Seachtain na Gaeilge Concert County Hall March 13, 2024
On Wednesday 13th March at the Atrium County Hall Swords, with the support of the Seamus Ennis Arts Centre, there will be a Seachtain na Gaeilge celebration with Ceol, Craic and Gaeilge from 7 to 9pm. The entertainment will be provided by three hugely accomplished Fingal resident musicians, Ellie Níc Fhionnghaile, Dónal Kearney agus Fergus Cahillane.
Ellie Níc Fhionnghaile is a traditional fiddle player and singer from Gleann Cholm Cille, a Gaeltacht in Southwest Donegal. Dónal Kearney is a singer from County Down formerly a soloist with ANÚNA who has made Fingal his home and is co-founder of the Irish Institute of Music & Song in Balbriggan and of Skerries Folk Club. Fergus Cahillane who performs under the moniker FARÓ is the host of the TSEAC Singing Sessions and has toured across the U.S, Europe and Asia as both singer and multi-instrumentalist.
This annual event, which welcomes Irish language enthusiasts from the county to join Fingal staff, is always very popular and audience participation is encouraged so if you would like to join in with a song on the night please do.
Musicians:
Dónal Kearney is a singer from County Down who has made Fingal his home. He is co-founder of the Irish Institute of Music & Song in Balbriggan and co-founder of Skerries Folk Club, which hosts a singing session on the last Sunday of the month. Formerly a soloist with ANÚNA, he has toured to Asia, North America and Europe and sings and plays in critically-acclaimed folk trio, TRÚ.
Ellie Níc Fhionnghaile is a traditional fiddle player and singer from Gleann Cholm Cille, a Gaeltacht in Southwest Donegal. Her repertoire focuses heavily on that of Donegal, which she learned from local musicians such as the late James Byrne, Mick Brown and the late Cití Seaín Uí Chuinneagáin, among others. She has performed widely throughout Ireland and abroad with various groups and artists including Steve Cooney, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Lillis Ó Laoire, Dulciana and ANÚNA. She is a regular performer and teacher with Cairdeas na bhFidiléirí.
In 2020, Ellie was a contributor and performer on the TG4/BBC na Gaeilge TV documentary ‘An Fhidil Bheo - Ceol an Northern Fiddler’, and will feature as a solo singer in the upcoming season of TV series ‘Vikings: Valhalla’ (2024).
Aside from her performance work, Ellie is a native Irish speaker and music teacher and works as the Communications Officer with Na Píobairí Uilleann.
Fergus Cahillane is the host of the TSEAC Singing Sessions, taking place in the Naul on the third Thursday of the month. Fergus performs under the moniker FARÓ and has toured across the U.S, Europe and Asia as both singer and multi-instrumentalist. FARÓ will close out this year’s official St. Patrick’s Festival celebrations on the main stage at Collins Barracks.
Over the pandemic Fergus undertook a diploma in Traditional Irish Performance & Instrument Making. So far he has built a 33-String Irish Harp and a 10-String Mandolin. Fergus lives in Balbriggan and is a tutor in the Irish Institute of Music & Song. He is currently under the tutelage of Alan Doherty and Paul McGrattan, having been awarded a traineeship year in Ballyfermot College of Further Education. The first EP for FARÓ is in the works for 2024.
