WATCH: Award winning fiddle player plays Cavan tune

A multi-award winning fiddle player has used the imposed isolation and restrictions around Covid-19 to kickstart a series of online collaborations with fellow musicians.

Multi-instrumentalist (Fiddle, Guitar, Banjo, and Percussion) Ciaran Algar is one of the most highly-regarded young musicians on the Folk circuit today.

A two-time BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winner, the Englishman cites Sean Smyth of Lunasa being his biggest inspiration.

This Irish connection led to Ciaran taking part in the Fleadhs run by Comhaltas, in which he was extremely successful. Over eight years of competing, he won 20 regional titles, 12 British titles and 1 All Ireland title across various categories (Fiddle, Fiddle Slow Airs, Bodhran).

Here in one of this earliest #ciaranscoronacollabs, Ciaran was joined by “good pals” and fellow folk musicians Toby Shaer (Cara Dillon, Carousel, Sam Kelly and the Lost Boys, John McCusker, Heidi Talbot) and Evan Carson.

The tune they play together, synced in recording is ‘Leddy from Cavan’ by the famous Irish-American musician and composer of numerous traditional Irish dance tunes, Ed Reavy.

 

 

Born in the townland of Barnagrove, Knappagh, Co Cavan, Reavy emigrated to Philadelphia in 1912 where he settled in the Irish-American enclave of Corktown (Powelton Village).

Except for two visits back to Ireland, he remained in the Philadelphia area for the rest of his life. His legacy and music is still remembered to this day by musicians like Ciaran and the annual Ed Reavy Festival which takes place in Cavan.

'This took ages to sync up properly so you’d best retweet this to make it all worth it', Ciaran said of his online post.

Ciaran plays also as a member of Greg Russell & Ciaran Algar, and the Tweed Project.