ICE – The Irish Concertina Ensemble

I have been enjoying some gigs lately with the Irish Concertina Quintet, or ICE as we call ourselves! In the group I am honoured to play alongside some of my favourite concertina players ever – Tim Collins, Micheal O Raghaillaigh, Caitlín Nic Gabhann and Padraig Rynne. We are currently in the process of recording our debut album which is due for release in April 2015 and look forward to our next gig which is in City Hall, Dublin, as part of the Temple Bar Trad Fest on 29th January… Watch this space!

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU-Zk6NjfNs

 

 

Tradconnect Album of the Year 2013!

We are are completely delighted and overwhelmed to have been awarded Tradconnect’s Album of the Year for 2013 for “The Sunny Banks”! A huge thanks to Tony Lawless and Tradconnect for the huge support they have shown us, and the traditional music community over the past few years. In a year of amazing recordings of traditional music, we never imagined that we would be given such an an accolade! A very special thanks to Caoimhin Ó Fearghail and Richie Lyons for their wonderful contribution to the CD and to Donal Clancy for everything – recording it, advice and all the tea and biscuits! Also, we must mention Edel Butler and Enda Sheridan for the amazing artwork and photography. Lastly, a huge thanks to our amazing families and friends for all their endless support…… OH WAIT! How could we begin to forget all of the music lovers and fans who have bought the CD and supported our gigs! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! WAHOO!!!!!!!!!

Click here for a link to the announcement…

New dates!

Hi all,

I have just added some new dates to the tours page. You will see that myself, Neill Byrne and Caoimhin O’Fearghail have some lovely concerts and festivals coming up here in Ireland. I am also teaching workshops at not one, not two but THREE concertina festivals over the next few months – one in Miltown Malbay, Germany and Ennis! I will be posting info here soon about a very exciting project which is coming up involving myself and some deadly concertina-y people!!!! Keep any eye on the site for details….

Also – music classes here in Waterford are going very well, as well as Wednesday evening classes in Carlow with Music Generation. For any information on one-to-one or group classes or else SKYPE lessons, don’t hesitate to contact me!

Go n-eirí libh,

E xxx

 

 

Irish Times Review – 1st November 2013

We were thrilled to read this review by Siobhán Long in the Irish Times:

Invigorating well worn tunes with an energy all of their own making must surely be the holy grail for most traditional musicians. Clare concertina player Edel Fox and Waterford fiddler Neill Byrne do this instinctively on this rounded and generous collection. The hop, skip and jump of their reading of the well-known barndance Kitty O’Neill’s and the lonesome pitch of the Scottish retreat march Lochanside reveal the breadth of this duo’s musical palette. Caoimhín Ó Fearghail’s accompaniment on guitar and bouzouki has a lissom quality that underscores but never upstages Fox and Byrne. The pair’s restrained, plaintive reading of the lullaby Seothín Seothó is a delight, revealing both players’ sharply disciplined approach, imposing nothing more than refined lines to the tunes and letting them tell their own tale. One of this year’s musical highlights. edelfox.com