Johnny Óg Connolly & Mícheál Darby

Johnny Og Connolly is a renowned traditional musician and composer from the Conamara Gaeltacht. He plays accordion and melodeon. His first solo album ‘Aisling Yoshua ‘ won Folk album of the year in 2011. In his compositional work he engages a lot with Irish language poetry and has composed two song cycles, one of them based on the poetry of Mairtin Ó Direáin with Liam Ó Maonlaí on vocals. His latest commision was to write a music series based on the life of his father, renowned melodeon player Johnny Connolly. An Cosan Draiochta (The Enchanted Path) has just completed a nationwide tour to great acclaim in late 2022. Johnny Og is currently researching the music of Conamara.

Mícheál Darby is from Indreabhán in Connemara. He is recognized as a master of the ‘small box’ or the melodeon. It was the recordings of PJ Hernon, the great box player from Carna, that inspired his interest in the melodeon at a young age and he was so amazed by the different, hearty sound of that little box. After that, he managed to find the melodic music of Bobby Gardiner from Co. Clare and that attracted him even more. It is An tOileán Aerach by Johnny Pádraic Pheter Ó Conghaile from Ennis Beracháin that put the music of the melodeon and, in fact, it was Johnny who most stimulated Míchíl’s interest in the little box.

Mícheál has released two CDs, Bosca Bideach (2000) and An Rithim Réidh (2017). This is how Neansaí Ní Choisdealbha, Music Editor of RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, described Michéal Darby’s style while making reference to the album An Rithim Réidh; “the waltz ‘Meánuisce na Mara’ and the slow tune ‘Cúirt Bhaile Nua’ give us a great insight into the beautiful, smooth, studious style of Micheál Darby’. Micheál Darby is living in Na hAille in Indreabhán with his wife, the sean-nós singer, Odí Ní Chéilleachair, and his musical children.

Tickets availalbe here:   https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/623587034607