The Friel Sisters and Cécilia – Celtic Connections – Pavilion Theatre – January 24 2026

My introduction to the music of Quebec band CÉCILIA was akin to a baptism of fire. Within seconds of them blasting forth on stage I was ready to fasten my seatbelt, if I’d had one. Timi Turmel, Erin Leahy and Louis Schryer kicked off with a vibrant, punchy, high-octane performance of the High Reel which set the scene for the rest of their set.

I particularly enjoyed their arrangement of Michael McGoldrick’s slip jig Whalley Range and Hommage à Dorothée composed by the great Québec accordionist Philippe Bruneau, both of which are on their debut album Accent. I couldn’t take my eyes off their piano player, Erin Leahy, whose hands were like a blur for most of the set. She played Celtic Ragtime, a very impressive fast-moving medley of rags at incredible speed. Erin grew up in a musical family where fiddle tunes and stepdancing were part of daily life and before she was a pianist, she was a stepdancer, so her physical understanding of rhythm remains central to the music. It was no surprise when she vanished off stage while the other two were playing the Silver Spear, then returned to dance to it. Accordian player Timi Turmel played a tune he had composed on the piano during lockdown. He claimed to only knows four chords on piano, but likes pop music and composed a catchy Accordian Pop Tune which he called Stuck In My Head.

Then it was time for THE FRIEL SISTERS and a change of pace. Anna, Sheila and Clare were born and brought up in Glasgow but are deeply rooted in the traditions of Donegal. They were joined by Cathal Ó Curráin on bouzouki and vocals and young Simon Crehan, drafted in the day before to replace a sick Marty Barry, on guitar and vocals. He did a grand job and no doubt we’ll be seeing more of him. In contrast to Cécilia this was pure traditional Donegal and started with a great set of jigs, Born for Sport/The Fairy Jig and Kissing and Drinking from The Friels’ latest album, Northern Sky.

They followed that with a song, The Star of Crolly Town, that they got the lyrics of from Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh of the Donegal supergroup Altan. The sisters had several special guests and the first invited on stage was Grammy Award-winner Moya Brennan, the voice of another Donegal Supergroup Clannad, along with harp vituoso Cormac De Barra.They sung two songs, Perdue and The Lass Of Aughrim, a traditional Irish ballad which is the centrepiece of the 1987 film James Joyce’s The Dead.

Between guests the Friel Sisters kept us going by singing and playing more sets of tunes. There’s something very special about the way siblings’ voices blend that makes the wee hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Then we were off to Connemara and their next guests, more siblings, Séamus and Caoimhe Uí Fhlatharta, recipients of the 2024 RTÉ Folk Award for ‘Best Emerging Artists’. The Highlight of their contribution was the Seannós song Eileanór na Rún, attributed to the 17th century Irish poet and composer Cearbhall Óg Ó Dálaigh.

Back to Donegal for the final guests, the legendary sisters Maighread and Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill. It was one of those special occasions which blended the generations and traditions of the Donegal Gaeltacht. Maighread’s stong voice and distincive phrasing combined with Triona’s harmonies filled the hall. Then both sets of sisters launched into the Kesh jig. With Triona on piano you could have shut your eyes and almost believed the Bothy Band was back on stage.

HUGH TAYLOR