Mayobased musician to compete for sen riada gold medal on friday

Mayo-based musician Heather Cole-Mullen will be among 15 fiddlers taking to the stage this Friday (February 6) in Cork to compete for the Seán Ó Riada Gold Medal. 

 

Among the other competitors is Heather’s brother Adam, who will be travelling from Boston to compete. The final will be broadcast live on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta at 7 p.m.

 

Tim McHugh, from Newport, will also be on stage on Saturday night at a concert of previous winners of the Seán Ó Riada Gold Medal which is being organised as part of the weekend in Cork.

 

Heather is originally from Boston but now lives in Ballina where she works as a software engineer for Maith Thú. She started playing music at the age of four and can be heard playing regularly in sessions around Ballina and out in Blacksod. She presents the music programme 'From The Shamrock Shore' from Mayo, broadcast on the KRVS radio station in Louisiana. Heather moved to Ballina permanently in 2014 having spent several years over and back between the US and Ireland.

 

Her brother Adam is currently studying in New York and will travel to Ireland for the final. Adam is 22, and both he and Heather fell in love with traditional music after attending a traditional music festival organised by Séamus Connolly in Boston.

 

For the first time this year there will also be a concert on Saturday night of previous winners of the Seán Ó Riada Gold Medal, which includes Tim McHugh (flute) from Newport, who won the 2011 medal.

 

The concert on Saturday night is at 8 p.m. in the Rochestown Park Hotel and will also feature Aoife Ní Bhriain (fiddle), winner of the inaugural Seán Ó Riada Gold Medal, Tiarnán Ó Duinnchinn (pipes), Oisín Morrison (harp) and Cormac Begley (concertina). Tickets are €10 and can be purchased on the door on the night.

 

For those interested in attending the competition, the Rochestown Park is offering special rates – contact the hotel directly on (021) 4890800. Tickets can be bought at the door or booked online at cuireadhchunceoil.ie

 

The final for the Seán Ó Riada Gold Medal will be broadcast live on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta at 7 p.m. on Friday evening. Tune in on FM radio or online at www.rte.ie/rnag