Cormac Begley & Andrew MacNamara

Andrew Mac Namara’s individual style of playing traditional Irish music is both true to his heart and to the area in which he was reared. He was born in Tulla, Co. Clare, learning the strong traditions of East Clare music from older players such as Joe Bane and Bill Malley. In his late teens he joined the highly esteemed Tulla Ceili Band in which he toured both nationally and internationally for a number of years. Andrew has the knack of electrifying audiences and this is evident on both his collaborative projects and his solo albums. He was a founding member of the group Skylark and recorded two albums with them before forming his own band called ‘The Lahawns’ and recorded two further albums with them (‘Live at Lena’s’ and ‘Live at Winkles’). He has also recorded an album with his sister Mary Mac Namara (called ‘Open Heart’). His solo albums include ‘the Dawn’ and ‘No Compromise’. More recently he has toured in the UK, Europe, North America, Australia and Japan. His solo performances and collaborations are unique and listeners are never disappointed.

Concertina player, Cormac Begley from the Gaeltacht in West Kerry, comes from a fine pedigree of traditional singers, musicians and dancers. He learnt a lot of his music initially from his father, Brendan, and later on was influenced by the rich musical heritage handed down from his aunties and uncles on the Begley side (Seamus, Seoisaimhín, Eilín, Caitlín, Bríd, Máire, Micheal and John). He is also influenced by his mother's brother, Tommy 'an Lord' O Connor and by older recordings of local musicians (such as Muiris O Dalai and Muiris O Cuinn). From his early years growing up in Dublin he was exposed to music of many acclaimed musicians, including Johnny O Leary, Martin Hayes, Mary Mc Namara, Peadar Ó Riada, Paul Mc Grattan and Steve Cooney who regularly played in his home in Lucan and at sessions in Hughes's pub which at the time, was the bedrock of Traditional Irish Music scene in Dublin. In the past few years Cormac has been teaching and performing at festivals throughout Ireland (including the Willie Clancy Summer School and Scoil Cheoil and Earraigh) and performing at various prestigious international festivals and events. Cormac’s family members, loosely called ‘The Begleys’, have been performing throughout Ireland and internationally - they have recently performed at the celtic-colours festival in Cape Breton, Canada, celtfestcuba in Havana, Cuba and in Mocow Russia.