Gerry O’Connor
GERRY O’CONNOR – Ireland
with DÓNAL O’CONNOR (IRELAND) or GILLES LE BIGOT (BRITTANY)
‘Sparkling’, ‘Immaculate’ and with ‘Dazzling Ability’ were words used recently by the national Press to describe the music of Gerry O’Connor, one of Ireland’s most outstanding fiddle players. His family has played fiddle for at least four generations and Gerry is able to draw on this wealth of music learned from his mother Rose O’Connor and also from hand-written manuscripts passed down through the family.
Later he came under the influence of Joe Gardiner the great Sligo fiddle player, who lived in Dundalk for many years. Gerry breathes new life and intensity into many long forgotten tunes from his home area in the North East of Ireland. His unique personal style and splendidly fluid bow-hand combined with technical virtuosity have brought him to concert stages throughout the world and have earned him international renown.
Gerry tours with the excellent Breton guitarist Gilles le Bigot, or his son Dónal, also highly regarded as a great fiddle player, on fiddle and keyboards. Donal’s playing was described recently by the press as ‘immaculate’, ‘electrifying’ and ‘..born out of naked talent and consummate professionalism’. Gerry and Gilles were part of Fiddle Rendezvous which toured throughout Scotland to great acclaim on a Tune Up tour in 2008.
Gerry’s solo album, Journeyman, was described as ‘a sublime album of fiddle tunes’ in The Irish Times, and ‘the best Irish album of 2004’ in irishmusicreview.com
In a review of a gig by Gerry and Dónal O’Connor, Rob Adams in The Herald said:
O’Connor’s touch, subtlety of tonal variation, richness of phrasing and melodic vigour are marvellous and he has the ability that comes with true greatness where he appears to be doing very little when the music’s really moving, in both the pace and emotional senses. What’s more, he has passed his skills onto his son, Dónal. When father and son play fiddle together it’s like identical twins and even when Donal accompanies Gerry on electric piano there’s an obvious understanding between them.
Upcoming Gigs
No gigs booked at the moment.