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Máire's News
(Posts to this section are in reverse date order, i.e., 2024 - 2014)
17/1/2024
Our spring 2024 schedule
We're starting a major recording project in Ireland in a few days' time - info to follow!
Above is a list of our spring performances - a few concerts in England, followed by a harp festival performance in Ireland and another tour of the USA which will bring us to MA, NY, NJ, PA, MO, VT, ME, DE, CA, OR and WA.
Concerts are still being added, so for the most up-to-date details, click here.
Our Old Bridge Music shop website has been re-designed and re-written, and more functionality is still being added - do have a look! After it's finished the designers will start to re-design this duo website - we're looking forward to seeing what they come up with!
17/12/2023
Our 2023 Celtic Christmas Strings shows have just finished!
We had a wonderful time as always presenting our Christmas show, Celtic Christmas Strings, during the last week. It's always such a joy to play to people in wonderfully celebratory mood!
We're now off to relax in the sunshine for a bit before going into the studio in January to do some recording!
15/12/2023
Review of the re-mastered 2023 reissue of Máire's solo album, The New Strung Harp, in Le Peuple Breton, December, 2023
Many thanks to Philippe Cousin for his nice review of the re-mastered 2023 reissue of Máire's 1985 solo album, The New Strung Harp, in the December issue of Le Peuple Breton, December, 2023!
More information and original reviews of the album are here.
29/11/2023
Our amazing trip to Kenya and lovely concerts there in November
We're just back from the most amazing trip to Kenya. We had a fun performance at the Embassy of Ireland, Nairobi, two brilliant concerts in beautiful locations - the Karen Country Club and the historic Muthaiga Country Club, Nairobi - and an unforgettable safari to the awe-inspiring Maasai Mara National Reserve (1510 km2 of wilderness) in between!
Máire took the photo above at the Maasai Mara in the beautiful light of dawn. It was such a massive treat to see the extraordinary wealth of wildlife there. We were fortunate enough to see baboons, lions, buffalo, hippos, topi, ostriches, elephants, zebras, giraffes, hyenas, warthogs, leopards, Thomson’s gazelle, impala, wildebeest, hartebeest, eland, crocodiles, rhinoceros, tortoises, terrapins, many species of bird - and a super-cute miniature antelope called a dik-dik!
We are so grateful to the wonderful organisers for all their hard work and kind hospitality, and to the generous sponsors, among them Spicers Eastern Africa, Self Help Africa, Embassy of Ireland, Nairobi, and Sense of Africa, who made the trip possible!
Lots more photos of our trip to the Maasai Mara can be seen on our Facebook Page here.
24/10/2023
Review of the re-mastered 2023 reissue of Máire's solo album, The New Strung Harp, in Folk Magazin (Germany), October, 2023
Many thanks to Gabriele Haefs for this nice review of the re-mastered 2023 reissue of Máire's 1985 solo album, The New Strung Harp, in Germany's Folk Magazin!
More information and original reviews of the album are here.
06/10/2023
Our super-enjoyable autumn tour of the USA has just finished
We're just back from a super-enjoyable tour in the USA, during which we played concerts in New Jersey, Missouri, Illinois, Washington, Oregon and New York states. We had a brilliant time everywhere - huge thanks to all the wonderful presenters, and to the lovely audiences who came out to see us!
This is a pic of the Three Sisters volcanoes reflected in Elk Lake, Oregon, taken on a day off a few days ago...
We're looking forward to our next US tour in April / May 2024 - details here.
11/09/2023
Fantastic review in today's Irish Echo (USA) of Máire's just re-released solo album, The New Strung Harp (originally released in 1985)!
Máire is delighted with this review in New York’s Irish Echo of her just re-released solo album, The New Strung Harp (originally released in 1985)!
Here is a transcript:
“The New-Strung Harp was a game-changer in the world of harp music. Prior to its release, the harp’s role in Irish music was conservative and essentially constrained to a particular range of repertory and style. This, until Ní Chathasaigh came along and redefined what the instrument could do, changing the game.
A first-class musician, Ní Chathasaigh stands sui generis––one of a kind!––in the world of harp playing. From Bandon, Co. Cork, she grew up in a world of music, taking up the instrument when she was 11 and developing a technique suited to playing dance music, which was not the convention for harpists at the time. It was a truly groundbreaking approach. In her early career, she accrued all sorts of well-deserved awards and accolades at the Oireachtas, the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann and the Killarney Pan-Celtic Festival. After many teaching accolades and acclaimed albums (including this one), she was awarded the Gradam for “Traditional Musician of the Year” in 2001. And she continues to be an important musician, teaching, recording, and touring frequently. She’s an absolute legend.
An excellent candidate for reissue, The New-Strung Harp was the first harp album that featured traditional Irish dance music and truly represented something new for the instrument. The music here is as sublime now as it was when it was released. It includes Carolan & Bunting tunes (as might be expected), songs (where she’s joined by her siblings Nollaig, Mairéad, and Greg in outstanding fashion), and a group of dance tunes that are beautifully rendered. The remaster really makes the music sound fabulous. The depth of Ní Chathasaigh’s interpretation of “Carolan’s Farewell to Music” jumps out of the speakers and dance tune tracks like “Humours of Ballyloughlin” and “The Gander in the Pratie Hole / Queen of the Rushes” sound amazing.
The New-Strung Harp is a wonderful album and this superbly done re-release will surely bring refreshed and well-deserved attention to this important album. Traditional music fans will love it and should be considered essential listening if you’re a harp player or a fan of harp music! To learn more and purchase, visit here. Highly recommended!"
Reviews received by the original 1985 release are here.
Listen to the album on Spotify here.
8/09/2023
Máire's 1985 solo album, The New Strung Harp, is being re-released today (distributed by Proper Music)!
"An intensely passionate and intelligent record... a masterpiece of virtuosity... a milestone in Irish harp music" CORK EVENING ECHO (Ireland)
"A classic exercise in music-making" THE SCOTSMAN
"Exquisite... exhilarating harp virtuosity... an undoubted classic" THE IRISH PRESS
The New Strung Harp, Máire's ground-breaking solo album, is of historical significance as the first harp album ever to concentrate on traditional Irish dance music, but also features traditional songs in English and Irish and Scottish Gaelic, and pieces from the 17th- and 18th-century Irish harp tradition. Máire's siblings make vocal and instrumental contributions.
It was first released in 1985 by Scotland-based Temple Records. Before his death in 2021, Robin Morton, the owner of Temple Records, decided to wind up the company and very kindly gifted the the album rights back to the recording artists. The New Strung Harp has therefore been digitally remastered, given a new cover and artwork (though it still features the original cover painting by Colm Murphy) and re-released by Old Bridge Music as OBMCD25 in September, 2023.
The album's title is a quotation from the late-18th century crest of the United Irishmen. This consisted of a representation of an old Irish harp and the motto: "Equality: it is New Strung and Shall be Heard".
Musicians:
Máire Ní Chathasaigh Irish Harp, keyboards, vocals
Nollaig Casey fiddle, backing vocals
Mairéad Ní Chathasaigh whistle, backing vocals
Greg Casey backing vocals
Listen to it on Spotify here.
Further information and purchase links are here.
01/09/2023
Concert Schedule September - December 2023: USA, Kenya and the UK
Our tour schedule September - December 2023 will bring us to the USA (for our fourth trip this year), Kenya and the UK. We're looking forward to visiting some beautiful places! Full details are here.
A preview of our 2024 plans is here.
28/08/2023
Our third trip to the USA this year, for TradMad Traditional Music & Dance Camp in Plymouth, MA
We're currently having a wonderful week teaching and performing at the fabulous TradMad Traditional Music and Dance Camp at Pinewoods near Plymouth, MA, USA.
19/08/2023
Video clip of Máire's home-town concert this evening with her sisters Nollaig & Mairéad (The Casey Sisters) at St Peter's Church, Bandon, Co. Cork
Máire and her sisters Nollaig & Mairéad (The Casey Sisters) had a fantastic turnout and a standing ovation for a home-town concert this evening in St Peter’s Church for the Bandon Walled Town Festival - here’s a video clip of a bit of the last set taken by their brother Gary! Huge thanks to the c.200+ people from Bandon and miles around who came along - it was brilliant to see so many fellow musicians & singers, old friends, schoolmates and neighbours there! Thanks a million to Maria Mc Laughlin and the Walled Town Festival committee for organising everything, to Ian Carey (who did a wonderful job on the sound) and the very welcoming Rector of of St Peter’s, Rev. Denis McCarthy. Still buzzing!
12/08/2023
Live TG4 TV performance at the All-Ireland Fleadh in Mullingar this evening
At the All-Ireland Fleadh in Mullingar, and looking forward to playing for a TG4 TV show tonight that will be broadcast live at 9:30pm (also featuring loads of other musicians, singers and dancers, including Cherish the Ladies, Máire's sister Nollaig, Joanie Madden, Kathleen Boyle Jordan, Mirella Murray, Enda Scahill, Mick Conneely, Liz Doherty etc etc)!
Update: You can watch the programme on catch-up TV now on the TG4 Player at www.TG4.ie!
25/06/2023
Máire teaching and performing at An Chúirt Chruitireachta International Festival for Irish Harp for the 38th successive year
After performing at Old Songs Festival in NY yesterday morning and an overnight flight to Dublin, Máire will start teaching this morning at this fantastic harp festival - always a delightfully sociable event! Info here.
14/06/2023
We're off to the USA again today for Old Songs Festival and some concerts - our second trip to the USA this year
We're looking forward to playing concerts in ME, CT, PA, NJ, then finishing our trip with performances at the wonderful Old Songs Festival in NY.
04/05/2023
A festival in Norfolk and concerts in Dorset, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire coming up
We're really looking forward to playing at Folk on the Pier - one of our favourite Festivals! - in Norfolk this weekend, and to three concerts next weekend: at the beautiful mediaeval St Peter's Church, Shaftesbury (Dorset) Fri 19th, Brailsford & Ednaston Institute, Brailsford (Derbyshire) on Sat 20th and the Embassy Theatre, Skegness (Lincolnshire) on Sun 22nd.
Details and booking links here.
After that, we'll pack our bags for another trip to the USA...
17/05/2023
Máire and Chris have three concerts in Ireland coming up next weekend, in Cos. Offaly, Cork and Waterford
Ag súil go mór le seo. Really looking forward to three concerts in Ireland next weekend!
Fri 21 Tullamore, Co Offaly - Tullamore Club Sessions
Sat 22 Baile Mhúirne, Co Cork - Ionad Cultúrtha
Sun 23 Kill, Co Waterford - Gealach Gorm Theatre
Details and booking links here.
16/04/2023
Article in the Offaly Express prior to Chris & Máire's concert in Tullamore, Co Offaly, next Friday 21 April, 2023
Many thanks to the Offaly Express for this article published in advance of our concert.
Additionally, on 18 April, a preview of our concert in Baile Mhúirne, Co. Cork, was published in The Echo, and a preview of our concert in Kill, Co Waterford, was published in The Munster Express.
A poster for Chris & Máire's tour schedule February - June 2023
All details here.
Interview with Máire published in the Observer-Dispatch, Utica, NY, 23 March, 2023
An interview with Máire was published in the Observer-Dispatch, Utica, NY, 23 March, 2023, prior to her 24 March concert with Chris at the Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley, Utica, NY.
Máire and Chris on tour again in Autumn 2022
Máire and Chris were delighted to be back performing in Ireland, the UK and USA again in autumn 2022 after the Covid hiatus. Their year culminated in a 15-date Christmas tour. Details here. There are lots of nice pics of their travels on their Facebook Page!
A poster for Máire's tour with Chris September 2022 - February 2023
Here is the introduction to their New Year newsletter (which you can read in full here):
"It has been wonderful to get back to live performances and we have enjoyed every minute of our busy autumn - concerts in Ireland, the UK & Italy, festivals in Ireland, the USA and the UK, and a 15-date Celtic Christmas Strings tour which we finished just before Christmas (details here)! It was such a treat to have been able to tour and meet so many people again after the dark days of the pandemic.
We're looking forward to 2023 adventures! Details here."
Interview with Máire published in The Echo 4 September, 2022
An interview with Máire was published the The Echo, Cork's daily newspaper, on 14 September, 2022, prior to her 30 September concert with Chris at the Cork Folk Festival.
Interview with Máire published in The Irish News 22 July, 2022!
An interview with Máire was published in The Irish News, Belfast's daily newspaper, on 22 July, 2022, prior to her appearance at the Belfast Tradfest.
The Second Edition of The Irish Harper Volume Two: 24 Pieces by Turlough O’Carolan Arranged for the Irish Harp by Máire Ní Chathasaigh was published on 25 July, 2022. It contains original arrangements of 24 of Carolan's beautiful tunes (with suggested fingering), a brief biography of Carolan, historical notes on the pieces and performance guidance. The arrangements are suitable for intermediate to advanced players.
The book was first published by Old Bridge Music in 2001. It has been amended, updated and given a new cover for the Second Edition, published in July 2022.
More information and purchase links here.
Máire's workshops / masterclasses and Máire and Chris' duo concerts 2022
Workshops / masterclasses and concerts in Ireland, UK and USA - see here for details.
Casey Sisters' concerts 2022
Máire's concerts with her sisters, fiddlers and singers Nollaig and Mairéad (The Casey Sisters) in Ireland and UK - see here for details.
The Casey Sisters' Sibling Revelry album listed on Soundtrack for Wild Atlantic Way Perceptive Travel's Soundtrack For Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way: 8 Albums To Discover
TV documentary about Máire and her sister Nollaig re-broadcast 13 Feb 2022
A documentary about Máire and her sister Nollaig (also featuring their sister Mairéad in addition to Chris and Nollaig's late husband Arty McGlynn) was first broadcast on TG4 on November 29th, 2020, as part of its 'Sé mo Laoch' series and and re-broadcast 13 February, 2022. (TG4 is Ireland's national Irish-language TV station.) You can watch it on the TG4 Player here.
(You don't need to speak Irish to enjoy watching the programme: just remember to enable the subtitles. When you click on the link above, you'll see three buttons at the bottom of the picture on the right hand side. The first is 'Subtitles', the second is 'Picture-in-Picture' and the third is 'Fullscreen'. Just click on the 'Subtitles' button and choose "English".)
The programme was Critics's Choice in The Sunday Times Culture Magazine on November 29th, 2020.
TV programme in TG4's Hup! series featuring performance by Máire and Chris re-broadcast February 2022
A TV programme in TG4's Hup! series celebrating the International Festival for Irish Harp (An Chúirt Chruitireachta) and featuring a performance by Máire and Chris, originally broadcast 11 October 2015, has recently been re-broadcast (February 2022) and can be watched on the TG4 Player here. Máire and Chris' contribution starts at 10:54.
Casey Sisters London concert on January 30th, 2022
Máire had a fantastic time playing with her sisters, fiddlers and singers Nollaig and Mairéad (The Casey Sisters), at the Irish Cultural Centre, Hammersmith for its St Brigid’s Day celebrations, and is looking forward to playing with them at a couple of festivals this summer!
2021...
Máire featured in TG4 TV programme Chistmas Day 2021!
A TV programme celebrating the late legendary Irish accordeon-player Joe Burke, featuring lots of wonderful musicians and to which Máire was honoured to be asked to contribute, was broadcast on TG4 on Christmas Day 2021.You can still watch the whole programme on the TG4 Player here. Some archive footage of Máire playing with Joe in 1983 starts at 22:14, followed at at 23:49 by new specially-recorded footage of her playing her arrangement of iconic slow air 'Róisín Dubh'.(TG4 is Ireland's national Irish-language TV station.)
Máire and Chris' online concert for Harp Day 2021
Saturday October 16th 2021 was Harp Day, the amazing annual international event coordinated by Harp Ireland. Máire and Chris were commisioned to contribute the culminatiing set to the final concert of the day, HARPS FROM ALL CORNERS. Watch it here. (Their set starts at 2:40:48 and to watch that only, click here.)
Details of previous online concerts are here.
Online interview with Máire
In the run-up to her October 29, 2021 performance with Chris at the Tyneside Irish Festival, Máire chats with Michael McNally for the Tyneside Irish Cultural Society's August 2021 Podcast.
The Living Tradition magazine cover feature!
Máire and Chris were delighted to be featured in the April / May 2021 issue of The Living Tradition magazine - and to be on the cover of course! The magazine features an interview with them too Click here to read it...
Previous online concerts
Máire and Chris performed at an online concert on 1 July for the 36th International Festival for Irish Harp ( An Chúirt Chruitireachta), the oldest and most prestigious festival for Irish harp in existence. It had been specially filmed at the Courthouse Arts Centre, Otley, West Yorkshire and was available to watch for 30 days after broadcast to those who had purchased tickets.
Back in the autumn of 2020, Karen Ryan of Irish Music and Dance in London (IMDL) invited Máire and Chris to take part in a series of concerts she had arranged for spring 2021 in King's Place, London. When the lockdown arrived, all concerts migrated online. As travelling to London was impossible because of Covid restrictions, IMDL arranged for Chris and Máire to be filmed at the Courthouse Arts Centre, Otley, West Yorkshire. They really enjoyed playing on an actual stage again, with actual PA and lights! The hour-long concert (sponsored by IMDL and the Irish Embassy in London and presented in association with the Irish Arts Foundation) was streamed on Friday 26th March and was available to watch for 30 days afterwards to those who had purchased tickets.
New harp sheet music
Máire's arrangements of 'DonOíche Úd i mBeithil', 'Fan mar a bhfuil tú, a Chladhaire' (Stay where you are, you rogue), 'Molly St George', 'Connamara', 'Lady Gethin', 'The Lost Summer' and 'The Song of the Harp' (the latter available for both solo harp and harp duet) are now available in downloadable pdf format and can be purchased here. Her books of harp arrangements, The Irish Harper Volume One and The Irish Harper Volume Two, are available in both hard copy and downloadable pdf format here (just scroll down the page).
Joe Burke R.I.P.
Máire was sad to hear of the death on February 20th of accordeon-player Joe Burke, one of the all-time giants of Irish music, the wittiest of men and the best company imaginable. She had the huge pleasure of doing some gigs with him in Ireland and the USA in the early '80s (and an album too in 1983, The Tailor's Choice). Here is a very nice article by Toner Quinn containing reminiscences about him from Frankie Gavin, Charlie Lennon, Daithí Gormley and Máire, published in The Journal of Music. Máire was one of a number of interviewees on the March 28 edition of RTÉ Radio 1's long-running Irish music series The Rolling Wave, the second of two programmes that the series has made in memory of Joe (also available as a podcast).`
Archive footage just posted...
...of Máire singing on a Tyne Tees TV programme about the Newcastle Irish Festival in 1988! Click here - her bit starts at 12.58. (Chris is playing in the background, but not visible.) A huge thank-you to John McGowan for sending us the link - we were delighted to get it!
2020...
TV documentary about Máire and her sister Nollaig
A documentary about Máire and her sister Nollaig (also featuring their sister Mairéad in addition to Chris and Nollaig's late husband Arty McGlynn) was broadcast on TG4 on November 29th, 2020, as part of its 'Sé mo Laoch' series. (TG4 is Ireland's national Irish-language TV station.) You can watch it on the TG4 Player here. `
(You don't need to speak Irish to enjoy watching the programme: just remember to enable the subtitles. When you click on the link above, you'll see three buttons at the bottom of the picture on the right hand side. The first is 'Subtitles', the second is 'Picture-in-Picture' and the third is 'Fullscreen'. Just click on the 'Subtitles' button and choose "English".)
The programme was Critics's Choice in The Sunday Times Culture Magazine on November 29th, 2020.
Blog-post from Colin Randall about 'The Living Wood'' - the Daily Telegraph's Folk Album of the Year in 1988
Here is a blog-post from Colin Randall dated August 17, 2020, where he looks back on Máire's first duo album with Chris, 'The Living Wood'. In a 1988 article for The Daily Telegraph he had declared it Folk Album of the Year as well as one of his top three albums of the decade!
Tours
Chris and Máire's annual Spring tour of the USA was curtailed in 2020, and all touring subsequently cancelled because of Covid-19. They hope - but are by no means certain - that concerts can tentatively resume in the autumn of 2021, but are confident that a normal touring schedule will be possible by the autumn of 2022 .
Their spring tour of the USA in 2020 took them to the American South, where they had huge fun exploring.
They were both interviewed and Chris played on WLOX TV News in Biloxi, MS prior to their concert in Gulfport, MS on Saturday February 29, 2020. You can watch the clip here...
Older posts
2019...
Chris and Máire had a great 2019, with festivals and performances in France, Sweden and Denmark, tours on the West and East Coasts of the North America, a trip to Colorado, concerts in the UK and Ireland and their Christmas tour of the UK to finish - always great fun!
A TV clip from TG4's "Geantraí" programme of Máire playing some of her own compositions with Chris, recently posted on YouTube.
Chris and Máire were interviewed on BBC Radio Lincolnshire's Afternoon Show, presented by Sue Taylor, on October 16, 2019 - listen here...
2018...
Máire and Chris had a super-busy 2018 - four North American tours, during which they visited Colorado, New Mexico, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois, Missouri and Ontario, a month-long tour of New Zealand, tours in Ireland, the UK, Italy and France, several festival performances - Temple Bar Tradfest, Dublin, Celtic Festival of Southern Maryland, Spring Rain Festival, Ontario, Gower Folk Festival, Wales, Old Songs Festival, NY, International Festival for Irish Harp,Termonfechin, Co. Louth, Catskills Irish Arts Week, NY, Festival on the Green, Middlebury, VT, Somerset Folk Harp Festival, NJ, Fiddler's Green International Festival, Rostrevor, Co Down, Beppe Gambetta Guitar Summit, Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy, Kelso Folk Festival, Scotland and Wellington Folk Festival, New Zealand - and their sixth annual Christmas tour in the UK.
In addition, the 2018 Cork Folk Festival featured the première on October 3rd of a composition entitled "Corcach: A Journey" by Máire, Nollaig and Mairéad (The Casey Sisters), specially-commissioned by the festival for its 40th anniversary.
Chris and Máire were featured on the first programme of the "Tradfest TG4" TV series, broadcast November 25 on TG4. Watch it on catchup TV here.
They were interviewed by Tom Lane for BBC Radio Lincolnshire's "Thursday Night Folk", broadcast December 13th. Listen to it on catchup here.
An interview with them appeared in the Spalding Guardian (Lincolnshire) on December 17th.
Máire and Chris were profiled in the Whakatane Beacon on October 20, 2018 prior to their concert in Whakatane during their tour of New Zealand.
Davey Calder's Folk Music Hour on Access Radio Taranaki, New Plymouth, presented a programme about their music on October 7, 2018, during their tour of New Zealand. It's still available to listen to and the link is on this page.
2017...
...started with a month-long duo tour of New Zealand (sponsored by Culture Ireland and incorporating a headlining appearance at Whare Flat Festival) in January. A subsequent bunch of UK concerts was followed by performances by Máire at Ireland's Gathering Festival and Ballymaloe Grainstore with The Casey Sisters. She and Chris then headed off to Dallas to perform as one of the headlining acts at the North Texas Irish Festival before returning to this side of the pond to do some concerts sponsored by the Arts Council of Wales, followed by a really good fun weekend playing at the Costa del Folk Festival in Ibiza (Spain). The summer included teaching at the International Festival for Irish Harp (An Chúirt Chruitireachta) and performing there with The Casey Sisters, teaching and performing at Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy and the Music Generation Laois Summer School. The autumn brought a fortnight touring in Ireland with Máire's sisters (during which they performed at the Cork Folk Festival and the O'Carolan Festival in Nobber, Co Meath), a six-week duo tour in Canada and the USA (during which Máire and Chris played at the Northern Lights Harp Festival, Ontario and in Québec, Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida) and their annual duo Christmas tour in the UK.
Máire was delighted to be on the front cover of the June-July 2017 issue of Germany's Folk Magazin! - see it here on the right. The accompanying interview is here...
On June 29th 2017 Máire was thrilled to lead over 70 harpers in playing her composition, Harps in Bloom (Termonfechin Times), at the 32nd International Festival for Irish Harp (An Chúirt Chruitireachta) held in Termonfechin, Co. Louth - such an exciting and powerful sound! The performance was televised by RTÉ and broadcast on three news programmes and on RTÉ 2's news2day programme that day. Here's the programme - the harp segment starts right away.
In the lead-up to the Casey Sisters' concert at the Ballymaloe Grainstore, Máire was interviewed by Cork's Evening Echo newspaper (click here to read) and all three sisters were interviewed by one of Ireland's national daily newspapers, The Irish Examiner (click here to read). The cover of their recent CD, Sibling Revelry, is on the right, and here's a video of their performance at the Skibbereen Arts Festival.
Interview with Máire in Cork's Evening Echo, 15 February, 2017
Interview with the Casey Sisters (Máire, Nollaig and Mairéad) in The Irish Examiner (one of Ireland's national daily newspapers), 21 February, 2017
Watch Máire playing and chatting on Part I of the TV programme "Mná an Cheoil" (Women in Traditional Music) on TG4 April 2016 - and some archive footage of her playing in the 1970s and 1980s too!
2016...
"Celtic Connections", the US public radio programme hosted by Bryan Kelso Crow for WSIU and widely syndicated (to stations in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Texas), broadcast a whole hour-long show about Máire and Chris on 10 November 2016. It incorporated a lengthy interview with them, an overview of their career and a selection of tracks from their recordings. The programme is no longer on the WSIU server, but information about it can still be accessed here and a playlist can be accessed here.
The Casey Sisters (Máire, Nollaig and Mairéad) live on a special edition of BBC Radio Ulster’s Folk Club broadcast on 31st July 2016 to celebrate 30 years of the Fiddler’s Green Festival in Rostrevor, Co Down.
Video of the Casey Sisters playing at the Canon Goodman Memorial Concert at Abbeystrewry Church for the Skibbereen Arts Festival, Co Cork, 24 July, 2016.
Watch Máire playing and chatting on Part I of the TV programme "Mná an Cheoil" (Women in traditional Music) on TG4 April 2016
Watch Máire's live TV performance with Anne-Marie O'Farrell and Cormac de Barra playing her composition "Reel for a Water-diviner" on Gradam Ceoil TG4, Sun 21 Feb, 2016
Older Posts...
In 2015 / 2016 Máire and Chris toured in Australia (twice), the USA (four times), Canada, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, the UK (which included their annual Celtic Christmas Strings tours) and Ireland and gave thirty-seven festival performances. Other notable events in that period were the award to Máire of Female Musician of the Year in the Live Ireland Music Awards 2016 and in the Chicago Irish American News Top TIR Awards (details here) and four TV performances.
2015...
Interview with Máire in Irish Music Magazine November 2015 with regard to the release of her CD with her sisters, Sibling Revelry.
Chris and Máire's TV performance on TG4's "Hup" programme was broadcast in Ireland on Sunday October 11, 2015 - watch it here.
Cerys Matthews played Máire's version of 'Carolan's Farewell to Music' on her iconic BBC 6 Music show on Sep 6 and again on Sep 20. She said “I adore this track. This was one of the tracks that Dónal Gallagher picked to play when we were enjoying the record collection that his brother Rory Gallagher had collected throughout his too-short life and this was the tune that Rory requested be played at his funeral. Absolutely tremendous stuff. It’s 'Carolan’s Farewell to Music' by Máire Ní Chathasaigh”.
New CD!!! Máire and her sisters Nollaig and Mairéad (The Casey Sisters) were excited to release their first CD together, Sibling Revelry, in late 2015 and to start touring with it in 2016! You can buy the CD here. (Image of the front cover here...)
Co-produced, recorded and mixed by Chris Newman, the new CD received some great reviews in The Irish Times * * * *, The Daily Telegraph * * * *, The Herald Scotland, The Living Tradition, Le Canard Folk (Belgium), Songlines * * * *, Trad Magazine (France) * * * *, Le Peuple Breton, the Boston Irish Reporter (USA), Folk Magazin (Germany), Folk Bulletin (Italy), The Ulster Herald, Fatea, Bright Young Folk, FolkWords, Folking.com and Blogfoolk (Italy). They're all here...
A radio programme in RTÉ Lyric FM's Grace Notes series was broadcast on Thursday October 8, 2015, featuring an extended interview by Ellen Cranitch with the Casey Sisters to coincide with the release of their CD, Sibling Revelry.
The CD was played on various BBC stations (including BBC Radio nan Gaidheal, where it was "Caithreim Ciúil"s Album of the Week), several NPR stations in the USA (including WGBH, KRVS, KUAR), on stations in Germany, France and Italy and on RTÉ Lyric FM, Raidio na Gaeltachta, Clare FM, Shannonside Radio, Midwest Radio, Tipp FM and LMFM (Máire was interviewed on LMFM about the album) and KCLR (the sisters were interviewed prior to their performance at the Alternative Kilkenny Arts Festival).
After a couple of lovely festivals in atmospheric and historic locations in Italy in late July, Chris and Máire headed straight into mixing Sibling Revelry, the new CD that Máire has made with her sisters Nollaig and Mairéad - information above...
Just prior to the Italian trip, Máire had spent a fortnight teaching and performing at the 30th International Festival for Irish Harp at An Grianán, Termonfechin, Co. Louth (where she also performed at the gala concert with The Heartstring Quartet) and Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy in Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare.
The Irish events were preceded by a tour of Denmark with Chris, Máire's sister, fiddle-player and singer Nollaig Casey and guitarist Arty McGlynn (as The Heartstring Quartet), during which they performed at Halkaer Festival. Máire and Chris had spent April - May touring as a duo on the East Coast of the USA. Less than two weeks before the start of that tour at the Celtic Festival of Southern Maryland, they had returned from a seven-week quartet tour of Australia in February - April which included appearances at Perth International Festival, Port Fairy Folk Festival, Blue Mountains Music Festival, the National Folk Festival, Cobargo Folk Festival and Deloraine StringFest (see here for details) - and in that period managed to fit in duo concerts at the Edinburgh Harp Festival, Coquetdale Music Trust and Lichfield Arts Centre.
Here's a link to an interview with Máire in The Herald Scotland on 8 April, 2015, prior to the Edinburgh Harp Festival performance.
Here's an article about the duo in the May 6 issue of New York City's Irish Voice newspaper.
The quartet's second album, Heartstring Sessions 2, was recorded in January and manufactured in time for the Australian tour! The CD will be released in Europe or the US soon - we'll keep you posted.
Máire and Chris had a wonderful time on their 21-date Celtic Christmas Strings tour of the UK in November / December (flyer on the right) - eight of the concerts were sold out, which was very gratifying, and the whole experience was fantastically good fun! They've posted photos taken on the tour, together with photos of their autumn trips to Italy and Sweden, on their Facebook Page.
Máire and her two fiddle-playing and singing sisters Nollaig and Mairéad performed and taught at the 2nd Harp Weekend at Bandon Walled Town Festival, held in their home town of Bandon, Co. Cork on August 30 - 31. Their concert on August 30th (to a capacity audience in St Peter's Church) included the première of their specially-composed Bandonbridge Suite - a musical representation of the history of the town - and their new CD will be released soon. Here's a video clip of Máire and Nollaig playing together.
All in all, Máire and Chris had a very busy 2014 - a tour of the USA and Canada in March/April, a tour of Australia in May / June as The Heartstring Quartet with Máire's sister Nollaig and legendary Irish guitarist Arty McGlynnn and festival appearances at Old Songs Festival in Altamont, NY, Steve Kaufman's Acoustic Kamp, Maryville, TN (Chris only), International Festival for Irish Harp (Ireland - Máire only) and Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy (Ireland - Máire only). Their autumn schedule included concerts in the UK and Ireland and festival appearances in Italy and Sweden...
They launched their seasonal CD Christmas Lights with a sell-out UK tour in December 2013 and immediately after Christmas headed to beautiful Gaoth Dobhair, Donegal for a Heartstring Quartet concert with Nollaig and Arty at the wonderful but sadly final Scoil Gheimhridh Frankie Kennedy Festival. The quartet also played at a couple of other lovely festivals in 2013 - Killarney's Gathering Festival and the Cork Folk Festival. Here's a video clip of their performance at the latter.
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