Renowned Roscommon flute player, Patsy Hanly, hosts an evening of “socially-distanced” music and stories at Roscommon Arts Centre with his guests John Carty and seanachai Vincent Pierse, on Thursday, August 28.
Patsy hails from KIlrooskey and was reared in a house where music was held in great reverence, particularly traditional music. As a teenager he did not play much, but spent his time listening and gaining a knowledge of the local tunes and style. As he travelled further afield, he sought the music and company of well-known musicians, singers & storytellers and he soon began to perform along with them.
Steeped in local style, he has been a hugely important influence on a generation of flute players. He has toured extensively with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, America and Canada and his music has taken him all over Europe where, together with his late wife Pauline, they performed concerts and at festivals. He has performed on numerous occasions on TV and most recently (2019 ) he was the subject of a 'Sé Mo Laoch' on TG4. Patsy is also the recipient of the 'TG4 Lifetime Achievement Award'.
His guests on the evening include John Carty who is a renowned exponent of the banjo, fiddle, tenor guitar and flute. Born in London, John developed his love for fiddle, banjo, and flute, all of which he has mastered, through his multi-instrumentalist father who was a member of the Glenside Ceili Band in the 1960’s.
Returning to Ireland in the early 1990s and settling in Boyle, it was not long until he was in the recording studio where he recorded his first album, 'The Cat That Ate The Candle', a banjo album that received great reviews. From this the natural follow on was a fiddle album and in 1996 he released 'Last Nights Fun' on Shanachie Records which will no doubt go down as a classic fiddle album. Following this he took a different direction with the formation of At The Racket a lively dance band based on the old Flanagan Brothers 78 rpm records.
There followed two more fiddle records, 'Yeh, That's All It Is' in 2000 and 'At It Again' in 2003. In 2005 'I Will If I Can' was released featuring banjo and tenor guitar. Bringing us right up to date in 2011 he released 'At Complete Ease', an album anchored by John and his old mentor from London Brian Rooney.
Over the years John has received many awards including TG4's Traditional Musician of the Year in 2003.
Adding another dimension to the evening, will be Patsy’s second guest – seanachai Vincent Pierse, who hails from Kerry, but has lived in Roscommon for many years. Vincent is renowned for his humorous tales that he has heard around the fireplaces of Ireland. He will transport you back in time with stories of blacksmiths and journeymen, when preparing for the station or the return of 'yanks' was the social event of the year.
Tickets are now on sale via Roscommon Arts Centre’s box office on 0906 625824 and online at www.roscommonartscentre.ie and in line with Government guidelines, capacity is limited and the evening will be presented cabaret style.
Pre-booking is essential and while the capacity may be small, this event promises to be anything but!
