Compánach

A concert of Traditional music from all parts of Ireland
Performed by
Fintan Vallely (concert flute), John Kelly (fiddle), Mark Redmond (Irish pipes)
Thursday 09 May in O’Reilly’s pub, Stuttgart – after 6pm
Saturday 11th May, 7pm. Höfingen, altes Rathaus
Sunday. 12th May. 4pm in Studio Olgastr., at Olgastrasse 93b, Stuttgart
A Traditional-music concert with songs and melodies from each county on the island of Ireland, based on Fintan Vallely’s book Companion to Irish Traditional Music (1999, 2011 and 2024). The performers are a remarkable collaboration of three great musicians who represent the old and the new in Irish music, and have all been playing since their younger years. Fintan Vallely is on flute and voice, Mark Redmond is on Irish uilleann pipes, and John Kelly plays fiddle. The event is a melodic documentary, a recital of traditional Irish music with the theme of ‘music and place’. The instruments played are typical of Irish music in the early nineteenth century, and the music comes from several of the counties on the island of Ireland, some of it dating to the late 1500s. The performance covers all shades of Traditional music from ancient harp compositions to the work of modern tunes composers, it represents a variety of traditions, recreational and marching musics, and displays all measures of dance-tunes. The concert celebrates the contemporary artistic value of the indigenous music of Ireland, showing its presence throughout history and all over the islandCompánach, the musicians

Mark Redmond is an outstanding uilleann piper who not only plays Traditional Irish music, but has performed in a wide range of genres, including with the National Symphony Orchestra and the RTÉ Concert orchestra, and the international touring shows Riverdance, Celtic Woman and Camerata Ireland; the highlight of his career to date has been his superb rendering on solo uilleann pipes with orchestra in composter Sean Davey’s The Brendan Voyage. The current edition of Fonn online magazine details his remarkable achievements in the broad world of contemporary and Traditional Irish music.
John Kelly, on fiddle, was born in the heart of Dublin City, and plays the County Clare music which he learnt on fiddle from his father John Kelly senior — a legendary fiddle player who was chosen to perform with the great composer Seán Ó Riada in the mould-breaking, experimental music ensemble Ceoltóirí Chualann in the 1960s. His remarkable family music roots are celebrated in a website and recordings by four generations of his family—see https://johnkellycapelstreet.ie/who-was-john-kelly/
Fintan Vallely is a flute-player, lecturer and writer in Irish Traditional music. He has played throughout the world, and teaches flute at the Clare Willie Clancy Summer School. He has recorded with Berklee (USA) professor and guitarist Mark Simos, singer and accordionist Tim Lyons, fiddle-player Gerry Ó Connor, piper Tiarnán Ó Duinnchinn, and with the poet Dermot Healy. His many books include the encyclopedia Companion to Irish Traditional Music (www.comitm.com , now in its third edition), and a the first ever history of the Irish drum—Beating time-the story of the Irish bodhrán. In 2023 he was awarded the supreme national accolade for his work, the TG4 lifetime achievement award, Gradam Saol. His recordings and writing can be heard and seen on the website www.imusic.ie