Ballynacargy musician to compete in Seán Ó Riada Bonn Óir Competition in Cork

Live on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, Friday 23 January at 7pm

The Seán O Riada Bonn Óir Competition takes place tomorrow, Friday 23 January, at the Rochestown Park Hotel, Cork and will be broadcast live on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta on the programme Cuireadh Chun Ceoil, presented by Peadar Ó Riada from 7pm.

The Seán Ó Riada Gold Medal competition is a prestigious traditional music competition that focuses on a different instrument every year over a four-year cycle. This year focuses on metal reed instruments including the accordion, concertina, and harmonica. The winner will be presented with a bespoke gold medal designed by Niamh Utsch, and a cash prize of €2,500.

This year's competition features talented competitors from all corners of Ireland and two from the US.

Caomhan Mac Gabhann from Ballynacargy is a finalist in the concertina section. He grew up in a musical family and his mother Áine plays the fiddle. He played a lot with Áine’s family and was taught initially by her brother, renowned concertina player Micheál Ó Raghallaigh. He is active with Comhaltas Ceoltoirí Éireann on a local level coaching local groups. He also plays with the group Misneach.

Accordion player and multi-instrumentalist Ademar O'Connor is from Ballygibbon, County Offaly. Hailing from a musical family, he joined the Edenderry Comhaltas along with his two brothers at a young age. Ademar plays several instruments and has racked up medals and prizes over the years. He has won 23 All Ireland titles, and one of his proudest moments was winning the senior fiddle competition at Fleadh Ceoil na hÉireann, having won the Fiddler of London prize some time earlier.

One of the American finalists, New York concertina player Caitríona Fee, counts the well-known actor Steve Martin as one of her past pupils. She said she had the privilege of teaching the concertina to Steve for several seasons of the TV show Only Murders in the Building. Caitrióna lives in Virginia and teaches the concertina and coaches céilí bands for the Baltimore Irish Music School.

The competition has been running since 2010 and is renowned for attracting a large number of talented musicians from Ireland and overseas. Organised by Raidió na Gaeltachta Cuireadh Chun Ceoil presenter Peadar O Riada, this year’s judges are the renowned concertina player Mary McNamara and accordion players Johnny Óg Connolly and Danny O Mahony

Event organiser and presenter Peadar Ó Riada said: “We are very pleased that the competition is going from strength to strength with entrants from all over the world and two American finalists in the competition this year. The standard is very high and we are particularly happy to see the younger generation attending the concert every year, to meet up with each other and to play in the music session afterwards.”

The Seán O Riada Bonn Óir Competition will be broadcast live on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta on Cuireadh Chun Ceoil, presented by Peadar Ó Riada from 7pm. The competition will also be streamed live on Facebook @rternag.

List of competitors below:

Third generation Irish American Colin Kadis was encouraged to play the accordion at the age of 17 by his Irish born grandfather, whose parents hailed from Ballydesmond and Castleisland. Colm learned the accordion from Tommy Sheridan and Colm Gannon, and he likes to play when he's not travelling around the Pacific Northwest advising dairy farmers.

New York Concertina player Caitríona Fee, is also a talented music teacher and counts the well-known actor Steve Martin as one of her past pupils. She said she had the privilege of teaching the concertina to Steve Martin for several seasons of the TV show Only Murders in the Building. Caitrióna lives in Virginia and teaches the concertina and coaches céilí bands for the Baltimore Irish Music School.

The remaining 13 contestants come from all corners of Ireland:

Concertina player Oisín Ó Brolacháin from Killeavy, County Armagh has been playing concertina since he was seven years of age. He has played abroad on a number of occasions in countries like the USA, Russia, and many European countries, and is currently studying Communications, Advertising and Marketing in Belfast, where he plays music regularly. He teaches concertina and plays with the Cloughmór Ceili Band from Warrenpoint in County Down.

Annalise Whyte is an accordion player from Keady in County Armagh. She learned her music at the Armagh Pipers Club and from her childhood teacher Donna McCusker. She is a fourth-year student of traditional music at the University of Limerick. She is currently recording her first album, which she hopes to release this summer.

Éabha Ní Mhurchú from Ovens, County Cork is a Leaving Cert student in Gaelcholáiste Choilm, Baile an Chollaigh. She has been playing the concertina since she was eight years old and is a member of CCÉ Craobh Niall O Chathasaigh, Baile an Chollaigh. Éabha also plays the whistle and was a finalist in the Bonn Óir flute and whistle competition in 2023. She has won numerous All Ireland medals in Concertina, Whistle and Composing.

Sean Ahern from Kilbrittain also County Cork was an early starter, having begun his concertina classes at eight years old with Ballinspittle Comhaltas. His main musical influences are Noel Hill and Derek Hickey, and he is also influenced by pipe playing, particularly Seamus Ennis. He is in his second year of Science at the University of Galway.

Concertina player Ríona Hely is from Ennis, County Clare. She is in her second year in University College Cork where she is studying music and Irish. A regular at the Fleadhs and at Siansa she has won her fair share of medals and is doing her best to pass on the tradition through giving classes both in Cork and Clare. She is particularly interested in the old-style concertina style and is influenced by the playing of Elizabeth Crotty and Kitty Hayes.

Fellow Clareman Aidan Quigney is from Kilmore in east Clare and inherited his interest in music from his mother and his father who are both flute players. He won the All-Ireland Fleadh Ceoil on the concertina in 2022 and the musical duet with musician Sarah Fox in 2024. He also plays the piano and is a member of the group The Bath Street Boys. He is currently studying for a Masters degree in Engineering in Dublin, where he enjoys playing in sessions at every opportunity.

William Holmes from Rathcabbin, County Tipperary is the only finalist to play the harmonica. He also plays the fiddle, uilleann pipes, guitar and piano and is a regular performer at Comhaltas Heritage Centre Brú Ború in Cashel. He has played at sessions and concerts across Ireland and abroad, most recently as part of the Comhaltas Cairdeas Tour. He holds a BA in Music and Psychology and is currently completing a Professional Master of Education in Music at the University of Limerick.

Accordion player Colm Slattery is also from Tipperary - from Ballywilliam, near Nenagh. Colm was tutored by Ned Kelly on the accordion and has attained many All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil titles at both underage and senior level, and won the senior button accordion title in 2017. He has performed in concerts and tours across Ireland, the UK, China, Egypt, the USA and regularly plays in sessions around the North Tipperary area with his younger brothers. Colm works as a mixed animal veterinary surgeon in Nenagh and enjoys the contrast between his professional and musical life.

Joseph Mannion is also an accordion player from Colligan, Co.Waterford. He is a multi-instrumentalist and has won numerous All-Ireland Medals in accordion, melodeon, bodhran and duet competitions. Joseph is the accordion player in the Céilí Band ‘Taobh na Mara’. He has been playing music from a very young age and is highly sought after. He enjoys teaching music and playing in pubs and bars around Dungarvan and at various festivals around the country and abroad. He is currently doing an apprenticeship in Cabinet Making and is currently in Letterfrack.

Ciarán O'Connell is a button accordion player and an uilleann piper from Pallasgreen, Co. Limerick. Currently in his Final Year of study in the BA in Irish Music in the University of Limerick in the Irish World Academy of Music, he is a member of rising band Alltacht, while being an accomplished performer touring in Egypt, America, England, Italy and Germany, and having 2 All Ireland Titles to his name. Ciarán is also the Youth officer for Limerick Comhaltas, a member of the National Folk Orchestra of Ireland and is teaching regularly with Craobh Pheig Uí Riain CCÉ, Music Generation Tipperary and in his own private lessons.

Amhlaoibh Ó Siocháin Ó Beoláin is the third Corkonian to be taking part in the Bonn Óir Competition. Originally from Fermoy, he was a student in UCC studying maths, statistics and of course music. He plays a lot locally and is a favourite among the set dancers, especially in the Ballyduff area of County Waterford.