Nia and Dermot Byrne with Steve Cooney

Accordion, Fiddle, and Guitar Workshops

Stranmillis College, Saturday April 5th 2025

Nia Byrne, Fiddle

A leader of a new generation of Donegal singers and fiddle players, Nia Byrne was born and raised in the North-West Donegal Gaeltacht. She has learned her fiddling from her mother Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and her cousin Ciarán Ó Maonaigh and her father Dermot Byrne. A regular attendee throughout her childhood at the Fiddle Week in Glencolmcille, County Donegal, every August and The Willie Clancy Summer School in July, Nia has listened and learnt a lot of her music from the Campbells of Glenties, Dermot McLaughlin, Liam O’Connor, and Clare Friel to mention but a few. She teaches regularly in Donegal and in her current home in Dublin. She has performed at festivals and on radio and other media with her mother and father, and she has toured along with Altan in the USA and Australia. She also participated in 2024’s Lorient Interceltic Festival music camp.

Dermot Byrne, Accordion

Dermot Byrne is one of the finest accordion players of his generation. He is a master of the Donegal style and repertoire, but he applies his seemingly effortless and subtle technique to the entire spectrum of folk and dance music. A member of the renowned Irish traditional music band Altan from 1994 to 2013, Dermot has also collaborated with many great musicians including Seamus and Manus McGuire, Sharon Shannon, Frankie Gavin, Tim O ’Brien and the late jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli. Dermot’s self-titled solo recording received great critical acclaim. For his contribution to Irish music Dermot was chosen as TG4's Traditional Musician of the Year 2013.  In 2022 he has released two albums, one with Clare fiddler Yvonne Casey and the other a collaboration with Steve Cooney.

Steve Cooney, Guitar

Steve Cooney is a force of nature in Irish traditional music. He was born in Melbourne, Australia and came to Ireland in 1980 where he developed an influential style of guitar accompaniment to traditional Irish dance music in West Kerry and also became an innovative and masterful interpreter of Irish song and the music of the Irish harp. Steve has participated in the making of more than 250 CDs either as a guitar or bass player, or as producer and engineer. Steve is also a poet, a songwriter, and a music theorist and educator. He casts a very wide net and has worked with many iconic international artists in rock and country music, but his primary focus is Irish traditional music and fusions of that genre.