IMDL presents a Sliabh Aughty weekend of events, with a Concert, a Set Dancing Workshop led by Ronán Eastwood and two Set Dancing Céilís!

Friday 1st April 7.30pm
Sliabh Aughty in Concert at The Irish Cultural Centre, with support from The Trad Gathering
Presented by The Irish Cultural Centre and IMDL. Tickets: £15/£6 U18's: https://irishculturalcentre.co.uk/event/sliabh-aughty-charlie-harris-accordion-mark-donnellan-fiddle-jim-corry-piano/

Saturday 2nd 2pm
Set Dancing Workshop with visiting tutor from Belfast Ronán Eastwood, at the Mazenod Social Club, Kilburn. Presented by Tom Kelleher and IMDL

Saturday 2nd 8pm
Set Dancing Céilí with Sliabh Aughty at the Mazenod Social Club, Kilburn

Sunday 3rd 1pm
Set Dancing Céilí with Sliabh Aughty at the London Irish Centre, Camden Presented by Tom Kelleher and IMDL

Tickets for all three Set Dancing events, including a Set Dancing weekend Special Deal Ticket, are available here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/imdl-irish-music-and-dance-in-london-13464442929

Sliabh Aughty
The mighty trio ‘Sliabh Aughty’ - Charlie Harris (accordion), Mark Donnellan (fiddle) and Brian Donnellan (piano) - bring the finest of traditional Irish music from the East Clare/ East Galway region, where the mountain range they are named after, stands proud. There is an infectious pulse to their music and a respectful nod to music of the greats who have gone before them. All three musicians are long-time members of the legendary Tulla Céilí Band.
Charlie Harris: Limerick born accordionist (long-time resident in East Galway), TG4 Gradam Ceoil Musician of the Year Award recipient 2009 and past member of ‘The Shaskeen’.
Mark Donnellan: East Clare native, fiddler, regular host of the renowned Wednesday evening sessions at Pepper’s Bar in Feakle and son of one of the founding members of the Tulla Céilí Band Francie Donnellan.
Brian Donnellan: East Clare Native, concertina, bouzouki, harmonium and piano player, nephew of Mark Donnellan and member of the newly established quintet, Martin Hayes and the Common Ground Ensemble.

Ronán Eastwood
Ronán Eastwood is a Set Dance Master from Belfast who has been set dancing since the mid 1980s and teaching for over 30 years. He has hosted workshops and classes at many different festivals and for a number of cultural bodies across Ireland, UK, Europe and the USA. Ronán is currently teaching at 3 weekly classes in Northern Ireland. His knowledge of the sets, easy going style and insistence on spending time with novice or aspiring set dancers, ensures everyone attending these workshops has a fantastic experience. Ronán acts as Fear an Tí and caller at a large number of céilís where his knowledge of the various sets and 'craic' with the dancers ensures everyone has a great time - especially beginners or those only dancing a short while. Ronán calls at the renowned monthly céilí in the iconic Belfast Castle, a venue which attracts dancers from all over Ireland. In recent Covid times, Ronán organised weekly outdoor céilís at the Titanic Exhibition Centre and Titanic Slipways – another iconic venue which attracted dancers to Belfast from all over Ireland, the UK and even the USA! Ronáns love of dancing emanates from his Father who ran céilís for many years in Belfast from the 1930s- 1960s, also his 14 brothers and sisters, many of whom became talented Irish céilí dancers. As well as set dancing Ronán also teaches the more popular Irish céilí and 2-hand dances.

The Trad Gathering
IMDL’s London-wide youth project, The Trad Gathering was jointly commissioned in 2008 by the BBC Proms and Return to Camden Town Festival, bringing together a large number of the most talented and accomplished young traditional Irish musicians from across London and further afield. Each year since 2017, the project has highlighted a different high profile musician who has been long associated with the London Irish music scene. Members of the group learn about the musician’s background and musical activities, are exposed to aural sources of their music, learn tunes from their repertoire, going on to rehearse and perform some of their music in an arrangement suitable for the large group setting. Past performances have included: Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Trafalgar Square stage (as part of the Lord Mayor of London’s St Patrick’s Day Festival), Kings Place, Bush Hall, Cadogan Hall and more.
Led by Karen Ryan (fiddle) and Pete Quinn (piano), this year The Trad Gathering are celebrating music from the repertoire of Offaly accordionist and founder of The Thatch Céilí Band, John Bowe.

Irish Cultural Centre, 5 Black's Road, Hammersmith W6 9DT
Mazenod Social Club, Mazenod Avenue, Kilburn NW6 4LS
London Irish Centre, 50-52 Camden Square, London NW1 9XB