Three Mayo finalists in Seán Ó Riada Bonn Óir competition

HARPIST Catherine Joyce from Mayo, piper Seán O'Malley from Achill and Tara Boyle from Clonbur in Co. Galway will join Éilís Needham from Sligo and Emma Benson from Keadue in Roscommon to make up the Connaught contingent in the Seán Ó Riada Bonn Oír competition in the Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork on Friday night.

Harpist Catherine Joyce from Castlebar also plays the flute and is a great singer. She has learned from the best, including Laoise Kelly and Emer Mayock, and has won over 60 medals in various competitions from the Fleadh Ceoil to the International Harp Festival Arpademia.

She has performed on several TV and radio programmes and at prestigious events at home and abroad.

Catherine is a third level student at Mary Immaculate College in Limerick and is also a member of various groups including Rolling Waves and the Mayo Harp Ensemble.

Next up of the Mayo contingent is Seán O'Malley from Achil who started learning the uileann pipes originally from his father, well known musician Ciarán O’Malley. He received some tuition at Na Piobairí Uileann in Dublin but was also inspired at Scoil Acla and the Willie Clancy Summer School by the likes of Robbie Hannan and Tommy Keane.

Sean also says that he has been hugely influenced by the playing of Seamus Ennis and Liam O’Flynn.

Tara Boyle from Clonbur is a descendent of piper and collecter Stephen Grier from Gortletteragh Co. Leitrim and was inspired to learn the pipes on hearing stories about him from her grandfather.

She is current All-Ireland champion in her age group and has won the All-Ireland on the uileann pipes two years in a row.

The Seán Ó Riada Gold Medal competition is a prestigious traditional music competition that focuses on a different instrument every year over a four year cycle and this time features both the harp and the uileann pipes.

The competition this year attracted the highest ever number of entrants since its inception in 2010 with the numbers being whittled down to six harpers (all female) and nine pipers.

More than half the contestants have competed and won prizes in many of the recent All-Ireland Fleadh Ceoils and significant also that nearly all the uileann pipers have learned the pipes or got tuition from Na Piobairí Uileann.

Judges this year are esteemed Dublin piper Mick O'Brien, Scottish renowned piper Ailean Domhnallach and acclaimed harpist Siobhan Armstrong. There will be two separate prizes for harp and uileann pipes with the winner for each instrument getting a bespoke Gold medal designed by Niamh Utsch, as well a cash prize of €2,500 each.

Tickets for the event can be brought at the door for €10 and it will be broadcast live on RTÉ Raidio na Gaeltachta and streamed online.

The competition is being sponsored by RnaG, Comhaltas, Gael Linn, IMRO, Rochestown Park Hotel and Iontaoibheas Fódhla.