Acclaimed traditional musicians Niamh Dunne (vocals and fiddles), Bróna McVittie (vocals and harp), Cormac Breatnach (whistle) and Seán Óg Graham (guitar and button accordion), will play Clifden’s Station House Theatre on Tuesday, February 6.  The four have joined forces for a national tour under the auspices of Music Network and Clifden is their first stop.

Bróna McVittie has composed a new piece for the tour, a commission from Music Network.  This composition is her response to the ongoing horror in Gaza, and she describes it as “a tribute in particular to all the young lives lost, lives never to be lived”.

Bróna, who grew up in County Down during the troubles, describes this work as “probably the hardest thing I’ve ever tried to compose”, but says she was  “determined to create something uplifting”.

Her debut album, We Are the Wildlife, was released in 2018 and received four-star reviews from MOJO, Uncut, The Guardian and The Independent. She followed that with 2020’s The Man in the Mountain, which The Guardian named Folk Album of the Month.

Niamh Dunne, a founding member of the innovative trad group, Beoga, released an album of self-penned songs Tides in 2022, also to critical acclaim. She has performed with the well-known Dunne family for many years as well as with the Grammy-nominated Beoga, whose collaborations include working with Ed Sheeran.

Seán Óg Graham has recorded seven albums as a member of of Beoga. When the band performed on Ed Sheeran’s album ÷, his piece, Minute 5 provided the musical backdrop to Sheeran’s Galway Girl.

Cormac Breatnach featured in Riverdance and was a founder of the influental group Deiseal. His solo releases include Musical Journey, Music for Whistle and Guitar, and Éalú.

Doors for the Clifden concert on Tuesday, February 6, are at 7.30pm. The show will start at 8pm, and will include a combination of traditional and contemporary music and old songs being presented in new ways.  Tickets €15 on the door. More information on the show and tour at www.musicnetwork.ie.