Iarla Ó Lionáird, Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, and Cormac McCarthy
Irish Folk Nights
Twice Grammy-nominated Irish sean-nós singer Iarla Ó Lionáird reunites with fellow member of The Gloaming, hardanger d’amore fiddle visionary Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, alongside pianist-composer Cormac McCarthy. This new trio traces luminous paths between Irish song and folk instrumental tradition, contemporary classical music and jazz.
Iarla Ó Lionáird‘s voice has long occupied a place between worlds: rooted in the unaccompanied sean-nós tradition of his native West Cork, yet equally at home within contemporary classical, electronic and orchestral settings. Here, it becomes the focal point for a newly formed trio of exceptional subtlety and range.
Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh‘s ten-string hardanger d’amore surrounds the voice with bowed lines, drones and shimmering sympathetic resonance. Cormac McCarthy‘s piano brings a different dimension: spacious and lyrical, but informed by his deep experience of jazz, traditional music and large-scale orchestral arrangement. Together, the three musicians create a sound that can move from near silence to startling intensity.
The programme draws on Irish-language songs and poetry, Iarla’s solo repertoire and music associated with The Gloaming. Iarla and Caoimhín were central to that group’s transformation of Irish traditional music into a new form of chamber music, heard at the Royal Albert Hall, Lincoln Center, Sydney Opera House and across an extended series of residencies at Dublin’s National Concert Hall.
Together, the trio continue that spirit of exploration. Voice, fiddle and grand piano meet without excess or ornament, allowing ancient melodies, poetic texts and the spaces between notes to carry their full emotional weight.
This event will last approximately 85 minutes, without an interval.
Concessions & Under 30s tickets
Kings Place Concessions Tickets
We want to ensure that people who may be struggling financially to purchase a ticket can still enjoy visiting Kings Place. A limited number of tickets are allocated for certain events (if the ticket type does not show in the booking pathway, it means they are not available for this event or have all been sold). Concessions tickets are accessible for people on the following criteria (for more information visit our FAQs)
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Disability Benefit
- Income Support or Job Seekers allowance
- Students
£10 ‘Under 30s’ tickets
A limited number of £10 tickets are available for certain shows to attendees aged under 30. To access Under 30s tickets, update your account with your Date of Birth. Please visit the account centre to add your Date of Birth.
If £10 tickets are available, the ticket discount will apply automatically at checkout. If the discount does not apply, this means all ‘Under 30s’ tickets have sold out for the performance.
Please note that proof of age may be requested at the venue.
Plan your visit
Getting here
Kings Place is situated just a few minutes’ walk from King’s Cross and St Pancras stations, one of the most connected locations in London and now the biggest transport hub in Europe.
Our address is:
90 York Way, London, N1 9AG.
The Venue
Our performance spaces are situated on the lower ground floor. Hall One, Hall Two and St Pancras are located in level -2, reached by stairs, escalator and lift from the ground floor entrance level.
Event Times
Door times indicate auditorium entrance times only. Visitors are welcome to enjoy the Kings Place seating areas, gallery-level art, canal-side terrace, café, restaurant and bar throughout the day and evening.
- Our events begin promptly at the advertised start time. Typically, there is no support unless otherwise stated.
- We recommend arriving in good time before the performance. The Hall doors will open 30 minutes before the performance to allow time to take your seats, or to choose a space for standing shows.
- Latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance where possible
Access
We aim to make your visit to Kings Place as comfortable as possible. For more information about the accessibility of Kings Place, including details about our Access Scheme, please visit this page.
If you would like to discuss your access requirements with a member of our team, please get in touch with the Box Office team at info@kingsplace.co.uk.
Food & Drink
Rotunda Bar & Restaurant
Rotunda, situated on the ground floor of Kings Place, offers a unique dining and drinking experience alongside Regent’s Canal. The concert bar in the venue foyer will also be open for select events.
Green & Fortune Café
Recently re-furbished and now open with a new look, the Green & Fortune Café is open for selected concerts. Serving hot and cold food and drinks, including sandwiches, salads, soup, stew and a pie of the day, alongside a choice of cakes made by the on-site bakery team. See here for selected concert dates and standard opening hours.
About Iarla Ó Lionáird
Iarla Ó Lionáird grew up in the Irish-speaking community of Cúil Aodha, West Cork, where sean-nós song formed part of family life. He first performed publicly aged five and recorded Aisling Gheal for Gael Linn at twelve. A twice Grammy-nominated artist, Iarla has released solo albums through Real World Records and recorded with Afro Celt Sound System. His collaborators include Peter Gabriel, Sinéad O’Connor, Nick Cave and Robert Plant, while composers Donnacha Dennehy, Gavin Bryars, Nico Muhly and David Lang have written for or worked with his voice. His screen work also includes performances in Brooklyn and the film Sinners.
About Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh
Dublin-born Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh makes music on the ten-string hardanger d’amore, an instrument combining five bowed strings with five sympathetic strings that lend his playing its remarkable resonance. Rooted in Irish traditional music, his work moves freely into experimental and contemporary territory. Caoimhín performs as a soloist and with This Is How We Fly, and has made acclaimed duo recordings with Thomas Bartlett and Dan Trueman. Further collaborations include Mick O’Brien, Brendan Begley, Garth Knox and Laurie Anderson. His playing is distinguished by cross-tuned drones, finely judged texture and a searching approach that continually reveals new possibilities within inherited forms.
About Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy is a pianist, composer, arranger and conductor from Cork whose work moves between jazz, classical and Irish traditional music. After completing a master’s degree in composition at Cork School of Music, he received the Bill Whelan International Music Bursary in 2010. His orchestral work includes a commission for Ireland’s National Symphony Orchestra, and he has conducted the Irish Chamber Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra and Cork Opera House Concert Orchestra. Cormac’s compositions and arrangements have also been performed by Mick Flannery, Gavin James, Niamh Regan and Jack O’Rourke. RTÉ lyric fm has described his wide-ranging music as ‘defying categorisation’.
Reviews
‘One of the most dramatic voices in contemporary music.’ The Guardian
‘A merited, almost reverential air drew over the crowd as we were transported to that inexplicable liminal space that only truly great art can carry you to.’ The Goo (reviewing Iarla with Cormac McCarthy and Matthew Berrill)
‘A 10-string instrument which resonates richly at frequencies unreachable by a traditional fiddle or a viola d’amore.’ The Irish Times (reviewing Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh and Thomas Bartlett)