Two Mayo musicians to compete for Seán Ó Riada Gold Medal

MAYO musicians Paul Clesham and Creena Mulchrone will be amongst the finalists competing for the Seán Ó Riada Gold Medal on Friday, February 2, in the Rochestown Park Hotel, Cork.

A previous winner, Tim McHugh from Newport, will also be performing at a concert in the hotel on Saturday night.

Paul, from Claremorris, started learning music at eight years old, playing box, fiddle, melodeon and concertina. Bernie Geraghty, from Ballindine, was his teacher and she instilled a great love of music in him.

So far Paul has won six All-Ireland titles and as well as traditional music, he also plays classical piano. He completed a degree in Irish and Music in UCC, followed by a Bachelor of Music degree, and subsequently a Masters in Ethnomusicology.

Paul is a member of the group Officially Tapped with David Geaney, Shane Creed and Edward Looney, and he has been living in Cork for the last six years.

Creena Mulchrone is from Behybeg, outside Ballina. She is an underage All-Ireland champion in button accordion, melodeon and traditional singing.

She started playing button accordion and singing with the Bofield branch of CCÉ and completed Scrúdú Ceol Tíre exams with distinction.

Creena graduated in 2015 with a First Class honours degree in Irish Traditional Music Performance from the University of Limerick. She has performed at festivals across the country and further afield, including the Whitby Folk Festival, Inishbofin Set Dancing Weekend and the Alpentone International Music Festival.

There will be 16 musicians in total taking part in the final in the Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork on Friday week. The honour of being the youngest competitor falls to Eimhear Flannery, 13, from Rockchapel in Cork, while John Paul Wick will be the competitor with the furthest to travel, coming all the way from New Jersey in the US.

Peadar Ó Riada will present the event live on his Cuireadh chun Ceoil programme on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta from 7 p.m. and it will also be streamed live to the Raidió na Gaeltachta Facebook page. Tickets can be purchased from the Rochestown Park Hotel for €10, and overnight accommodation and a ticket to the final are available for €40 per person sharing.

The final takes place as part of a series of events over the weekend, including a gala concert on Saturday night at 8 p.m. featuring previous winners of the medal, including Tim McHugh from Newport who took home the medal in 2012. Other previous winners who will be on stage are Oisín Morrison, Tiarnán Ó Duinnchinn and Úna Ní Fhlannagáin. The event is free, and offers a wonderful opportunity to hear top class musicians perform.

Earlier, on Saturday afternoon, there will be a conference for musicians to advise them on recording rights, jobs, supports, insurance and the like, with representatives from IMRO, Comhaltas and more. Comhdháil na gCeoltóirí kicks off at 2 p.m., with a €5 entry fee.