*Siobhán Peoples. Photograph: Con Kelleher
FIDDLE PLAYER, Siobhán Peoples has been named as the winner of the 2023 MÓRglór Award.
A world-renowned performer and tutor, Siobhán has been an inspiration and mentor to many musicians, locally, nationally and internationally, through her extensive teaching career. A leading ambassador for the traditional arts in Clare, she has been an integral part of the vibrant session scene for several decades.
In recent years, she has also been one of the driving forces behind the resurgence of the Ennis Trad Festival.
Siobhán is steeped in the musical history of Co. Donegal, through her father Tommy, and of Co Clare, through her grandmother Kitty Linnane, pianist with the original Kilfenora Céilí Band.
For close to two decades, she has been a tutor at the University of Limerick and features annually in a similar capacity at many festivals.
In 2002, Siobhan teamed up with box player, Murty Ryan, to release an acclaimed duet album, Time on our Hands.
Her dedication to the music of Ennis can also be seen in the work she has done on the committee of the Ennis Trad Festival for many years now. With a group of dedicated friends and colleagues Siobhán relaunched Ennis Trad Festival which has since become a major festival on the traditional circuit and is central to strengthening the traditional identity of the town and county.
On Saturday 16th December, the people of Clare will come together to acknowledge a debt of gratitude to Siobhán for her tireless efforts in promoting Irish Traditional Music with a concert in glór featuring a host of local and national traditional musicians. Tickets for this concert went on sale on Wednesday.
“We are absolutely delighted to recognise and celebrate Siobhán Peoples’ substantial contribution to the development and promotion of traditional music of Co. Clare, locally, nationally and internationally. We very much look forward to a concert which will celebrate Siobhán’s tireless dedication to her art, in the company of many of her closest friends and musical acquaintances,” said Director of glór, Marie O’Byrne.
MÓRglór is an acknowledgement and celebration by glór of the wealth of professional and semi-professional artists, alongside the talented individuals, groups and communities within the county, all of whom provide a vital stimulus for the growth and development of Clare’s unique culture.
This prestigious annual award, named after Clare’s cultural ambassador and visionary, Muiris Ó Rocháin, is sponsored by glór and developed in partnership with Dr. Tim Collins. A panel of traditional arts practitioners and experts, assembled by glór, invites an awardee, fitting with the objectives and spirit of MÓRglór, to be celebrated annually.
Previous MÓRglór recipients include Corofin Traditional Music Festival (2014); Eoin O’Neill (2015); Frank Custy (2016); Geraldine Cotter (2017), Chris Droney (2018); Mary MacNamara (2019); The Shannon Family (2021) and Malbay Studios (2022).
