Just the Two is a new series of traditional and folk music concerts, curated by Paula Carroll, taking place in glór this Autumn. Just the Two explores the power of the pair in traditional music and song. If the solo voice is where we find the authentic expression of traditional music, then the duo is where we see musical communication at its most creative. When two musicians really understand each other, we witness an almost indescribable ‘flow’ between them. For this series we have invited musicians to perform for us and to try to describe that process.
Paul Dooley, based in Ennistymon, is one of the leading exponents of the Irish harp in its historical form and style – using a metal-strung harp, playing with the fingernails and achieving the distinctive ancient sound that metal strings bring. He has studied the construction of medieval Irish harps and has built several harps.
Kseniya Rusnak arrived from Kyiv, Ukraine to live in Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare this year. She plays harp and bandura – a type of lute or zither which is considered the national musical instrument of Ukraine. A classical as well as folk musician, she taught at the Kyiv Conservatory of Music before her departure from Ukraine. She began her collaboration with Paul Dooley earlier this year and wowed audiences at the Willie Clancy Summer School in July 2022.
Photo by Peter Laban
Four pairs will perform every second Thursday night from September into October. Dates are 1,15, 29 Sept and 13 Oct. All concerts begin at 8pm.
- Elaine Hogan & Sheila Garry – Thursday 15 Sept
- Therese McInerney & Marian Curtin – Thursday 29 September
- Seamus Ó Flatharta & Caoimhe Ní Fhlatharta – Thursday 13 October
