Amongst the plethora of summer trad events, Meitheal is a very different experience.  Geared for top-class young trad players, Meitheal provides a challenging week-long musical workout – a 14 hour day boot camp where trad-heads are pushed to their limits by the best in the business.  They engage in composition, arrangement, orchestra and much more.

Meitheal ‘17 Show in the Dánlann is their gala event of 2017.  The award-winning soloists, the best 5-piece group and the 90-piece orchestra finale will have the audience on the edge of their seats. This year’s specially commissioned orchestral piece will be composed and conducted by Simon Thoumire. Simon’s work has been performed to international audiences on four continents for over a decade.  A winner of the BBC Radio 2 Young Tradition Award in 1989, he has always been keen to explore different genres of music, releasing many records over the years delving into folk, jazz, improvisation and composition.

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The band members are:

Stephen Heffernan: A Westmeath native, Stephen is a multi- instrumentalist with a deep understanding of multiple genres. Having toured much of the world with dance shows over the last 2 years, he has now settled back in Ireland to concentrate on his unique piano compositions which can be found on his Facebook music page Stephen Heffernan music

Hajime Takahasi: from Japan, Hajime has lived in Ireland for the past seven years having found success as a session guitarist and for good reason. He has a genuine understanding and unrivalled skill of Irish traditional guitar accompaniment citing a wide range of influences. He currently works with the Friel Sisters and 2017 TG4 young musician of the year, Liam O’ Brien and studies sound engineering in Temple Bar, all while being in big demand on the Dublin session scene.

Killian Shannon: Living in Co Clare, Killian has worked steadily since college as part of multiple shows abroad utilising a wide range of stringed instruments. As a banjo player first, he has also had a keen aptitude for bouzouki for many years and has recently purchased his own. A member of the Shannon family, from whom he received most of his early tutelage, he is the first of his generation to emerge as a professional musician. He currently resides in Florida where he headlines in Disneyland as part of the Raglan Roots Coalition.

Aisling Byrne: From Glencolumbkille in Co.Donegal, Aisling has a rich repertoire of tunes. Her dad, James Byrne, was one of the finest fiddlers in the country and played a very influential role in the continuation of Donegal music. Aisling is in her final year of the BA Irish Music and Dance at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance and is really in high demand as a session player. Check out her own music page Aisling Byrne Music where you can see all of the other great things Aisling does.

Michelle Rhattigan: Michelle comes from Claremorris in Co. Mayo. An accomplished musician and singer, Michelle has proved herself a force to be reckoned with during her time in UL. Now studying to be a primary teacher, Michelle still makes time for her music and has a rare repertoire of songs.