Cormac Breatnach (whistles) & Martin Dunlea (guitar)
Dates
27/07/2024 - 27/07/2024
8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Location
Farmleigh House and Gardens
Cormac Breatnach and Martin Dunlea released their first duet album, entitled Music for Whistle & Guitar (Dioscaí Mandala/Pressure Records) in July 2000 to critical acclaim. Martin met Cormac in late 1998 while touring with the Triple Harp Bypass, which featured harmonica virtuosos Mick Kinsella, Brendan Power and Rick Epping. They decided to get together informally to play some tunes in Co. Wicklow, where they both live, and this developed into their current musical relationship.
Since the release of their album they have performed at the Copenhagen Irish Festival on a double-bill with folk/trad supergroup Patrick Street, on a nationwide tour with Luka Bloom, and at the Cork Folk Festival. They have also appeared on Irish television music programmes such as Geantraí and Árdán.
In August 2003, they took part in Martin Hayes’ ‘Masters of Tradition’ festival in Bantry House, in Co. Cork, giving masterclasses and performing as a duo. The series of concerts were broadcast on Lyric FM in March and April of 2004.
In April 2004, they recorded with the celebrated U.S. actress/singer Vanessa L. Williams on two tracks on her Xmas album with Atlantic Records. Their contact with Ms. Williams goes back to their first trip to the States together in October 2001, one month after North America’s ‘9/11’. Many of their engagements were cancelled but they nevertheless decided to make the trip. One of their radio interviews on Kathleen Biggins’ One Hundred Thousand Welcomes broadcast on the 6th October 2001 was heard by Ms. Williams, who was much taken with their music. She duly made contact with Cormac and the result of this was a music collaboration involving the duo, Ms. Williams, and her producer, the celebrated Rob Mathes, on The Holly and the Ivy and Silent Night songs which featured on her Xmas CD, Silver and Gold.
In May 2004, they also represented Ireland with many of its writers and poets at the international Book Fair held in Prague in the Czech Republic, which featured, to name but a few, Brian Keenan, Hugo Hamilton, Peter Fallon and Gabriel Rosenstock. In August of that year Cormac and Martin were invited to perform at the ‘First World Musical Festival’ near Coimbra by the celebrated Portuguese musician, Ricardo Diaz.
Doors open at 7.30pm, performance at 8pm.
This concert is presented by the OPW as part of the 2024 cultural programme at Farmleigh House.
Attendees who are expecting to take a taxi home after the concert are advised to book one in advance for no later than 10pm
Getting Here
Located 5km from Centre of Dublin, in the Phoenix Park.
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