Flamenco guitar master Pena feels Irish ‘affinity’

LAST year Skibbereen theatre designer Bob Crowley received a very special honour when he received the UK National Dance Awards Outstanding Creative Contribution for the show Like Water for Chocolate.

Perhaps it is apt that Bob was a joint winner with Paco Pena, the master flamenco guitar player. That’s because Paco told The Southern Star he feels a special connection to Ireland.

Paco comes to the Cork Opera House on Sunday April 7th at 8pm. ‘I feel an affinity with Ireland and the music,’ said Paco. ‘Where I grew up in Cordoba in the south where flamenco comes from, is obviously very different to Ireland but the attitude to life is similar. Irish people like to enjoy music, they like to have a drink, and to have fun.

‘People used to tell me that after the Spanish Armada, lots of Spanish people ended up in Ireland. Maybe there’s a connection there!’

Paco, who lives between the UK and Cordoba, has played all over the world, with legends of music, from Hendrix to his ‘good friends’ The Dubliners. Now aged 81, some of his old friends have gone but the love of music burns brighter than ever.

‘Age does what it does. Maturity creates a new state in a person,’ he said. ‘You are the same person, you have fought year after year. As you get older, you try to find the essence of the music, rather than wanting to show off.’

His new show he brings to Cork consists of new guitar pieces and he is joined by Rafael Montilla for duets. In the second part they are joined by talented artists to present flamenco in its complete ensemble of guitar, song and dance in a display of improvisation and virtuoso technique. ‘All of the elements of flamenco are there,’ said Paco. Sunday promises to be a chance to see a master of the arts live.

• Pablo Pena performs at the Cork Opera House on Sunday April 7th. See corkoperahouse.ie