Tunes in the Church enters its last week of concerts in Galway this week with performances on Monday 26th, Wednesday 28th and Friday 30th. First up is Jack Talty on concertina and Emma Ó sullivan a sean nós dancer.  On Wednesday you can see Ciarán Ó Maonaigh – fiddle and Caitlín Nic Gabhann – concertina and dancer.  On Friday Páraic Mac Donnacha on banjo and Gary Hastings on flute will close out the series.

Tunes in the Church, the west coast series of traditional Irish concerts takes place in Galway's St Nicholas' Church.  

This series seeks to integrate some audience interaction into the various shows. Cormac Begley has been at the centre of this annual series for the last couple of years.  He recorded one of last years top ten albums in St. Nicholas' Collegiate Church in Galway where this concert series takes place. It was a concertina album recorded with Jack Talty ( who appears tonight ) called Na Fir Bolg and it was outstanding.

Tunes in the Church addresses the issue of interaction and according to their website "one of the aspects of this concert series that sets it apart from other formal traditional concerts is the element of interactive involvement by the audience; the audience and the performers are encouraged to engage with one another during the concert. For example, audience members are encouraged to participate in the experience by asking questions they may have for the performers, such as the background of their instruments, where they learned their music, and who or what influences their music. By allowing for open communication during the concerts, the barrier between the concept of ‘audience’ and ‘performer’ is challenged, therefore making each concert unique, fresh, and singularly authentic.

The interaction between the audience and the performers results in the audience learning some of the defining qualities of traditional Irish music. This includes hearing stories associated with certain tunes and tune names, as well as learning about how the living tradition is passed down from generation to generation. This natural approach gives an accurate reflection of the meaning of traditional Irish music and the process involved in the present living tradition and its connection to the past. Furthermore, it elicits the humour inherent in Irish culture and, for want of a better word, the ‘Irishness’ which is often lost in over produced shows."

This should make for a much more engaging performance and for tourists in particular a wider knowledge and participation in the event will be encouraged. So for a summer concert series with a difference check out Tunes in The Church.

Visit www.tunesinthechurch.com