This article is from page 17 of the 2013-08-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 17 JPG
TWO young Clare musicians will make their big-time radio debut on BBC Radio 4 later this week. Kilfenora youngster Jessica Nea and Fergal Breen from Doora-Barefield will both feature on ‘The Fleadh goes North’ radio show on BBC Radio 4 this Friday morning, August 23.
The show has been put together by the BBC to make the All Ireland Fleadh taking place in Derry this year, the first time that it has ever been hosted in Northern Ireland.
Jessica Nea is a talented multi-instrumentalist who competed in the the All Ireland Fleadh in the under 12 piano accompaniment and fiddle and was in both the Inis Óg Céilí Band and music group. Jessica will be joined on the show by Fergal Breen who competed in the under 18 flute, uilleann pipes and piano at the All Ireland Fleadh.
As it happens, it was a very successful week for both Jessica and Fergal in Derry as Jessica came second in under 12 accompaniment piano and the fiddle slow airs while Fergal came second in under 18 flute.
Both the Clare musicians will be interviewed as part of the show and millions listeners from all over the UK and Ireland will also have a chance to hear them play.
The show will be presented by Peter Curan, believes the Fleadh is one of the most important events ever staged in Derry.
“The 10-day spectacle, which combines performance with competition, is the biggest traditional music festival in the world and is the embodiment of Irish cultural identity. Seventy per cent of participants are young people, who come to compete in numerous fields from fiddle and accordion to banjo and harp,” he said.
The Fleadh Goes North will be broadcast this Friday, August 23, from 11am to 11.30am on BBC Radio 4. Radio 4 can be heard in Ireland online through the internet or via most digital television services.