Begley will be honoured in style at Masters of Tradition

The legendary traditional musician Seamus Begley will be honoured in special style at this year’s Masters of Tradition festival.

The Masters of Tradition Festival in Bantry will celebrate its 21st anniversary in August, and again promises an eclectic programme. Festival artistic director and performer Martin Hayes says this year will be a ‘journey to the heart of Irish music’.

In January, renowned singer and accordionist Begley died in Corca Dhuibhne, aged 73. He left an indelible mark on Irish traditional music, pushing its boundaries. It seems even more apt to honour Seamus given the Masters of Tradition festival itself explores so many other different styles of music.

On Friday, August 25th, the Begley family will be joined by the famed O’Brien family with a special concert that will honour Seamus’s memory. 

‘Mick O’Brien is one of the most highly regarded pipes in traditional music and will be joined by his daughter Ciara who is a violist and fiddle player,’ says Hayes. 

‘Seamus’s family of fine musicians will close the concert with a rousing west Kerry celebration of their father’s life and legacy,’ said Hayes.

Steve Cooney, a frequent collaborator with Begley through the years, will be joined by Luka Bloom and Lisa Snowden for Friday’s late-night concert in Bantry House focusing on the ubiquitous but often overlooked guitar in traditional music. 

Saturday’s late-night concert takes the audience into the improvised space between jazz and traditional music. This programme is uniquely driven by the musical imagination of jazz singer Christine Tobin songs with an ensemble of jazz and traditional musicians.

Throughout the week, there will be talks and secret concerts on Whiddy Island, Future Forests, Marino Church, and St Brendan’s School Hall.

Masters of Tradition takes place from Wednesday August 23rd to Sunday 27th and is supported by the Arts Council and Cork County Council. Visit www.westcorkmusic.ie/masters-of-tradition for full programme and booking details.

The Masters of Tradition festival shows the healthy state of Irish traditional music in West Cork. Just last weekend across Bantry Bay, the Jim Dowling Uilleann Pipe and Trad Festival took place in Glengarriff. Some of the highlights of the weekend included Luka Bloom’s performance in Eccles Hotel on Saturday night, a sold out evening trad cruise, and a performance by the Cór Chúil Aodha at Sunday Mass in Glengarriff church.