Seán McKeon + Liam O'Connor
Dublin natives, Seán McKeon and Liam O’Connor have been performing together from an early age. Both were born into prominent musical families and have been immersed in traditional music all their lives. Seán grew up listening to music at home in Dublin with his parents being his earliest influences, while Liam cites his father and fiddler Seámus Glackin as having influenced his musicianship during his formative years. Both performers have received many musical accolades and both were awarded the prestigious TG4 Young Musician of the Year. In 2009, the pair released a duet album entitled “Dublin Made Me”, to widespread critical acclaim, with it being described in The Irish Times as “a vibrant collection that never once loses sight of its birth right yet still manages to herald a new departure in casting a spotlight on two exceptional musicians who marry technical prowess with a marvellous sense of adventure and history”. It was awarded the Irish Times CD of the week across all genres.
Not only in demand as performers, Seán and Liam have conducted tuition workshops and lectures at festivals and colleges at home and around the world. In 2009, Liam secured first-class honours in a graduate diploma in Irish Folklore in the UCD Delargy Centre for Irish Folklore and Linguistics and the National Folklore Collection. Seán is a member of the Damien Dempsey band, performing around the world with the Dublin singer/songwriter. In 2013, Seán released his debut solo CD, “To The City” and in April 2017 Liam released his own solo effort, “The Loom” which received a 5 star review in The Irish Times. In 2019, Liam was appointed director of The Irish Traditional Music Archive.“I think that it’s this ‘performance beyond technique’ that elevates these musicians to a special status” (Journal of Music)