First off, congratulations to the organizers and attendees of the Patsy Touhey Memorial Weekend. Held this past weekend at the Canadian American Club in Watertown, Mass., (a perfect venue for such a happening), it was a two-day event that featured lectures, workshops, concerts and sessions, and it did an excellent job of bringing folks together in an intellectually stimulating and very musical environment. Event organizers Joey Abarta and Michael Stribling are to be commended for their planning and execution. The Touhey weekend is a biennial event, so if you’re interested keep an eye open for 2026! Learn more at its website.
In other news, TG4’s 2024 Gradam Ceoil concert and award ceremony will take place at the University Concert Hall, Limerick, on May 5 at which point it will be available to stream live via TG4’s website, from 9:30 p.m., Ireland time. Folks who can’t watch the ceremony and concert live will be able to access the ceremony through the TG4 site.
Established in 1998, the TG4 Gradam Ceoil is a celebration of artistic excellence that recognizes the finest in the Irish tradition. Over the years, it’s become an annual opportunity to amplify individual success and potential on a global platform, one that also showcases the vibrancy and diversity of traditional Irish music and dance and the outstanding talent in Ireland and its diaspora as a whole.
The annual ceremony recognizes achievement in seven categories, including (1) Gradam Ceoil/Musician, (2) Amhránaí/Singer, (3) Ceoltóir Óg/Young Musician, (4) Cumadóir/Composer, (5) Grúpa Ceoil/Music Group, (6) Gradam Comaoine/Outstanding Contribution, and (7) Gradam Saoil/Lifetime Achievement. This year’s awardees, selected by a committee of peers, include Derek Hickey, Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, Macdara Ó Faoláin, Ryan Molloy, the Kane Sisters, Cairdeas na bFidiléirí and Jean Butler.
I know I named this year’s award recipients last month, but given this group’s quality, it’s worth devoting a little space here to get to better know them.
The Musician of the Year for 2024 is button accordion player Derek Hickey. Hickey comes from Adare, Co. Limerick, and first learned initially from Dónal de Barra. After a stint in the Shannonside Céilí Band, he later found a musical partner in Frankie Gavin, with whom he played regularly. This lead him to the band Arcady and after that, De Dannan, with whom he recorded two albums. He released his solo debut in 2022 and is widely considered one of the tradition’s finest practitioners on his instrument.
Derek Hickey.
Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin has been named Singer of the Year. A singer and multi-instrumentalist of great contemporary renown, Ó Ceannabháin grew up in the sean-nós tradition. These days, he’s broadened his musical horizons currently as a member of the band Skipper’s Alley, but also as part of the groups Aon Teanga and Jiggy. He often collaborates with the strings player Ultan O’Brien and released “The Deepest Breath,” his debut solo album, in 2022.
The Young Musician of the Year award will go to Macdara Ó Faoláin. From An Rinn, Co. Waterford, Ó Faoláin is a multi-instrumentalist and luthier. He’s recorded with Derek Hickey, The Friel Sisters, Nell Ní Chróinín, Cormac McCarthy, Victoria Adiiye, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, and the great banjoist Páraic MacDonnchadha; in addition, he was founding member of the group Nuadán. He recently graduated the Cork School of Music with an honors degree.
Ryan Molloy has been named Composer of the Year. His approach draws from both classical and traditional music styles and his pieces have been recorded over thirty times. He’s been nominated for a pair of RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards and has worked with the likes of Fergal Scahill, Seán Óg Graham, Paddy Glackin, Iarla Ó Lionáird, North Cregg, Barry Kerr, the Danish String Quartet, the Ulster Orchestra, and the Irish Chamber Orchestra. He’s currently an Associate Professor of composition at Maynooth University.
The Gradam for Music Group will be given to the Kane Sisters. Liz and Yvonne come from Letterfrack, Co. Galway. Among other things, they are standard bearers of the composer and fiddle-player Paddy Fahey. For many years they worked with Sharon Shannon, notably as members of the band the Woodchoppers. They have recorded acclaimed four albums together as a duo, including the most recent “In Memory of…” (2022), a remarkable tribute to their mentor Fahey.
The organization Cairdeas na bFidiléirí will be recognized with the Gradam for Outstanding Contribution. Formed in the early 1980s to support and promote the art of fiddle playing in the Donegal tradition its leaders Caoimhín MacAoidh and Rab Cherry have elevated Donegal fiddle music in an unmatched way. In addition to other things, they orgranize the Donegal Fiddlers' Summer School in Glencolmbcille and the October Donegal Fiddlers' Meeting Glenties. In addition, it has issued several influential recordings that feature Donegal fiddle players.
Finally, the brilliant dancer (and New York native) Jean Butler will be recognized with the Gradam for Lifetime Achievement. Butler, whose most recent work “What We Hold” led to a run of 30 sellout shows at the Irish Arts Center in New York City, founded “Our Steps” in 2018, a not for profit organization that looks to change the way we think about Irish dance. This project also yielded a dance archive in the Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New York Public Library. Early professional work with the Green Fields of America led to six years of touring with the Chieftains, and later, a starring role in the original production of Riverdance. A hugely influential dancer and choreographer, she has taught at Princeton, University College Dublin, Notre Dame, the University of Limerick, and New York University.
Again, TG4’s 2024 Gradam Ceoil concert and award ceremony will take place on May 5th from 9:30 p.m. (Ireland). It can be watched through TG4’s website.
