Caoimhín Ó Fearghail, Seán Ó Fearghail, Brendan Clancy, Donnchadh Gough & Nell Ní Chronín

Caoimhín Ó Fearghail, Seán Ó Fearghail, Brendan Clancy, Donnchadh Gough & Nell Ní Chronín

About the show

Join us at The Séamus Ennis Arts Centre this TradFest 2027 for an exceptional celebration of Irish traditional music, bringing together four outstanding musicians with deep roots in the Waterford tradition.

Featuring Brendan Clancy (fiddle and banjo), Caoimhín Ó Fearghail (uilleann pipes and flute), Seán Ó Fearghail (fiddle, concertina and bouzouki), and Donnchadh Gough (bodhrán and uilleann pipes), this gathering promises a rich and vibrant evening of traditional tunes, intricate musicianship and infectious rhythms.

With decades of experience between them, these musicians have performed on stages across Ireland and internationally, sharing their music with audiences around the world. From Caoimhín’s award-winning piping and Donnchadh’s celebrated work with Danú to Brendan’s deep connection to the Waterford session tradition and Seán’s distinctive multi-instrumental style, each brings a wealth of experience and a unique musical voice to the stage.

Expect lively tunes, beautiful interplay between instruments and a powerful connection to the living tradition of Irish music. An unmissable opportunity to experience the skill, spirit and camaraderie of some exceptional traditional musicians in the intimate surroundings of TSEAC.

More about the artists:

Brendan Clancy 

Brendan Clancy; Fiddle/Banjo, hails from Stradbally, Co. Waterford and has been playing Fiddle & Banjo for over 25 years now. He learnt a lot of his Music by playing in many of the local sessions with many locally renowned musicians.

Brendan also played in a group with his brother Noel Clancy (Button Accordion & Melodeon) and his grandfather Tomás Clancy (RIP) on Mouthorgan.

He has also played and shared the stage with some of the top performers and bands in Irish Traditional Music, including; Seamie O’Dowd, Benny McCarthy, The Awbeg Ceilí Band, The Booley House, Donnchadh Gough, Mick McAuley and Ciarán Ó Gealbháin to name but a few.

Caoimhín Ó Fearghail 

Caoimhín Ó Fearghail is a multi-instrumentalist who comes from An Rinn in the Waterford Gaeltacht. A piper, flute player and accompanist, he is influenced by the many great traditional musicians and singers from his home area.

He has featured on a number of albums in recent years, quite often as accompanist. His latest album, however, is a solo pipes album simply called ‘Uilleann Piping from County Waterford’ which is part of NPU’s ‘Ace & Deuce of Piping’ series. He also recorded an album with fiddler Paddy Tutty in 2018 called ‘Flute & Fiddle’.

A frequent teacher and performer, he has taught and performed solo, and with groups such as Caladh Nua and Danú, all over Ireland, the US, the UK, Europe, Newfoundland and New Zealand.

Caoimhín was awarded Best Folk Instrumentalist in the 2021 RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards.

Seán Ó Fearghail 

Seán Ó Fearghail is from An Rinn in the Waterford Gaeltacht.

He started playing the fiddle in primary school but it wasn’t long before he started to play the concertina and bouzouki as well. He has attended and taught at many music workshops around the country amongst them Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy and was greatly influenced by the music he heard. He has listened to and learnt from such great musicians as Tommy Peoples, Matt Molloy, Martin Hayes, Noel Hill and Bobby Gardiner.

He obtained his Masters from the Music Department in the University of Limerick in 2010. He now resides in Co. Limerick.

Donnchadh Gough 

Donnchadh Gough is a highly respected Irish traditional musician, best known for his work as a bodhránplayer and uilleann piper. He hails from the Gaeltacht community of An Rinn in County Waterford.  

He was one of the founding members of the Irish traditional band Danú, formed in the mid-1990s alongside fellow musicians Benny McCarthy, Dónal Clancy, and Daire Bracken.    Danú has earned international acclaim, winning awards such as Best Traditional Group at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.  

Gough’s musical journey began early: he received a bodhrán as a child from Liam Clancy and later studied uilleann piping under master pipers in Waterford such as Tommy Kearney.  Beyond performance, he is also deeply involved in his community: he co-founded TuneFest Dungarvan, a traditional music festival in his hometown.  

Outside of music, Gough is the proprietor of The Local, a gastropub in Dungarvan that regularly hosts live Irish music.  

Over his career, Gough has appeared on numerous albums with Danú and contributed guest performances on other traditional projects.  

Event type

Trad & Folk

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