Donal moves the hearts

It’s always nice to finish in style and the Galway Arts Festival of 2007 ended with a full house for a rare concert treat provided by Donal Lunny and his Moving Hearts band on Sunday night in the Radisson. Moving Hearts are a formidable group of musicians fronted by Donal Lunny on bouzouki and guitar, and the wonderfully talented Davy Spillane on the pipes and flute.Last Sunday night’s grand finale left no vacant seats at the Radisson arena in a two part session which began shortly after 9.30 and didn’t end until well after midnight. For many, including this writer, the first half of the show provided the more intimate experience with that magician of the box, Mairtín O’Connor, accompanying Donal Lunny in a series of traditional numbers.Apart from his wizardry on the keyboards, Mairtín O’Connor is a man who establishes an easy rapport with his audience, telling the odd yarn between his tunes as if he was sitting on the edge of an old country fireside hob.A couple of haunting vocals from Philip King and a special guest appearance by Connemara traditional singer Róisin Elsafty provided the perfect balance of voice and instrument in the first half of the show.The daughter of sean nós singer Treasa Ní Cheannabháin, Róisín Elsafty is a very special talent endowed with a softness and clarity of voice which will always hold an audience spell bound.The second half of the show was…..