
TSEAC Singing Sessions
Led by professional musicians, Dónal Kearney, Fergus Cahillane & Macdara Yeates
Date:
14.12.23
Session Starts: 19:00
(In Person or Via Zoom)
Join us and our guest hosts for our new monthly Singing Session here at TSEAC where it’s all about the art of song.
Led by professional musicians, Dónal Kearney, Fergus Cahillane & Macdara Yeates, ‘TSEAC Singing Sessions’ is an informal session where all participants are encouraged to perform and share songs in a relaxed environment. Our guest hosts will do their best to accommodate all those who wish to sing within the time constraints, both on-site and on-line. Each month will also feature an invited special guest singer who will also take to the stage.
If singing isn’t for you and you prefer to just listen, why not come along, and enjoy some refreshments from The Cottage Café whilst you enjoy the music in our atmospheric, candlelit theatre, or join us online as we stream the session live on our social media channels for all to enjoy.
Singing Sessions at TSEAC provides a great evening of music and a platform for local talent.
As always, all performers and listeners are welcome.
Singing Sessions are FREE to attend however, places are limited so booking is essential.
Booking note:
Please be mindful of which ticket you are booking (both in-person and online tickets are available.
Online participants please note:
To take part, you will need either a mobile phone with a camera or a computer with a webcam. You will also need to create a free account with Zoom and/or download the Zoom app. The zoom link for the sessions will be sent as a link in your confirmation email (usually found in the footer). Please ensure to check your spam/ junk email folder.
Please visit https://zoom.us/signup to set up and download the relevant software.
More About the Hosts:
Fergus Cahillane
Fergus, who performs under the moniker FARÓ, has toured extensively across the U.S, Europe and Asia as both singer and multi-instrumentalist.
He is a founding member of Irish/Icelandic ensemble M’ANAM and his solo performance of ‘Aird Uí Chuain’ was nominated for a CARA award in 2021. Fergus has performed and presented Irish music to an international audience with Grammy nominated ensemble ANÚNA since 2016. Fergus performed as a singer on the TV show "Vikings" and has contributed to the soundtrack of games like World of Warcraft and Nintendo’s Xenogears, which won an “Outstanding Ensemble” award in the Annual Game Music Awards, 2017.
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.
Donal Kearney
Dónal 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 alt-folk trio, TRÚ. They arrange old songs and write new songs inspired by the folk tradition and have gained recognition for their unique sound. TRÚ were selected to record original music with the Ulster Orchestra, played Other Voices Dingle 2022, and have featured in national and international radio and television broadcasts - including BBC 6 Music, ABC's The Music Show (Australia) and the RTÉ Radio One Christmas Broadcast 2022 from the National Concert Hall. TRÚ's debut record "No Fixed Abode" was nominated for Best Album at the Northern Ireland Music Prize 2021 ("a distinctive, atmospheric debut" - The Guardian) and ranked in MOJO's Top 10 Folk Albums of the year.
Macdara Yeates
Born and raised in Dublin, Macdara is one of a crop of singers associated with the recent resurgence of young singing talent in the city along with acts such as Lankum, Landless and Ye Vagabonds. He has toured and performed extensively throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and North America with acclaimed folk band Skipper’s Alley, as well as at such established folk singing festivals as the Cullerlie Traditional Singer’s Weekend, The South Roscommon Singers Festival, Fife Sing, The Frank Harte Festival and more. In 2020, Macdara was named by Trad Ireland as a '20/20 Visionary' with a film and musical tribute to Dublin ballad singer and songwriter Liam Weldon (1933-1995).
An avid cultural producer and curator, Macdara has produced work in association with The Smithfield Fleadh, The Dún Laoghaire Folk Festival, and the St. Patrick's Festival, including Abair an annual international programme examining the relationship between song and speech in the Irish oral traditions. Macdara is also a founding member of The Night Before Larry Got Stretched, a collective of traditional singers running regular events in Dublin with a particular emphasis on the dissemination of traditional song among young people.
In 2021, Macdara was awarded a Music Network residency with the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris.