Musical Exuberance & Raw Bar Musical Moments: Nuala Kennedy, Anna Falkenau & Cathal Ó Curráin at The Crane
Anna Falkenau (fiddles, viola) – Nuala Kennedy (song, flute, whistles) – Cathal Ó Curráin (bouzouki, song, fiddle & banjo)
Nuala Kennedy (“Sumptuous folk songs” ****) – Anna Falkenau (“free-spirited, unadorned glory” ****) & Cathal Ó Curráin (“Best Emerging Artist” RTÉ 1 Folk Awards)
A special night of music is ahead at the Crane Bar on Friday, December 6th with one of Ireland’s most beloved traditional musicians, flutist and singer Nuala Kennedy, fiddle virtuoso Anna Falkenau, and award winning multi-instrumentalist Cathal Ó Curráin (bouzouki; banjo; vocals). The trio play with heart and soul and with a musical inventiveness beyond their exquisite musicianship, connected by a deep love for Irish traditional music and a keen sense of musical exploration. Between them they draw on a vast well of musical material, spanning Irish, Scottish, American Old-time, folk, traditional and sean-nós singing, delivered with spontaneity, creativity and joi de vivre: a concert of musical exuberance as well as raw-bar musical moments!
Nuala’s impressive performance career goes from strength to strength, touring with legendary Irish-American supergroup SOLAS throughout 2025! She has also just released her own album, Hydra, named “Album of the Month” in the Guardian newspaper in 2024 and described as “bracingly beautiful”. Nuala performs regularly with Tara Breen and Tony Byrne, with Gerry O’ Connor and Martin Quinn in Oriella, and The Alt alongside John Doyle and Eamon O’ Leary. Described as “Something of a genre bender” (Living Tradition Magazine), she has toured and recorded with Indie-Poet Will Oldham/Bonnie Prince Billie, with Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub), and Euros Childs (Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci). Kennedy was a featured artist on Janis Ian’s 2022 Grammy nominated release End of The Line.
No stranger to the Crane and sessions in Galway, fiddle player Anna has released two critically acclaimed CDs, both albums receiving four-star reviews in The Irish Times, who found her compositions to be “beautifully quirky” and a “masterclass in imaginative playing.” Other music press around the globe is equally laudable, reaching from “her tone and control are glorious” (SingOut!), to “gloriously sublime” (Boston Reporter), to “spine-tingling” (IMM). And a listener at a recent Galway session remarked on “taking home” to Italy the musical memory of her “beautiful rhythm”! Anna has performed nationally and internationally, with artists such as Dolores Keane, John Faulkner, the late Tony Small, Grant Dermody, Holly Geraghty, Mary Shannon, and others and has contributed to John Faulkner’s latest album Storm in my Heart. Earlier this year, she played at Celtic Connections in Glasgow with Liz Doherty & Fiddlesticks, and back in Galway, sessions with Kevin Hough, Holly Geraghty, Steph Geremia, Pádraic Keane and other great and wonderful musicians.
Cathal Ó Curráin is a multi-instrumentalist from Gaoth Dobhair, Donegal, who specialises in Irish traditional and folk music on fiddle, banjo, bouzouki and song. Performing from a young age Cathal has travelled the world with different bands to America, Australia, New Zealand and all throughout Europe. His most recent work features on albums with The High Seas, The Friel Sisters, Bláth na hÓige, Aoife Scott with Ron Block of Alison Krauss and Union Station and his debut solo album Cosán Ceoil was launched in 2022. He was awarded “Best Emerging Artist” at the 2022 RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards. The trio is looking forward to their inaugural concert together, which promises to be a truly special occasion not to be missed! To reserve tickets text or call 087 224 5637 (Mick Crehan) www.thecranebar.com . More info on Nuala and Cathal on their respective websites www.nualakennedy.com; www.cathalocurrain.ie)
Venue: The Crane Bar
Date: Friday, 6 December 2024
Doors: 8.30pm
Admission: €15 (for tickets text or call 087 224 5637 – Mick Crehan)