Thrills and trills at sell-out concert May 20th, 2004 Family, friends and more importantly a growing fan base filled the An Grianán Theatre to capacity last Friday night to witness Arcanadh enthrall for over two hours. A fantastic musical mix of harmonies, solos, banter and "craic" combined to create a thoroughly successful night for the band of six traditional artists. Following the success of their sell out concert in May last year, Arcanadh returned to the An Grianán as part of the Oireachtas Festival. Although playing traditional instruments the band are not your conventional traditional artists. Vocal harmonies, lilting songs, musical compositions and variety make for a very different experience. Many songs by Arcanadh are those lesser known traditional ballads mixed with evocative, new and challenging traditional songs composed by the band. Alternating with ease from Gaelic to English the band 'frontman' Colm Breathnach, regaled the audience with funny anecdotes and witty asides about the other band members and his '13' brothers and sisters. The band were delighted to be centre stage and their enthusiasm and warmth was infectious as the audience gleefully joined in singing the chorus to a number of songs - albeit coerced to by "the Dub", Maria Corbet. The six singers are all teachers, working and living in Donegal, but the two men and four women are drawn from various counties. All four women are teachers in Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal, Letterkenny. Gortahork's talented Sinead Gibson's soft, lilting voice carries gently throughout the auditorium. She performed a ballad she penned herself, "Droichead na nDeaor" which is included on the band's CD "Soundings". The song is about the Cloich Cheann Fhoala and the emigration from the area in the famine years. "Droichead na nDeaor"was a well known parting point for families and relative in West Donegal, sheltering under the side slopes of Muckish. Colm Breathnach from Ring, County Waterford, teaches in lllistrin National School and is married to Sinead. Kept duly in check by the others in the band, Colm plays the banjo and mandolin and like the others alternates lead vocals. Martin Gallen from Castleblaney, Co Monaghan had written several songs for the group which are sung by his sister Mags Gallen or himself. In them the guitarist and bodhran player tackles a number of topics, detailing his appreciation of nature and the county Clare, to "Guerra Civil" which tells the story of two childhood friends who find themselves fighting on opposing sides of the Spanish Civil War. His sister Mags plays the grand piano - not traditionally a feature in Irish music sessions - and the fiddle, and her powerful voice with a hint of a sultry undertone is the perfect vehicle for Martin's song. The harpist is Maria Corbet. Though traditional, the harp has become almost non-existent in the classrooms of Irish music dotted round the country. Contrasting with the delicate strains of the harp Maria has a booming strong voice, leading many vocal harmonies. Maria sang "Anachie Gordon," which tells the tale of a bride forced to marry a rich sultan and who dies on her wedding day. Naturally as all good songs go, her true love arrives the same day and dies there with her. Fiona Walsh from Bohola, County Mayo is no doubt cursing her 15 minutes of fame on the Bibi Baskin show as a child - if we were to believe all that Colm Breathnach makes up. Allegedly a member of the youth band the "Dickie Bumfluffs" to feature on the show, the smallest band member is dubbed, Fiona "Dickie" Walsh in honour of her famous past. With a number of awards, international travel and performing the support to acts like Kieran Goss and Juliet Turner, Arcanadh are drawing large crowds to each performance which no doubt will go from strength to strength as their music reaches a larger audience.   « Return to News