Masterclasses
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Keelan McGrath – Accordion
Elaine Reilly – Banjo
Aoibheann Murphy – Concertina
Oisín Mac Diarmada – Fiddle
Seamus Noonan – Flute
Colleen Shanks – Uilleann Pipes
Masterclass Tutors 2024
Keelan McGrath – Accordion
Keelan McGrath is an All-Ireland Champion Accordion player & composer from Co. Tipperary. Keelan has been playing music from a very young age and comes from a very musical family. He has won numerous awards at Fleadh Cheoil Na hEireann including Button Accordion a number of years in a row, Melodeon, Newly Composed tune as well as duet and trio titles. At the age of 16, Keelan was the youngest ever recipient of the prestigious Séan O Riada Gold medal award in 2017.
Keelan has performed with the ‘In Tune for Life Orchestra’ under the leadership of Ned Kelly. They have also performed for The Graham Cheoil awards, while also performing for concerts all across Ireland.
Keelan recently completed his BA in Irish Music and Dance from the University of Limerick
Elaine Reilly – Banjo
From Granard, Co. Longford, Elaine Reilly is one of the foremost tenor banjo players of her generation. She is in high demand as an accomplished and much sought after performer and tutor. She has taught at many events including The Willie Clancy Summer School, IMBOLC, Fleadh by the Feale and Scoil Eigse, and has toured extensively in Ireland, Britain and North America. She has recently performed at The Ace & Deuce of piping concert, The Return to London Town Festival, The Patrick O’Keefe festival, Sessions with the Pipers, and featured on TG4 programmes Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy and Geantraí. Elaine’s much anticipated debut solo album “Epiphany” was released in June 2024.
Aoibheann Murphy – Concertina
Aoíbheann Murphy is a highly accomplished concertina player from Fermoy, Co. Cork. She has played in prestigious venues both in Ireland and internationally, including The National Concert Hall, the Cork Opera house and The Larnca Theatre in Cyprus. Aoibheann went on her first international tour at the age of fifteen when she toured with the Irish Harp Orchestra in 2007 as one of the principle soloists both on concertina and fiddle. She claimed the under-18 All-Ireland title in 2008 and has gone on to pick up numerous Oireachtas titles and Foras na Gaeilge’s acclaimed ‘Scléip’ competition along the way. Her most recent accomplishment is claiming the Senior All-Ireland title in 2011 at the All-Ireland Fleadh in Cavan. Aoibheann has Toured with Comhaltas Ceolitoiri Eireann on the Echoes of Erin tour of Britain and North America as-well as having toured with numerous company’s for both performances and workshops across Europe and USA. In 2016, Aoibheann featured in the TG4 series Mná an Cheoil, a production featuring the rise of the talent of women in Irish music .
Aoibheann is highly sought-after for teaching across Ireland and worldwide and is delighted to be teaching the concertina masterclass this year at the Ennis Trad Festival .
Oisín Mac Diarmada – Fiddle
Known for a highly-personal approach to the fiddle, Oisín began a deep interest in the fiddle at a young age in Clare. Moving to Sligo at age 11, he went on to develop a fascination with the music of the Sligo fiddle masters.
Studying Music Education at Trinity College Dublin / Royal Irish Academy of Music, Oisín subsequently founded internationally-renowned group Téada in 2001. This set the stage for extensive touring throughout many parts of the world, particularly in the United States along with a seven-week tour of Japan and Taiwan, playing for over 30,000 people. Solo performances have included Masters of Tradition in West Cork, accompanying Irish President Mary McAleese on a State visit to Romania, and guest appearances with the Southern Georgia Symphony Orchestra and Abilene Philharmonic in the US and the Württembergische Philharmonie in Germany.
Described by The Irish Echo’s Earle Hitchner as “one of the most gifted and creative traditional fiddlers playing today”, Oisín toured for over 10 years with noted singer/accordion-player Séamus Begley. In recent years, Oisín performs regularly with his wife Samantha Harvey (piano/dance) and Daithí Gormley (accordion), with whom he released an album Lane to the Glen in 2024 and authored ‘Fiddlers of Sligo Tunebook’. During 2023, Oisín was invited by Music Network to perform a curated concert tour throughout Ireland, and worked as Musical Advisor for the new Geantraí series broadcast on TG4.
Oisín’s teaching activity has included tutoring at University of Limerick, Swannanoa Gathering in North Carolina, Catskills Irish Arts Week in New York, O’Flaherty Retreat in Texas, Féile Tokyo, Willie Clancy Summer School in Co. Clare, and South Sligo Summer School in Co.Sligo.
Seamus Noonan – Flute
Seamus Noonan is a Boston area Irish traditional flute and concertina player. He learned music from his father Jimmy Noonan. Seamus was a 2024 Seán Ó’ Riada finalist. He has placed in several Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann competitions including the 2023 and 2024 Senior flute competition in Mullingar and Wexford.
Colleen Shanks – Uilleann Pipes
Colleen Shanks is an uilleann piper based in Co. Clare, Ireland. Originally from Michigan, she first found herself captivated by the sound of traditional Irish music when she heard a recording of The Chieftains at age 10. With an avid desire to learn and play what she heard, she acquired a tin whistle and began teaching herself the tunes from the cassette. She soon found herself immersed in Detroit’s vibrant Irish music community.
In Ireland, Colleen attended the University of Limerick’s Irish World Academy where she earned a Master’s degree in Irish Traditional Music Performance. Her area of study was uilleann piping and during the course, she learned from some of the top exponents of the uilleann pipes, including Michael ‘Blackie’ O’Connell and Mickey Dunne. Currently, Colleen teaches and performs at piping events on both sides of the Atlantic, and makes hand-stitched pipe bags at home in Co. Clare.