Overview
Lemon Tree
Closing the Alex Green Whistle Festival, join Irish whistle giants, Cathal McConnell and Mary Bergin for a truly unique and unforgettable night of traditional music.
Described by the Irish Times as ‘just about the best Tin Whistle player this century’, Mary Bergin has toured extensively in Europe, America and Australia, both as a solo artist and with her band, Dordán. Her influential albums, ‘Feadóga Stáin 1 and 2,’ have attained legendary status in the whistle playing world. Winner of the prestigious ‘Traditional Musician of the Year’ in 2000, in 2022, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by University College Dublin for her contribution to the arts, and in 2023, was honoured by Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy for her lifelong contribution to Irish music. We are delighted to welcome Mary Bergin to make her first visit to North-East Scotland.
A major figure in the traditional music world, renowned singer, whistle and flute player Cathal McConnell is highly regarded as ‘a prodigious musical talent’, and ‘one of the most creative minds in Irish traditional music’. Perhaps best known as a founding member of internationally successful band, The Boys of the Lough, he has amassed multiple accolades, from All-Ireland Flute and Whistle Champion in 1962 and Traditional Singer of the Year, 2010, to The Herald Angel Award (Edinburgh Festival Fringe) in 2015. Much-loved for his legendary performance skills, Cathal has resided in Scotland for over 40 years, where he is continues to sing, play and compose his vast repertoire of tunes and songs collected over a lifetime dedicated to music.
Important information
Doors – 7pm
Starts – 7.30pm
Price
£16/£14 concession/Student £5
About The Tin Whistle Festival
In celebration of the musical legacy of North-East Tin Whistle virtuoso, Alex Green, this festival weekend brings together a unique combination of prolific traditional artists of diverse musical backgrounds, each of whom exemplify the rich musicality and stylistic flexibility of whistle playing traditions. Featuring evening concerts with tin whistle legends Mary Bergin and Cathal McConnell, and contemporary artists including Fred Morrison and Claire Mann, this festival weekend offers something for everyone, with a young people’s lunch time concert, a series of day time talks, tin whistle workshops at all levels, and informal traditional sessions. For full details please visit festival homepage Elphinstone Institute | The University of Aberdeen (abdn.ac.uk)
