Connie O’Connell  (fiddle)

in concert in the Ionad Cultúrtha, Baile Mhúirne, Co Cork on

Friday 26th February at 8:30

Connie will be playing alongside his daughter, Áine Ní Chonaill (fiddle), together with John Blake (piano, flute, guitar) and Frances O’Connor (flute)

 The concert will feature his own compositions from his recently published tune collection, ‘Bóithrín na Smaointe’

Connie O’Connell is a fiddle player from Cill na Martra, Co. Cork, a parish located between Macroom and Ballyvourney. Cill na Martra is in the Múscraí Gaeltacht and is south-east of the area referred to as Sliabh Luachra. Connie has been strongly influenced by the music of Sliabh Luachra, an area encompassing the West Cork and East Kerry border. In particular, he has been influenced by the renowned fiddle players of the region, Denis Murphy, Pádraig O’Keeffe and Julia Clifford. He is regarded as one of the finest present-day exponents of the Sliabh Luachra style today. Connie grew up with music in his home. He recalls occasions where his mother played the melodeon for the house dances and the threshing dances, which were once so popular in rural Ireland. While Connie’s parents encouraged him to play the melodeon, he showed greater interest in the fiddle. At the age of twelve, Connie was given his first fiddle and began to teach himself how to play. As a teenager, he travelled to Macroom to avail of tuition with a local music teacher, Paddy Foley. This was a productive period for Connie in that he learned how to read and write music.

In 1967, Connie attended his first Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford. On returning home from the Fleadh, he was determined to make contact with the local musicians of his area. This led him to Denis Murphy, the well-known fiddle player of Sliabh Luachra and pupil of Pádraig O’Keeffe. Johnny O’Leary subsequently introduced Connie to Denis, in his home in Lisheen. According to Johnny O’Leary, Denis was very impressed when he heard Connie play: “I’m telling you that Connell is good, he’ll be heard of yet.” Dennis Murphy’s sister, Julia Clifford, was equally impressed by Connie’s playing. She felt that Connie was the only musician of a similar calibre to the musicians of her generation. Meeting and playing with these musicinas had a profound effect on Connie’s playing style and repertoire and he was determined to learn as many tunes as possible! He began to work on the tunes that he had acquired from Denis and from friends in other counties, tunes from fleadhanna and tunes that he heard on the radio. In 1969, he made his first appearance on national television on the traditional music programme, ‘Bring Down the Lamp’. This has been followed by many broadcasts on radio and television since then. While his own compositions are rooted in the tradition, which he values so highly, they bear testament to his individuality within that tradition. They are profound, personal expressions of Connie and the people, places and events that have inspired and continue to inspire him.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3kQVwoeC-c