Capercaillie

Capercaillie are known world-wide for their blend of traditional gaelic folk, world music and contemporary beats, featuring the beautiful voice of Karen Matheson.

Capercaillie were in concert in the Villa Marina, Douglas on Monday 18th July. Click here for Capercaillie's website

Maeve MacKinnon
with Angus Lyon and Ross Martin

Gaelic singer Maeve MacKinnon has been described as possessing "a truly stunning voice". She is a graduate in Scottish Music at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Maeve's first solo album, "Don't Sing Lovesongs", has received 5 star reviews and was honoured in the Celtic Connections festival's "Classic Albums" series. Maeve has been recognized in the Traditional Music Awards and as Gaelic Singer of the Year. Acclaimed pianist, accordian player and producer Angus Lyon and great guitarist (Daimh, Harem Scarem) Ross Martin were accompanying Maeve on this visit to Yn Chruinnaght.

Maeve MacKinnon with Angus Lyon and Ross Martin were performing at the Centenary Centre, Peel on Sunday 24th July 2011. Click here for Maeve MacKinnon's website

Landat-Moisson

Landat-Moisson present Breton music and song through the vocal ability of Lors Landat and the instrumental flair of Thomas Moisson on accordéon. Lors and Thomas are passionate about Breton music and the dance tradition. They take the repertoire of Breizh Isel, the western part of Brittany, mix it in with the accordéon music of 'kof ha kof' ('belly to belly') dances such as the waltz and mazurka, and add the spice of their own compositions and arrangements, and the expertise from their personal involvement in festou-noz. They played for dancing in Ramsey on Wednesday 21st July and were in concert in The Royal Chapel, St Johns on Saturday 23rd July.

Lors Landat has been at Yn Chruinnaght singing with the band KaouaD. Both Lors and Thomas were disappointed not to meet up with another old friend who was here for Yn Chruinnaght -

Sylvain Barou

Sylvain Barou is the flute player with Guidewires, about whom you can read on the page about performers from Ireland!

Sylvain is from Brittany, but plays in a wide variety of musical settings. He likes to experiment on fusions of music from a variety of world traditions with traditional Breton music. Unfortunately, Lors and Thomas had gone back to Brittany before Sylvain arrived. However, they were performing together in the same fest noz group at the Festival Interceltique de Lorient in early August.

Click here for Sylvain Barou's website

Cass Meurig

Cass Meurig gave a talk to a very appreciative audience about the ancient Welsh bowed lyre, known as the crwth, and its music at Ramsey Town Hall on Tuesday 19th July. She also performed Welsh music on the crwth, accompanying her singing, in concert at the Royal Chapel, St Johns on Thursday 21st July.

In addition to Cass's academic standing and being in demand for workshops and tutorials, she has been a member of Welsh bands Pigyn Clust and Fernhill, plays in a duo with Nial Cain, sometimes increasing to a trio with Swedish/Estonian bowed harp player Sofia Joons, and also plays in a trio with Gorwel and Fiona Jones. She has somehow found time to produce a solo album!

Click here for Cass Meurig's website

Shoostring

Shoostring is a dance group from Wales, but not exactly Welsh traditional! Wales has a fine clog dancing tradition, and that was just one of the multi-cultural elements that went into the mix to produce the music and dance of the Appalachians in the United States of America. Cecil Sharp found the area full of pieces of song and music originating from the British and Irish traditions, mixed in with other European traditions. Today the Appalachian style is finding its way back to Europe, and here to perform for us were Shoostring.

Guidewires

Guidewires are based in Co Clare and are being described as "The freshest sound in Irish music".

With four members from Ireland and one from Brittany, their mix of music is not just Irish and Breton, but also Middle Eastern, Galician and newly composed.

Concertina player Pádraig Rynne from Co Clare has a number of All-Ireland titles to his name. Clare man Tóla Custy's music springs from family tradition. Third Clare man Karol Lynch adds rhythm and counter melodies on bouzouki. More melody and cross-rhythms are supplied by Belfast-born guitarist Paul McSherry. Sylvain Barou, who plays flute with the band, is from Brittany. He plays Irish and Breton music, and is involved in many ground-breaking musical projects with influences from India, Turkey and Iran.

Guidewires gave a great performance at the Centenary Centre in Peel on Friday 22nd July 2011.
Click here for Guidewires' website

Mo Chara

Mo Chara are three members of the Dillon family - Orlagh plays flute, whistle and button accordion, Declan plays uillean pipes, and Caitriona plays fiddle, guitar and banjo - and Clodagh McNiece on bodhran.
Click here for Mo Chara's website

Kemysk

Kemysk brought their regulation fishnets and bouncy, boundless enthusiasm for Cornish dance to Yn Chruinnaght this year. Meaning 'mixture' in Cornish, Kemysk's members come from the length and breadth of Cornwall. Originally brought together as a one off to tour to Sidmouth Folk Festival and the Festival Interceltqiue in Lorient last summer, we decided we were having way too much fun to leave it there. We have since danced at Wadebridge Folk Festival, the Eden Project, Lowender Peran Celtic Festival, Montol Festival in Penzance and Cwlwm Celtaidd in Wales.

Click here for Kemysk's Facebook page