:: Frankie Gavin International Fiddle & Strings Festival ::

About

The Frankie Gavin International Fiddle & Strings Festival is the brainchild of renowned fiddlers Frankie Gavin of De Dannan fame and Brendan Larrissey of Arcady acclaim.

Last year saw the first year of the Frankie Gavin International Fiddle & Strings Festival, which proved to be of immense success, so it was a natural progression to build on this triumph.

Frankie Gavin has been described as a precociously gifted traditional musician… drawn at an early age towards the 78-rpm recordings of Irish American musicians such as Coleman and Morrison. He also has a gift for absorbing and switching between styles and evidently has paid detailed attention to the variety of Irish regional styles. Philippe Varlet wrote of him:
"Frankie Gavin’s fiddle playing is technically complex, unabashedly brilliant, and has a pronounced, driving swing which harks back to the sound of the 1920s."

Galway is a very fitting location to host this festival, as Frankie Gavin was born in County Galway on the eastern side of Lough Corrib, in a place called "Corrandulla".

The Frankie Gavin International Fiddle & Strings Festival, will have something to suit a broad spectrum of music tastes.

The aim is to capture a blend of various stiyles of music using the fiddle as the main instrument played throughout the event. Internationally acclaimed fiddle player, Frankie Gavin, says about the festival:

Frankie Gavin

"It gives me great pleasure to welcome so many of my musical friends to my hometown.

This festival is about the living fiddle tradition and how it transcends the fabric of life.

We can enjoy the pleasure of listening to the very best exponents of the fiddle in the world arena, while at the same time admiring these player's dedication to this magnificent instrument.

Thanks for coming and enjoy the music!"

- Frankie Gavin

Frankie Gavin was born in County Galway in 1956, where he grew up and was educated by a very musical family. Frankie has been playing Irish traditional music since the age of four and he made his first television appearance at 7. In 1973, at the age of seventeen he was placed first in the All Ireland Under-18 Fiddle Competition and in the All Ireland Under-18 Flute Competition. In the early 1970s he started playing at the sessions in the Cellar Bar, Galway and at the age of 17, he became a member of the musical group De Dannan. De Dannan has had many high points over twenty five years and Frankie Gavin's fiddle playing had been a central feature of its repertoire. Nuala O'Connor, writing in The Irish Times in 1995, described him as a precociously gifted traditional musician. "Frankie Gavin's fiddle playing is technically complex, unabashedly brilliant, and has a pronounced, driving swing which harks back to the sound of the 1920s." Frankie Gavin is internationally recognised as Ireland’s finest Fiddle Player.

Brendan Larrissey - Festival Director

Festival Director, Brendan Larrissey, is delighted to be involved in the festival:

"I was immediately drawn into the idea of bringing top-class exponents of the fiddle to Galway. The varying innovative styles of fiddle playing will be in evidence in what promises to be a thoroughly enjoyable feast of music"

- Brendan Larrissey

Brendan is a renowned fiddle player from Dundalk in Co.Louth and a long time resident of Kinvara Co. Galway. Amongst his achievements, he was Senior All Ireland Fiddle Champion in 1987 and Musical Director of Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe. He has played on 20 albums to date with two solo albums included. He is a prolific fiddle teacher in Galway and many of his students have enjoyed success at local, provincial and at All Ireland Level. Along with Johnny 'Ringo' McDonagh. Brendan was a founding member of the trad super group Arcady with whom he toured the world to great acclaim. The original line-up included such artists as Sharon Shannon and Frances Black. Recording and touring have remained an integral part of Brendan’s musical career to date and he has featured with Dolores Keane, Liam Ó Maonlaí, The Stunning, Ragús, John Spillane, Steve Cooney and Séamas Begley. Brendan is presently working on his 3rd solo album.

The Frankie Gavin International Fiddle Festival promises excitement and fun, not only for fiddle enthusiastics, but for all those who enjoy good music and entertainment.