Monaghan's Féile Oriel Opens With The Voice Squad

Monaghan's Féile Oriel Opens With The Voice Squad

Headlining acts at this year's Féile Oriel are the Voice Squad, Liz and Yvonne Kane, the West Ocean String Quartet and a night of Donegal fiddle playing with Danny Meehan, Tommy Peoples, and Tara Connaghan and Derek McGinley.

Kenneth Rice, Seamus McGuire, Niamh Crowley, and Neil Martin of the West Coast String Quartet.

Féile Oriel in Monaghan town begins this week. The festival has grown up around the Fiddler of Oriel, amongst noted winners of which have have been Tommy Peoples, Gerry O’Connor, Antoin Mac Gabhann, Tony Linnane, Jim Mc Killop, and the late Jimmy Cormac of Donaghmore, County Tyrone.

The following main concerts will take place in Teach an Mhargaidh (Market House) at 8.30 pm each night of the Féile Oriel festival:

3 May The Voice Squad (Phil Callery, Fran McPhail, and Gerry Cullen)
4 May Liz and Yvonne Kane
5 May West Ocean String Quartet (Seamus McGuire and Niamh Crowley on violins, Ken Rice on viola, and Neil Martin on cello)
6 May Donegal Fiddle Tradition concert featuring Danny Meehan, Tommy Peoples, and Tara Connaghan with Derek McGinley

The West Ocean String Quartet have recently been rehearsing in the Tyrone Guthrie Centre and selecting material for their new album the centrepiece of which will be Neil Martin’s suite An Indigo Sky, a commission in memory of Joseph Browne.

As well as the main concerts and the competition itself, the Festival Club at the Westenra Arms Hotel will feature Reel It In, Síoda (Joanna Boyle from Monaghan on guitar, banjo and vocals; Rosie Ferguson from Down on fiddle and vocals; Emma Murphy from Armagh on flute and whistles; and Emma Robinson from Armagh on flute and whistles), Four Men and a Dog, and At First Light; and there will be free sessions featuring the Gráinne Holland Band (who released her debut album Teanga na nGael) and Rula Bula (launching their debut covers album Yesterday Songs).

The full list of previous winner of the Fiddler of Oriel is as follows:

1969 – Kathleen Burke, Loughrea Galway
1970 – Tommy Peoples, Donegal
1971 – Antoin Mac Gabhainn, Cavan
1972 – Antoin Mac Gabhainn, Cavan
1973 – Jimmy Comac, Donaghmore, Tyrone
1974 – Joe Ryan, Clare
1975 – Gerry O Connor, Dundalk
1976 – Jim McKillop, Antrim
1977 – Martin Byrnes. Galway
1978 – Eddie Kelly, Galway
1979 – Gerry O Connor, Dundalk
1980 – Gerry O’Connor, Dundalk
1981 – Tony Linnane, Clare
1982- Gerry O’ Connor, Dundalk
1983 – Austin Dawe, Dundalk
1995 – Liz Kane, Galway
1996 – Liz Kane, Galway
1997 – Deirdre Moynihan, Cork
2009 – David Doocey, Mayo
2010 – Niall Murphy, Armagh
2011 – Niall Murphy, Armagh

feileoriel.com/

Published on 1 May 2012

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