Zoë Conway & John McIntyre with special guest, Riverdance composer Bill Whelan

This is going to be a rare night! Fiddler Zoë Conway and her guitarist husband, John McIntyre, will perform a very special, one-off concert with their good friend, Riverdance composer Bill Whelan.  

“Ballymaloe Grainstore was our first choice for this performance as there is such a wonderful, creative and organic environment at Ballymaloe,” says Zoë.  “We really feel part of the community there. Bill's children have completed the Ballymaloe cookery course, and John and I have had musical visits for more than 15 years, performing at public, private and corporate events.”

This will be a rare live performance for Bill Whelan, one of Ireland’s most famous and influential composers.  As part of the evening, Bill will read excerpts from his new memoir, The Road to Riverdance, which actor and author Gabriel Byrne says ‘‘Vividly describes Bill's singular journey from Limerick to world fame as a Grammy-winning composer … a fascinating and revealing book about the man and his music.”

In 2002, Bill produced Zoe’s first solo album in his recording studio in Roundstone, Co. Galway. It took almost two years to complete, so over that time they formed a close friendship and have continued to work closely on many projects ever since. Zoë and John were delighted to feature on the 25th Anniversary recording of Riverdance last year.

Bill is best known for composing the international phenomenon, Riverdance, for which he won the 1997 Grammy Award for “Best Musical Show Album” – and yes, Grainstore audiences can expect to hear a rousing version of that tune!

With an exciting blend of eclectic fiddle and guitar music, Zoë Conway and John McIntyre bring to the stage sympathetic arrangements of traditional Irish music and songs, old and new.  The husband-and-wife folk duo possess a rare facility to draw pieces into their repertoire from other genres such as classical, jazz and world music and display the sheer range and knowledge of both instrumentalists and the wonderful versatility of their instruments.

Together, Zoë and John have been described as “simply one of the best folk duos on the planet” (BBC), and audiences in Ireland and beyond keep coming back for more.  They have performed for rock stars, millionaires and dignitaries around the world, including Irish Presidents Mary McAleese and Michael D. Higgins

Bill composed Riverdance for the interval act of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. As a single release, Riverdance spent 18 weeks at No. 1in the Irish charts and was a Top Ten hit in the UK. Since then, it has gone on to play to millions of people world-wide with both the album and video topping the charts around the world. Bill was honoured with a 1997 Grammy Award when the Riverdance record was named the “Best Musical Show Album”.

His work with Irish traditional music and musicians has occupied much of his time since1980 when he was the pianist for the legendary Planxty.  His production and arranging credits include, among others, U2, Van Morrison and Kate Bush. He has also worked extensively in theatre. His adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore had successful runs at London’s Old Vic, Melbourne and Sydney and received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination.

In 1989,he was appointed composer to the W.B. Yeats International Theatre Festival at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre, he wrote original music for 15 Yeats’s plays .He has also composed scores for films including Lamb starring Liam Neeson and Dancing at Lughnasa starring Meryl Streep.

Signed copies of The Road to Riverdance will be available for sale after the concert.

www.zoeandjohn.com

www.billwhelan.com‍

Early Dinner, Bed & Breakfast package:

October 19th 2022

The package includes:

Afternoon tea on arrival

Early 3-course Ballymaloe dinner

8pm Zoe Conway, John McIntyre and Bill Whelan at Ballymaloe Grainstore

Bed & Breakfast

€420 per couple (based on double occupancy of a Heritage room)

To Book contact Daphne on 0214652531 or email res@ballymaloe.com

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