Going back to their roots
Siblings Caoimhe and Séamus Uí Fhlatharta delight in sharing the music, song and dance of Conamara with audiences far and wide. As they prepare to play Clifden this weekend alongside award-winning pianist and composer Ryan Molloy, they tell JUDY MURPHY about the joy of mixing old and new and the importance of tradition.
It’s been an extraordinary couple of years for Séamus and Caoimhe Uí Fhlatharta, the multi-talented siblings from An Ard Mhóir, Carna, who have been travelling the world, sharing their unique blend of music and sean-nós singing with audiences far and wide.
This weekend, the pair are on home ground as they play a special concert at Clifden Arts Festival, with both the town and the festival being close to their hearts.
“We met some of our best friends through music in Clifden,” says Séamus, referencing Marie Walsh of Comhaltas, who was an early champion. He starts listing other names too but stops and laughs.
“There are too many people. I’m going to leave someone out!”
Caoimhe and Séamus who are multi-instrumentalists and singers with an array of All-Ireland Fleadh titles to their credit, will be performing in Clifden’s St Joseph’s Church this Saturday evening in the company of composer and pianist Ryan Molloy, as part of Music Network’s Autumn tour.
Their concert will feature two new tunes, Oileán Mhic Dara and Inis Múscraí, which were commissioned by Music Network and composed by Ryan. And the trio have made beautiful new recordings of the songs Siúil a Rún and Bríd Óg Ni Mháille, which will also be on the bill this Saturday night.
They recorded them in a studio in Ennis ahead of touring, “to see what the sound would be like”, says Caoimhe.
“Those songs are very special for us”, she explains. “We were looking for new ways of bringing these old songs into the new century, with harmonies and Ryan’s piano-playing.”
The siblings from An Árd Mhóir who “were born and reared with sean-nós and the Irish language”, have been performing together since childhood, absorbing their local culture and sharing it with others.
Their parents Mary and Dara were central to this, with their older brothers Conall and Rónán being fine musicians too. But for Caoimhe and Séamus, it has become something even more.
It was while they were both at home during Covid lockdowns that the two started collaborating on arranging and singing songs in Irish and English. They began introducing harmonies and instrumentation to sean-nós songs, rather than singing them unaccompanied as is the usual tradition.
Clannad, Altan and Skara Brae, all rooted in Donegal, have experimented in this way, but it’s not the norm – and listeners approved.
Caoimhe and Séamus’s songs began attracting attention, and they were featured on TG4 and the Late Late Show, while Riverdance composer Bill Whelan, who spends a lot of time in the area, and has helped nurture their talent since childhood, co-produced their first EP, titled Séamus and Caoimhe. They have also featured on performances of his compositions, including with the National Symphony Orchestra and the ConTempo Quartet.
Now, they’re on another musical adventure.
Collaborating with Ryan has “opened up a door for creativity in terms of texture, arrangements and polyphonics”, says Séamus of their explorations. “And this wasn’t for the sake of it,” he adds, of how they approached the preparations for this tour.
“It was natural and organic, being respectful to the story and the essence of the songs.”
Respect for the tradition they inherited is at the heart of everything they do, while not being afraid to put their own stamp on the music and song.
Pictured: Caoimhe and Séamus with pianist and composer Ryan Molloy. PHOTO: RUTH MEDJBER.