The National Concert Hall kicked off the first of the main stage events of Tradition Now 2017, a festival of forward-looking traditional music. Conducted by David Brophy and presented by the National Concert Hall and the Arts Council, Irish band Beoga and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra took to the stage. The night brought a beautifully curated mix of traditional music blended with both classical and upbeat acoustic elements.
While Beoga are rooted in traditional Irish music, they enjoy incorporating a variety of styles into their music, from jazzy chords to bluesy riffs. In the last year, they have reached a global audience due to their collaboration with Ed Sheeran on his album Divide, co-writing “Galway Girl” and featuring on the track “Nancy Mulligan”, so expectations for this performance were high.
“Aren’t we certainly out of our depth!”, said Eamon Murray, Beoga’s esteemed bodhrán player, as he gestured to the RTÉ Concert Orchestra seated behind them, getting settled on stage. A chorus of cheers, laughter and “hup” came from the audience, his humor and easy banter warming up the crowd. Seān Óg Graham kicked off the music with a slow Irish air, the sounds of his button accordion resonating throughout the hall.
In a contemporary lift, the soft, synthesized keyboard chords played by Liam Bradley which underscored the solo, made for an atmospheric and somewhat solemn beginning to the night’s music, in contrast to the initial light-hearted jokes of the band.
In seamless transition, Graham and well-known composer of Beoga’s original music, Damian McKee, launched into a fast paced and energetic tune. With closed eyes, the precision in the sound of the accordion’s buttons sounded much like the beating of an Irish dancer’s hard shoes on a wooden floor. Joined by the full orchestra and Niamh Dunne on fiddle, the band certainly lived up to their namesake of liveliness.
The concert included Beoga’s original compositions “Homestead Hero”, a crowd favourite, and “Boxy Set”, a hypnotizing button accordion duet. Niamh Dunne’s euphoric vocals in “Farewell to Carlingford” by the Clancy Brothers had many in the audience singing along. Beoga looked at home on the stage of the almost full National Concert Hall, while they told stories of playing in Whelan’s this time last year to less than 60 people.
The crowd were engaged with every tune the band turned, shouting encouragement yet knowing when to fall silent with every solo that came and went. A feeling of excitement and ecstasy from both the crowd and those on stage characterised the evening, leaving one yearning for more come the end of the performance.
Festivals such as “Tradition Now” are giving Irish traditional bands such as Beoga a valuable and important platform for innovation and creativity in Irish music. Their performance at the National Concert Hall truly showcased Beoga’s talent, striking a balance between being an undeniably traditional Irish music group while simultaneously exploring new territory, with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra on their side. An exciting “marrying of two worlds” as Eamon Murray himself put it, Beoga at the concert hall impressed all who were lucky enough to witness them.
