Sean-nós, the unaccompanied, highly ornamented vocal tradition of Ireland, is one of the most expressive forms of traditional music. During the COVID-19 pandemic, as people turned to the arts for connection and solace, sean-nós resurfaced powerfully. Performances such as Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh’s Róisín Reimagined and Tolü Makay’s Don Oíche Úd i mBeithil on RTÉ’s Christmas in the Cathedral helped reframe sean-nós as a living, emotionally resonant tradition.
In this context, the performance of the soulful lament Anach Cuain by siblings Séamus and Caoimhe Uí Fhlatharta on The Late Late Show in 2022 was a defining cultural moment. The performance went viral, resonating with audiences far beyond the Gaeltacht and introducing new listeners to the expressive possibilities of sean-nós. Since then, they have reinterpreted the tradition with bold harmonic textures and multi-instrumental arrangements that speak to contemporary audiences while remaining rooted in their Connemara heritage.
Music Network’s September 2025 tour builds on this trajectory by bringing Séamus and Caoimhe into collaboration with renowned composer and pianist Ryan Molloy. Ryan’s intuitive and sensitive approach adds a rich harmonic and rhythmic depth to the siblings’ evocative interpretations and gently takes them down new paths, some emanating from contemporary music. Ryan explains his take on the creative process stating, "Sean-nós is our national art music. It must be attended to. It must be listened to more so than our dance music. As an art music it responds to its time. Caoimhe and Séamus are responding to the music of today from a traditional, authentic, deep place. It would be remiss of me to say that you're going to hear something that sounds contemporary. Because what does that even mean? But you will hear the music of Caoimhe, Séamus and Ryan in our place, in our areas, in our respective moments in time."
The Musicians
Ryan Molloy, TG4 Gradam Ceoil Composer of the Year 2024, has spent more than two decades crafting a distinctive musical voice bridging traditional and contemporary music worlds. From his base in County Tyrone, Ryan has emerged as a leading figure with performances across four continents and over thirty recordings as pianist, composer, and arranger. His music draws on Irish traditional forms while embracing the diverse influences of Perotin, Messiaen, and Denis Fréchette, former pianist with La Bottine Souriante. Here the spatial aspect of music connects these influences, and in particular as Ryan says, their ability to “liberate the listener from the earth.”
Séamus and Caoimhe Uí Fhlatharta hail from the rich cultural area of An Áird Mhóir in the Connemara Gaeltacht. Between them, they have earned twenty-five All-Ireland titles. In 2024 they were recognised by RTÉ Radio 1 as Best Emerging Folk Artist for their debut EP. A work that showcases their command of instruments including harp, fiddle, bodhrán, low whistle, shruti box, and their signature close vocal harmonies.
All three artists experienced an informal musical culture in their homes. Ryan recalls a household where music happened naturally—friends calling in with instruments, chords passed between father and son. Similarly, Séamus and Caoimhe describe a music-filled home where tradition was lived more than taught. They also express a deep respect for other tradition bearers in their community. “There's so many well-established masters of sean-nós singing, and you often associate certain songs with certain people,” says Séamus. “So, when you take on a song, you know that another may be known for delivering the most heart-wrenching version of it and so you kind of need to be able to hold your own.”
A New Language of Arrangement
For Séamus and Caoimhe, harmony in sean-nós is a natural form of expression. “It always surprises people that when we were traveling about as kids, Caoimhe and I might have been listening and singing harmonies to ABBA and Westlife,” Séamus laughs. The duo also cites Irish groups like Altan, Scara Brae, and Danú as early influences in their exploration of harmony within the tradition. “I'm obsessed with choir music,” he adds. “I just love dissonance and imperfection rather than conventional harmony. We try to avoid perfect thirds or perfect fifths and always end on a non-resolving note.”
Caoimhe reflects on how their approach has been received: “I know you saw experimentation within other regions, but it wasn't done as much in Connemara. Maybe because of the heavy ornamentation and the heavy topics of the songs. So, we were very apprehensive at the start… but people seem to have come around to it. It’s bringing more young people in and allowing them to engage with the tradition.”
The Collaboration
The trio’s collaboration is built on mutual respect and openness. “Ryan came on board and sat so seamlessly into that space,” says Séamus. “He had the exact approach and respect for the song as we did.” Ryan echoes the sentiment, noting how the siblings created a space for him to contribute and how he was careful not to overwhelm their sound. “What they do is perfect,” he says. “You listen to their recordings? It is just a drone and them, because it doesn't need anything else. But Caoimhe and Séamus made that space for me to go in there and explore with them.” He also describes the challenge of working within the duo’s intimate performance space: “what they do is so centred within them physically that they don't need to get any louder than a kind of a gentle, speaking voice. In response, I had to make this massive Yamaha piano speak just as softly!”
Improvisation is key to this collaboration. “I don't think it was ever the exact same,” says Séamus of their rehearsals. “There was always space for spontaneity, interpreting the mood at that moment in time.” Ryan agrees: “Most of our notes from the rehearsals were: how many verses, is there an intro, is there something in the middle, and how is it ending? Literally everything else apart from that is not fixed.” Ryan found the process musically freeing. “They mould around each other and respond in real time to something I do. It’s not calculated or reined in.”
All three artists emphasise the importance of emotional communication. “We always wanted to portray emotion and pay respect to the people and events preserved in these songs,” says Séamus. “Our goal is to explain the story through chords and instrumental bits,” adds Caoimhe. “People have come up after shows and said, ‘We didn’t understand the language, but we felt exactly what the song was about.” Ryan notes, “Performance is a two-way act. What the audience gives in return defines that journey.”
Sound World and Repertoire
The group’s sound world is characterised by close harmonies, gentle interplay, and a conversational piano style that interweaves rather than accompanies. The programme includes iconic laments such as “Eileanór na Rún” and “Caoineadh na dTrí Mhuire,” as well as tune sets and original works which show connections between the artists. Séamus performs “Síle Ní Chonalláin” on harp, while Ryan plucks and damps the piano strings to create a hypnotic soundscape that bridges the world of the wire-strung harp and modern keyboard.
Their set also includes music composed in their home regions. Ryans tunes representing Tyrone sit alongside tunes by Connamara’s Marcus Hernon and Caisleán an tSléibhe, a song written by the siblings’ great-granduncle Mícheál Bheairtle Ó Donnchú. “He wrote about a little ruin on the side of a hill,” says Séamus, “and made it out to be a palace full of food, music, and dance. But the whole premise is that it was never to be found because it didn’t exist as a place. It’s all hyperbolic.”
Original Compositions
Music Network commissioned Ryan to compose new music especially for the tour and he contributes two new jigs, inspired by the geography and aura of the siblings’ home. “I was imagining their playing, and where they’re from,” he explains. A google search led me to Oileán Mhic Dara (MacDara’s Island). Inspired by the chapel there, he wrote a contemplative tune in e minor recalling the monastic solitude of the island. A second search revealed a phenomenal beach on Inis Múscraí, which inspired him to write an upbeat and lively jig in D major, but beginning unusually on a low A. “Turns out they can see it from their front window, which I had no idea about!” says Ryan.
The Tour Experience
For the artists, this tour is a space to grow artistically and reach new audiences. “We wanted to make a connection between the music of Tyrone and Connemara,” says Séamus. Ryan adds, “While we did not always pursue those connections, we didn’t abandon them either—we just explored them in different ways.”
The music is ultimately about restoring intimacy and connection to our culture in a modern world. Through their acoustic, emotionally rich performances, the trio invites audiences into a shared space of listening, feeling, and remembering.
As Ryan concludes, “You might not understand what the songs mean, but you will be affected by them.”