032 - Oisin Mac Diarmada - Breakfast in Ireland

It was a pleasure speaking with Oisín Mac Diarmada about his upcoming virtual performance, Breakfast in Ireland. This special performance will be Zoom live streamed from Sligo, Ireland with Oisín Mac Diarmada (fiddle) and Samantha Harvey (dance / piano) Fiddler Oisín Mac Diarmada has spent most of his musical life living in Sligo, an area noted historically for an extraordinarily rich fiddle tradition. Founder of leading traditional group Téada, with whom he has toured extensively throughout the world since 2001, Oisín’s solo performances have seen him play at specialist music festivals such as Masters of Tradition in West Cork, accompanying former Irish President Mary McAleese on a State visit to Romania and performing Charlie Lennon’s Island Wedding suite with the Southern Georgia Symphony Orchestra in the US and the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen in Germany. Oisín has toured frequently in recent years with noted singer/accordion-player Séamus Begley, with whom he has released 2 duo albums. Most recently, Oisín was co-author along with fellow-Sligo musician Daithí Gormley, of Fiddlers of Sligo Tunebook, a publication focussed on the Sligo fiddle tradition. Providing masterful accompaniment on piano, Samantha Harvey originally from Ventura, California now living in Sligo, is also an award-winning step dancer. Samantha's energetic dance and musical performances on stage has seen her become an increasingly prominent touring performer and teacher. Samantha has toured with a number of touring shows such as Téada, Irish Christmas in America, Ireland – The Show, and Tomaseen Foley, including performances with orchestras such as the Omaha Symphony and Edmonton Symphony. Since this will be streamed via Zoom, you may want to make sure that you have your robe on.