Compánach is a concert of Traditional music, song & dance played against a changing backdrop of almost a thousand photo-images of musicians and scenery. A  documentary show, it has old and new melodies of all types from each of the 32 counties on the island and from diaspora regions in the USA and Britain.

Companach – the show

A unique event, Compánach draws on the A-Z format of the encyclopedia Companion to Irish Traditional Music, literally turning its text back into music. But this is as far from flat pages as you can get, for the visual narrative is instantly-appreciable on a large-scale, rear-projected, backdrop screen – a documentary flow of historical images and contemporary photos. These are lifted by the superb solo, duet and ensemble music, song and dance into a real-time display of people, places and events related to the tunes which demonstrates Irish music’s hallmark variety, repertoires and styles.

For Traditional music lovers and aficianados this is an exceptionally vibrant presentation of solo and group playing, sean-nós step-dance and singing. For students of the music and of Irish culture it is a wonderful, highly-informative visual and melodic interplay.

• Video sample of Compánach as performed in Belfast, 2015
• Video of Compánch at Dún Laoghaire, March 2015:  You-tube
• Karan Casey singing  in Compánach at Cork Folk Festival, Oct. 1st, 2016
• Síomha Ní Aonghusa singing in Compánach at Ennis Tradfest, Nov. 13th, 2016
• Full summary of the concert
• Double-CD album of the Compánach concert
• DVD and online music documentary ‘Virtual Ireland in Music’

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  Listen to track selections here and purchase individual tracks

Performers

The core group of players has Gerry O’Connor on fiddle, Tiarnán Ó Duinnchín on uilleann pipes;  Fintan Vallely on flute,  Sibéal Davitt with sean-nós step dance and flute; and, on song,  Roisín Chambers (also with fiddle) or Máire Ní Choilm with sean-nós song. Other leading musicians join the cast from time to time. The show is anchored contextually by music and scenic photos by Jacques Nutan, with supplementary landscapes by Gareth McCormack.

Additional performers for various shows

Liz Doherty and Maggie Maguire (fiddle); Suzanne Leahy and Arlene McCarroll (dance); Roisín White, Máire Ní Choilm and Síomha Ní Aonghusa (song); Gay McKeon & Jimmy O’Brien Moran (uilleann pipes)

Biographies of all performers who take part in the show

Double-CD album of the Compánach concert available by post online. Also as a download from CDbaby.com.

Booking

We are happy to perform in Ireland and abroad, and welcome enquiries.Booking information

Support documents and information – Three documents can be downloaded: a poster;  A4-page summary of the show in English; the Compánach flyer (in English), a three-fold, A4 brochure (Irish and English); and a sample A4, three-fold programme of a typical performance.