for all who attend.”
