TWO of the country’s best-known fiddlers, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and Siobhán Peoples, are among those featuring at the 40th Donegal Fiddle Week in Glencolumbkille, which starts on Monday, August 4.
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, who lives in the Carrickfin area, is internationally-known for her work with trad supergroup Altan and is also a former Donegal Person of the Year. She’s part of a concert in the Folk Village in Glencolumbkille next Tuesday night.
Siobhán People from Ennis in County Clare is the current TG4 Gradam Ceoil ‘Musician of the Year’, the award first won in 1998 by her late father, the fiddler Tommy Peoples from St Johnston in east Donegal. Siobhan’s in the line-up for the Fiddle Week closing concert on Friday in Halla Mhuire.
The current TG4 Gradam Ceoil Musician of the Year, Siobhán Peoples.
The spectacular valley of Glencolumbkille will be ringing with Donegal tunes next week, with more than a hundred fiddlers expected at Fiddle Week from across Ireland and around the world. At the heart of it all is the summer school, with ten classes to cover all ages and abilities, and also an online class, all taught by leading Donegal fiddlers.
The students enrolled so far are from all parts of Ireland and from the UK, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, the US and Australia. Anyone interested in learning fiddle can join in for the week’s classes simply by attending the registration at the national school in Glencolumbkille on Monday morning at 10am.
Rab Cherry of the Donegal fiddle organisation Cairdeas na bhFidiléirí, which organises Fiddle Week, says it’s helpful if people do book places in advance by emailing donegalfiddlemusic.ie or texting him on 086 3409019.
There’s a busy schedule for Fiddle Week, which also features lots of impromptu sessions in the two bars in Cashel village in Glencolumbkille.
RISING STARS
There are two midweek concerts in the Folk Village which are being recorded for the CD series ‘The Fiddle Music of Donegal’ produced by Cairdeas, which is now up to volume four.
Tuesday night’s line-up features Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, the outstanding Inishowen player Melanie Houton, and two rising stars, sisters Ciannait and Edith Lawlor from north County Dublin. Edith recently played a leading role in the Irish language film, ‘Fidil Ghorm’.
On Wednesday night it’s the turn of local fiddler and singer Ellie Níc Fhionnghaile, Dunkineely maestro Aidan O’Donnell (both just back from a festival in Sweden), and another up-and-coming player, Nia Byrne, Carrickfin.
Nia Byrne from Carrickfin.
The line-up for the closing concert on Friday night includes Derry-born player Dermot McLaughlin, one of those involved in the first Fiddle Week back in 1986, and Siobhán Peoples.
Thursday, as usual, is dancing day, when the fiddle students get a chance to learn the dances which go with the Donegal tunes. There are places available for anyone interested in joining the fiddle students in the classes – email donegalfiddlemusic@gmail.com or text Rab on 0863409019. The day finishes with a dance to a live fiddle band in Halla Mhuire.
All the concerts during Fiddle Week, and Thursday night’s dance, start at 9pm and there’s a €10 charge on the door. All welcome.
A special feature of Fiddle Week this year is a talk by author and researcher Richie Piggott on Irish traditional musicians in Chicago over the past 100 years, including some from Donegal. Richie will be playing a selection of recordings during his talk, which is in Oideas Gael on Wednesday at 4.30pm. All are welcome and admission is free.
Rab Cherry says everyone involved in Fiddle Week is looking forward to a feast of fiddle music.
“It’s hard to believe we’re hitting the 40-year mark. We can look back on lots of brilliant Fiddle Weeks in the beautiful and musical place that is Glencolumbkille. We expect 2025 will be another. The Donegal fiddle tradition has won international recognition and continues to produce outstanding players, so the future is bright.”
