Galway Advertiser 2003/2003_05_22/GA_22052003_E1_042.pdf 

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ON SUNDAY June 1, Donal Lunny, considered one of the most influential individuals in Irish music for the last 30 years, makes a rare appearance in Galway at the Town Hall Theatre in a concert organised by The Galway Palestinian Solidarity Movement. 1TA KELLY caught up with Lunny who was fresh from recording a television programme honouring singer Frank 11 arte. "Frank is an institution at this stage." Co Kildare, Lunny's parents came from or Moving Hearts - Lunny was in all Lunny tells me. "He has a great feel for. Ranafast and Enniskillen and so he grew three. Planxty was formed following the historical context of songs and I've up in a bilingual household. All the Christy Moore's return from London in been aiding and abetting him musically." children went to music lessons but due to 1971 and later Moving Hearts came Lunny is much sought after as a the fact Lunny lasted only a short while about in response to a need to find an producer, arranger and accompanist and with his German piano teacher he can outlet for Christy's songs and a desire to he always has a number of projects truly call himself a self-taught musician. explore Irish music in the context of underway. He has just returned from He continued to absorb music no matter rock. Reykjavik in Iceland where he went to where he found it. from his sisters, to all Collaborating with Christy has never meet with the head of the Reykjavik Arts he heard on the radio, especially ended - Donal has produced and played Centre and the composer Hilmar summers spent in Donegal exposed him with Christy almost continuously Hilmarssen. They are keen to do a to the wonders and beauty of traditional through the years and recently was part collaboration involving Irish and music and song. His mother would sing of Christy's re-emergence from Icelandic musicians and music they will about the house too and so suhliminally retirement performing acoustically with develop between them. music was seeping into him by osmosis. him and Declan Sinnott on his television series and at concerts since then. Going there with a completely open Sixth class in primary school proved mind. Lunny discovered there are age to be a very definitive year in Lunny's His work with singers is impressive old links between Ireland and Iceland. "It life as he struck up a rapport with too. Maighread Ni Dhomhnaill applauds seems with the development and someone who was to be a constant pillar his ability to allow the singer "express knowledge of DNA it has emerged that in his life, Christy Moore. Later, the pair the song in the way I want. He backs there is a very powerful connection formed together as the duo The Rakes of without restricting me - he allows me between Ireland and Iceland," he said. Kildare. When Christy went off to sing the way I normally sing". The project will most likely result in an England, Lunny joined the gently FOR PALESTINIAN CHILDREN orchestral performance at next year's harmonic folk group Emmet Spiceland. This sympathetic understanding has Reykjavik Arts Festival. "It would be Their claim to fame was having the first made Lunny the chosen accompanist for lovely lo film it or record it." he adds and folk-hit in the Irish charts - 'Mary from many singers - from Christy to Frank of course to perform it in Ireland at some Dungloe'. Harte, Sinead O ' C o n n o r to Maire stage. Brennan. His latest singing project is The guitar was his first instrument, but with the current Oireachtas winner From the gentle folk of Emmet he found it too colourful for Irish music. Rdisin Elsafty whose voice he describes Spiceland to the heady jazz-rock of When Andy Irvine gave him a Greek as "unique". Working with this wonder Moving Hearts, Lunny has been at the bouzouki in 1970. he found an from the Connemara Gaeltacht, Donal is heart of every major innovative instrument just right to his own ears. progression in Irish traditional music However with its round back he also already planning an ensemble of musicians to perform with her. It is over the last 30 years. The ideas come found it difficult to manage. To bring it through Elsafty that Lunny became fast and frequently and his attitude is better under control he had a flat backed involved in the upcoming concert in "Try it. and if it works, it's good". smaller version made, with pairs of Galway - he is passionate about the strings in unison rather than on the Greek Since the Moving Heart's demise work of the Galway Palestinian variety where they are an octave apart. Lunny has been involved in a myriad of Solidarity movement. Elsafty's mother, projects from TV and film production to This instrument has become known as the sean nos singer Treasa Ni the 'Irish' bouzouki and has now been collaborations with artists as diverse as widely adopted and incorporated into Cheannabhain is one of the founders of Rod Stewart and Mark Knopfler. In the Galway organisation which was Ireland he has produced for the big Irish traditional music. formed to create an awareness of the names as well - like Paul Brady, Mary Ask any musician what were the most plight of the Palestinian people, many of Black, and Sinead O'Connor. influential bands in Irish music and they whom spend their entire lives in refugee Though he was reared in Newbridge will surely reply Planxty, the Bothy Band

Donal Lunny-hi Galway for Palestine

world," he says; "The situation is very camps. imbalanced right now, everybody is in Last Christmas the movement brought a group of Palestinian children to danger, I feel a little bit frightened and I Galway for a holiday and they hope to just feel that if people find any opportunity to redress the balance, they repeat this again later this year. To raise should. It's one thing I'll be keeping my funds they invited Lunny to give the eye on to find ways to express these concert on June I in the Town Hall feelings through music." Theatre. Joining Lunny on the night will be "It was the same way in the North of Ireland 15 years ago," Lunny explains. special guests Sharon Shannon and M a r y S t a u n t o n , b r o t h e r s PJ and "Kids were born into a world where Marcus Hernon and singers R d i s i n violence on the streets was commonplace - where there were bombs and soldiers." Elsafty and Treasa Ni Cheannabhain. F o r more information a n d booking Ill at ease with the political climate in the contact 091 -S69777. world at present he adds; "I have a strong feeling about what's happening in the

Maria Tecce sings All About Love
MARIA
FORMER GALWAY resident Maria Tecce has p r o d u c e d h e r d e b u t a l b u m from the same name as her one-woman show which sold out the Dublin Theatre Festival late last year. One gets the feeling of Casablanca when listening to Tecce's album - you can almost imagine that Humphrey Bogart will say those immortal words any minute. It has that cinematic vihe. The album includes j a / / standards by Cole Porter ( L o v e For Sale', It's All Right With Me'), Joan Armatrading ('Love By You'), and a composition by Tecce herself, 'This Love Is Through' which was featured on Jon Richards" Undercurrents album some time back and sounds even more impressive here when it is more fleshed out. Tecce has taken all the titles from her snow All About Love which drew high praise from The Irish Times Tony Clayton-Lea comparing her to Ella Fit/gerald. This ItalianAmerican is in fine voice all the way through. This writer was instructed to pay particular attention to the hidden track and it did not disappoint. As the album went on, the titles were getting more and more delicate so that by the end, Tecce's voice was similar to some sort of heavenly host. She leaves us with those poignant words in the chorus: "All you must learn is to love/and to be loved in return." As Bogart might say - "Sing it again Maria". Kevin McGuire

TECCE

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Arts Editor Kernan Andrews Tel: 091 530913 E-mail:kandrews@galwayadvertiser.ie All news items must be in by 12 noon Tuesday.