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Featuring - Tara Breen, Jim Murray & Pádraig Rynne & the HUP! Offaly 'Hall of Fame' inductees for 2026 - The Kinsella Family!

Tara Breen l Pádraig Rynne l Jim Murray

Embark on an odyssey of wonder, joyfulness and upbeat music as three incredibly talented and creative folk musicians shape melodies from past and present into something dynamic and irresistible. A trio comprising of musicians at the fore of our tradition, expect a performance from the gentle to the rhythmical and all the in-betweens.

Co. Clare natives Tara Breen and Pádraig Rynne have teamed up with virtuoso guitarist to form one of the finest performing groups in Irish music today. Their 2021 release "Nasc" is regarded as one of the finest albums in recent years from an Irish Traditional outfit and was winner of the best traditional album in the 2022 American Celtic listener supported radio awards.

Tara Breen, a highly talented multi-instrumentalist from County Clare, started playing the flute at the tender age of six. A performer with the award winning Irish instrumental band NOTIFY, the legendary Stockton’s Wing, and regular touring member of The Chieftains, Tara has won almost every All-Ireland title there is to win on fiddle, including the All-Ireland Senior Fiddle Title, the Fiddler of Dooney competition, the Michael Coleman Fiddle Competition and the Senior Oireachtas fiddle title. Such is Tara’s complete mastery of the fiddle, she was chosen to play for the Queen of England at Dublin Castle during her State visit to Ireland. Tara’s obvious virtuosity doesn’t stop at fiddle, as she also holds All-Ireland titles for flute and saxophone.

Described as “one of the freshest sounds in Irish music” by fRoots magazine, Pádraig Rynne is a virtuoso musician, prolific composer and is regarded as one of the finest concertina players in Irish music today. With an MA in Music technology and a passion for experimenting with diverse genres, Padraig is recognised for his refreshing explorations into the Irish Tradition and beyond.

Rynne formed the Irish instrumental group NOTIFY in 2013 and has gone on to perform at some of the worlds best folk, world and jazz festivals. Pádraig has featured on over thirty albums and has made many high profile TV appearances. He has performed with many well-known musicians across a variety genres including multi Grammy award winners Mark Lettieri and Jason Thomas (Snarky Puppy) and American Pop sensation Michelle Chamuel. 

Jim Murray has been touring the world full time as a professional musician since the age of eighteen. Jim is considered Sharon Shannon’s “right hand man” having recorded and toured with her over five continents.  He also released two critically acclaimed albums with long term partner Seamus Begley in 2001 and 2008 which collectively scooped many prestigious awards such as The Irish Times and Hot Press Traditional Irish Music Album of the Year. Since Jim’s arrival on the world stage, he has gained the respect of both national and international musicians and has performed and recorded with artists such as Sinead O’Connor, Steve Earl, Shane McGowan, Altan and Mary Black to mention but a few.

“Sure-footed, engaging and joyful music from a dynamic Clare duo. Expert musicianship, courageous creativity and sweetness of melody”

Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta

“Stylistically smooth and musically sophisticated, these three musicians execute with superb precision and at a high level with one foot firmly placed in the tradition.”

Dan Neely, The Irish Echo, New York

“Odyssey - what a wonderful album, a work which takes a lot from friends and influencers, but in a unique setting, an album to be cherished in a time of some shocking uncertainty in the world, a reminder that traditional need not, and here does not, mean inward and hostile, but open, loving, and inviting us to bask in its warmth.”

Steve Lazenby, Lazland

“In short, these three playing together are the Rush of Irish folk music.”

Celtbritfolk

HUP! Offaly Hall of Fame - The Kinsella Family

The Kinsella family's musical journey is rich with memories, especially from their early days of underage competitions in the 1980s and 90s. These competitions were more than just opportunities to showcase talent— they were the beginning of long-lasting friendships and connections that continue to this day, now spanning generations.

Back in the 1980s and 90s, when the Kinsella children first competed in the Fleadhs, they weren't just playing for titles. They were meeting fellow young musicians from all over Ireland, many of whom would become lifelong friends. Whether it was the Fleadh in New Ross in 1979, or other regional competitions, the Kinsella kids were often competing side by side with children from other musical families. The atmosphere was always competitive, but there was a strong sense of camaraderie, too. It was a place where rivals shared the same campgrounds, exchanged tunes, and supported each other's musical journeys.

The friendships that formed in those early days have come full circle. Now, decades later, the children of the Kinsella family are playing alongside the children of those very same musicians they once competed against. There's something so special about seeing the next generation of musicians bond over the same music their parents grew up with-fostering a deeper sense of community and connection through the shared language of traditional Irish music.
It's fascinating to think that the Kinsella kids-Padraig, David, Dorothy, Bridget, James, Aoife, Sinead, and Helena once competed against musicians who were just as determined and passionate about their craft. And now, those same musicians' children are growing up in the same musical world. It's like a tapestry of connections being woven through music, with each thread tied to a memory of youth, competition, and friendship.

These friendships, born out of shared experiences at competitions and music sessions, have stood the test of time. In many ways, the Kinsella family's musical legacy has intertwined with the lives of other families, creating a web of relationships that stretches across Ireland and beyond. And that spirit of camaraderie continues in the Slieve Bloom area, where now three generations of Kinsella's play together, alongside the next generation of musicians-who, perhaps, are competing together at today's Fleadhs.

The children who grew up competing in the 80s and 90s and now return to the same stages, festivals, and sessions as adults have seen firsthand how music creates lifelong bonds. Those early days, full of nerves and excitement as they tuned up their instruments for the underage competitions, have transformed into a beautiful cycle of mentorship and musical kinship. These young musicians who once shared a rivalry now play together, exchanging tunes just as their parents did all those years ago. This intertwining of lives through music is something incredibly unique to families like the Kinsella's. For them, music has not only been a career or a hobby; it's been a thread that has tied generations together, forming a beautiful web of memories, friendships, and mutual respect.