Cairde Sligo Arts Festival

In a crowded field of outstanding Irish fiddle players and interpreters of traditional music Colm Mac Con Iomaire is unique.

His voice is unmistakably his own and his music bears distinctive creative hallmarks which have as much to do with his personality and character as with his impressive technical mastery, musical authority and exquisitely expressive playing.

Colm learned to play as a very young child. With school friends he started the contemporary trad band Kíla. He has played fiddle with the wildly popular Frames, written scores for film and theatre, He scored the music for ‘Late afternoon’ an animated short film which was nominated for an Oscar in 2018.

His most recent album is titled “The River Holds Its Breath / Tost Ar An Abhainn” and was produced by Bill Whelan. It features the Con Tempo Quartet and Bill also accompanies Colm on piano.

Maija Sofia is a musician and writer from rural Galway. Her debut album 'Bath Time', a collection of songs exploring female experiences and shadowed histories throughout art and folklore was released in November 2019 through Trapped Animal Records and received unanimous praise across Ireland and further afield.

It was nominated for the prestigious RTE Choice Award for best Irish Album of the Year and was described in the Sunday Times as "quietly breathtaking [...] the arrival of a unique new voice." She is a recipient of the Arts Council's Next Generation award and she currently lives on the coast of west Cork where she is working on a second album.

"A real timeless quality … the ease with which she weaves grand tales of mythos into short and delicate folk tunes suggests a true finesse..." - The Irish Times

We are delighted to partner with Dor & Chris from Juniper Barn for this special event.