Charlie Harris, Geraldine Cotter, Maeve Donnolly, Eamonn Cotter
Sat 05 Oct 2024
9pm
€20
An Spailpin Fanach Saturday 5th October 9.30pm Charlie Harris, Geraldine Cotter, Maeve Donnolly, Eamonn Cotter with Johnny McCarthy & Eoin O' Riabhaigh.
ACCORDION player Charlie Harris, fiddler Maeve Donnelly, flautist Eamonn Cotter and his sister, Geraldine, on tin whistle and piano, will perform in An Spailpin Fanach on Saturday 5th October at this year’s Cork Folk Festival .
Charlie Harris is originally from the Kilmallock area of County Limerick. In 1974 he moved to London, where he met brothers Oliver and Raymond Roland, who had been heavily influenced by the expressively charismatic Joe Cooley and according to Charlie, they carried “the heart and soul of Cooley” in their music. Charlie returned to his musical home of County Galway in 1981. He toured and recorded several albums with the band Shaskeen. In 2009, he was awarded the prestigious Traditional Musician of the Year Award (Gradam Ceoil).
Maeve Donnelly, now living in Quin, grew up in East Galway, an area steeped in traditional music. She started playing fiddle at
the age of six and won her first All-Ireland Fiddle Competition at the age of nine. She was a member of Moving Cloud. In 2004, Maeve recorded a duet album with Peadar O’Loughlin entitled The Thing Itself. In more recent years, she has released two solo albums. Her latest album, Flame on the Bank was recorded with guitarist Tony McManus.
Eamonn Cotter, originally from Ennis but living in Kilmaley for over 25 years, is a well-known and respected flute player, teacher and flute maker. Eamonn is a member of Shaskeen. He has recorded on many albums, including his solo CD, Traditional Music from County Clare. As well as traditional music, he also has a keen interest in western art music and jazz. He is a member of the Limerick Jazz Workshop.
Geraldine Cotter, Eamonn’s sister, is a well-known teacher and performer on both the tin whistle and piano. She has published two best-selling tutors: the first in 1983 for the tin whistle and in 1996 Seinn an Piano, the first of its kind for traditional piano. Her most recent book Rogha, a tune book with accompanying play-a-long CD, was published in 2006. She has recorded on over 20 CDs including her first solo album, Piano+. She is currently a researcher and teacher at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance in the University of Limerick. Like her brother, she is a member of Shaskeen.
