Arts Week with Judy Murphy

Musician Cormac Begley can speak fluidly and freely in both Irish and English as anyone who watches the TG4 series, Slí na mBeaglaoich, will be aware.

It’s rare that he’s reluctant to be drawn but when it comes to describing the dance show, MÁM, he isn’t forthcoming. And it’s not that he’s being difficult – it’s just that “words don’t do it justice,” he says.

MÁM, created by choreographer and dancer Michael Keegan-Dolan, premiered at the 2019 Dublin Theatre Festival and travelled to places including Australia and New Zealand before Covid stopped all touring.

It’s now been revived and will visit Galway’s Black Box next Wednesday and Thursday, November 23 and 24, as part of an extensive national tour. Concertina player Cormac has created an extraordinary soundscape from this modest-sized instrument, bringing it in new directions while retaining the traditional grounding of his West Kerry roots.

He and Michael – a choreographer who creates work for actors – had previously collaborated on the show Rían in 2011, “with Liam Ó Maonlaí”, Cormac recalls, and he loved the experience.

When Cormac released his debut, self-titled album in 2017, Michael, originally from Longford and now living in West Kerry, proposed collaborating on a show that would involve that music.

And so, three years ago, Michael and Cormac, along with 12 dancers and an ensemble of eight musicians from mainland Europe gathered in Feothanach, in the shadow of Mount Brandon,  to work on that piece.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App

Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.

Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.

Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite  HERE.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.