This concert draws directly from the Companion to Irish Traditional Music,
presenting Irish music in context, across all 32 counties,
through live performance, imagery, and shared history.
About the Concert
This programme is inspired by the Companion to Irish Traditional Music,
edited by Fintan Vallely.
It presents Irish music in its place,
from every corner of the island,
through a collaboration of live performance and photography.
Compánach is a concert where music and image work together.
Each enhances the other.
Sound, sight, and imagination interact naturally,
conveying a wide range of contextual and stylistic information
about Irish traditional music,
from the 1700s to the present day.
Music, Image, and Flow
The playing is seamless and fast-moving.
Around ninety tunes are performed without spoken commentary,
presented across twenty-five connected sets.
The narrative unfolds quietly.
It is generated through a backdrop of approximately eight hundred images,
many of them landscapes and portraits by photographer
Jacques Piraprez Nutan.
Some images are historical.
Most are contemporary.
Together, they carry strong dramatic weight
and expand the listening experience.
They also help remove language barriers,
allowing audiences of many nationalities
to engage with Irish traditional music on equal terms.
An Acoustic Interpretation
Alongside the larger visual programme,
this work can also be presented as an intimate acoustic recital.
I perform with Fintan Vallely, Tiarnán Ó Duinnchín,
and Máire Ní Choilm.
In this format, music and song interpret the nature, scope,
and depth of Irish traditional music
as described in the Companion.
The focus remains on clarity, character,
and the individuality of regional styles.
Structure and Repertoire
The concert follows the A to Z structure of the book.
This allows the programme to move quickly
through music from all Irish regions and from abroad,
while also demonstrating key elements of the tradition.
Ornamentation, regional style, and repertoire
are shown through performance rather than explanation.
The flow of full-screen images supports the music,
adding warmth, energy, and visual context throughout.
Who This Concert Is For
This is a structured music presentation
for listeners who love Irish traditional music,
as well as for students of Irish Studies.
It combines solo and group performances of music and song
into a single, rounded experience.
Music, image, and information come together
as one coherent aesthetic whole.
Performance Options
- One performance of 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Two performances of 45 minutes
Bookings and Further Information
For bookings and further details,
please contact Fintan Vallely via
companach.ie.
More information and related work can also be found at
fintanvallely.hearnow.com