Some of the country’s finest musicians, singers, writers, dancers, actors, artists, historians, and many others, will gather in Drogheda over the weekend of September 8th-10th 2023 to celebrate the life and work of the late Sean Corcoran.
Over three days, in five venues, luminaries such as Andy Irvine and Dónal Lunny, Radie Peat of Lankum, Harry Bradley and Jesse Smith, sean-nós dancer Róisín Ní Mhainín, singers Maighread and Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill, cellist Neil Martin, actor Stephen Rea, writer John Banville, sculptor Rachel Joynt, and many more will pay tribute to the Drogheda native who dedicated his life to Irish music.
Traditional music and song was 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.
Seán’s daughter, Rósa Corcoran, together with Louth County Council and Creative Ireland, are delighted to announce ‘The Seán Corcoran Series’, a new initiative which presents a varied and engaging programme of multidisciplinary events which will bring together the many strands of Seán’s work and influences to live audiences.
All the artists and craftspeople involved in the series are highly celebrated in their respective fields and are interconnected, either via Seán’s work directly, the Corcoran family, or the wider Irish traditional music and song community. The inclusion of literature, public sculpture, local history, food and crafts expands the programme to represent the diverse creative community surrounding Seán’s life and work.
The three day event will be officially launched on Friday 8th September by former RTÉ Director-General and founding director of TG4, Cathal Goan, in the beautiful surroundings of The Highlanes Gallery.
Later that evening, in the first of two headline concerts at St. Peter’s Church, the Seán Corcoran Series in association with Droichead Arts Centre present An Evening with Andy Irvine and Dónal Lunny. Irvine and Lunny will present a programme of Irish music and Andy’s own songs, with a side order of Eastern European tunes. Andy will play Seán’s bouzouki, which was originally presented to Andy by the late Diane Guggenheim – founder of Tradition Records, and later given to Seán. The instrument has been specially restored for the series by luthier Frank Tate.
Developed specially for the Seán Corcoran Series, Tate, together with musician Dónal Lunny, will, on Saturday 9th September, present a one-off ‘Irish Bouzouki and Stringed Instrument Workshop’ on the art and practice of stringed instrument making.
The second headline concert of the weekend, ‘Guth na nDaoine / The Voice of the People’ at St. Peter’s Church is a joyous salute to the life and work of Seán which celebrates him through words, music, song and dance with: Radie Peat, Harry Bradley, Róisín Ní Mhainín, Stephen Rea, John Banville, Breda Keville, Jesse Smith, Maighread and Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill, Libby McCrohan, Neil Martin, Gerry O’Connor, and more.
On Sunday 10th September, hop on the Old Skool Drogheda Double Decker Bus Tour. In tribute to Seán’s parents – bus tour aficionados, historian Moira Corcoran and her husband Terry, the bus tour will visit key sites of interest in Drogheda and the coast, via Baltray, and finishing on Port Oriel pier in Clogherhead, where Seán was born.
Led by community historian Brendan Matthews, there will be stories, songs, tunes and sculpture along the route. Special guests include musician Libby McCrohan, Seán’s childhood friend Drogheda singer Gerry Cullen, and sculptor Rachel Joynt and her magnificent sculptures Clutch and Guiding Star in Baltray and Clogherhead.
The programme also includes traditional Irish music sessions, music classes, sean-nós dance workshops, a Bread & Roses community fair, and a Louth foraged lunch at a special location to be announced! Informal sessions of music and song will also be hosted in various locations in the town throughout the weekend.
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.
Tickets are on sale now at: https://seancorcoranseries.com/
