About Macdara
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Macdara comes from a musical family in An Rinn, County Waterford. He started learning the tin whistle and the fiddle at the age of 5. After becoming mesmerized with the music of Andy Irvine and Planxty, he quickly progressed on to the mandolin under the instruction of Peter O'Connor. He received a bouzouki for Christmas when he was 8 years old and it quickly took over as his main-instrument, after getting lessons from Seán Ó Fearghail. He started taking music very seriously in his early teens and was playing every night of the week in gigs and sessions by the age of 15. He was lucky enough to be surrounded by incredible musicians who lived locally and had a strong influence on his music such as Caoimhín and Seán Ó Fearghail, Paddy Tutty, Dónal Clancy, Mac Dara MacDonncha, Fionn Mac Giolla Chuda, and Ciarán Ó Gealbháin. |
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Macdara has recorded and performed with musicians such as Páraic MacDonnchadha (on his album "Not Before Time"), Derek Hickey, Shane Meehan (on his album "Twill Do"), Caoimhín and Seán Ó Fearghail, Paddy Tutty, Oisín Morrison, John Dwyer, The Friel Sisters and Marty Barry, Conor O'Sullivan (on his album “Going Over Home”), Victoria Pierce, Éamonn O'Riordan, Cormac Begley, Claire Egan, Yvonne Casey, Tommy Fitzharris and Dónal McCague, Nell Ní Chróinín, Cliodhna Costello, Liam O'Brien, Ciara Ní Bhrian, Sorcha Costello, Conor Connolly, Catherine McHugh, and David Munnelly. He is currently in his final year of a Bachelors of Music in the MTU Cork School of Music.
He is a founding member of the group Nuadán, with whom he has recorded two albums, "Lá Laindí Lugha" and "Dén Díobháil". He has recently been selected as one of only a handful of musicians in the school to be a part of an album on the school's record label called "The Quarantapes" for which he recorded a piece he wrote himself, 'An Clamhán Bán'. He is also a maker of handcrafted bouzoukis, mandolins and guitars, which he plays himself. For more information on his instruments, visit his luthier website. |
