Bonn Oir Seán O Riada 2010
Aoife Ní Bhriain a chéad bhuaigh an Bonn Ór Seán Ó Riada agus an sparán €5,000 sa chomórtas úr-nua, tábhachtach seo. B’iad na moltóirí clúiteacha a thug breithiúntas ar an gcomortas ná Martin Hayes ón bhFia Choill, Co an Chláir, Seán Keane ó Cheoltóirí Chualann (buíon Seán Ó Riada) agus na Chieftans níos déanaí agus Liam O’Connor (Ceoltóír Óg na Bliana Gradam TG4 2002). Bhí na moltóirí i láthair i gCorcaigh agus Martin Hayes ag moltóireacht via ríomhaire beo ar-líne ó Nua Eabhrac.
Iníon leis an bpíobaire Mick O’Brien agus an múinteoir ceoil Fidelma is ea Aoife. Bhí Aoife ag ceiliúradh a fichiú lá breithe trí lá roimis an chomórtais. Thosnaigh Aoife ag foghlaim an bheidhlín claisiceach ag aois a dó agus cé nár thóg sí ceachtanna sa cheol Gaelach, phioc sí suas go nádúrtha é agus í ag fás aníos i dteaghlach lán de cheol Gaelach.
Ag labhairt di i ndiaidh an chomórtais agus a bua,dúirt sí go raibh sí lán d’áthas agus gurbh geit di gur thug sí an chraobh léithe. Tá sí ag staidéar i Leipzig na Gearmáine faoi láthair agus súil aici céim BA a bhaint amach i bhFeidhmíocht Ealaíon an Cheoil. Tá sí ag filleadh ann an tseachtain seo.
Bhí níos mó ná 60 iomathóir ón Fhrainc, Ceanada, An Rúis, An Astráil, Na Stáit Aontaithe,Éire agus an Ríocht Aontaithe ag iomaíocht don gcraobh luachmhar, cáiliúil seo. B’iad an cúigear déag a bhí sa chraobh ná: Tara Breen, Méadhbh Boyd, Aoife Ní Bhriain, Ivan Roberts (Sydney), Micheál Cherry (Baile Átha Cliath), Claire Egan (Londain), Devin Sheperd (Chicago), Rebecca McCarthy-Kent, (Port Láirge), Armand Aromin (West Warwick, USA), Aidan Connolly (Baile Átha Cliath), Heather Mullen (Chicago), Mairéad Hickey (Corcaigh), Melanie Houton (Tír Chonaill), David Doocey (Muigheo) and Martin Dowling, (Béal Feirste).
Dublin fiddler Aoife Ní Bhriain was the outright winner of the award, winning a specially designed gold medal, Bonn Óir Sheáin Uí Riada, and €5,000 in prize money. The competition was judged by an expert panel of musicians, including Clare’s own Martin Hayes, live from New York on video link, as well Seán Keane of Ceoltóiri Chualann (Seán Ó Riada’s band) and later the Chieftans and Liam O’Connor, TG4 Young Musician of the Year 2002, who were all present at the concert in Cork.
The winner is the daughter of piper Mick O’Brien and Fidelma, a music teacher, who is also an accomplished fiddler. Aoife, who celebrated her 20th birthday three days before the competition, began learning classical violin at the age of two and never formally learned traditional fiddle but picked it up naturally from the music she heard played at home.
Speaking after her win, Aoife said she was absolutely over the moon and still shocked that she had won. She is currently studying for a BA in Performance and Musical Arts in Leipzig, Germany, and will return there this week.
More than 60 entrants including musicians from France, Canada, Russia, Australia, USA, Ireland and the UK competed for the coveted award. The 15 finalists for the award were Tara Breen, Méadhbh Boyd, Aoife Ní Bhriain, Ivan Roberts (Sydney), Micheál Cherry (Dublin), Claire Egan (London), Devin Sheperd (Chicago), Rebecca McCarthy-Kent, (Waterford), Armand Aromin (West Warwick, USA), Aidan Connolly (Dublin), Heather Mullen (Chicago), Mairéad Hickey (Cork), Melanie Houton (Donegal), David Doocey (Mayo) and Martin Dowling, (Belfast).
