Hi! My name's Conán McDonnell. Irish from Belfast, living in Potters bar, outside London - I do actually love it here but I'm still very much a Belfast lad at heart.
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I play Irish traditional music on accordion, bodhrán and harmonica. Love travelling, especially to festivals; over the years I've managed to take in a fair bit of Europe and the UK. Recently made some trips to New York City and State, Baltimore, Maryland and Washington DC. Just back from the Middle East. I'm into learning languages; at the minute I can "speak" French, Dutch, German and Irish Gaeilge to varying degrees. Toying with Spanish at the mo'. Used to do quite a lot of Irish Set-Dancing (best ever hangover cure).At the moment I'm playing Irish music at "sessions" (informal jams) in various pubs around London and Ireland.Check out the Porterhouse in Covent Garden, 3.30pm - 7.00pm on Sundays if you want to hear some good music
Incredibly dull people, obviously. Musicians, Irish or otherwise. Wizened old folkies. Wizened young folkies.
Heavily into traditional and folk music from Ireland and elsewhere - UK, Scandinavia, Brittany, Galicia, Asturias and Eastern Europe.Favourite Irish groups and musicians: Bothy Band, Planxty, Tamalin, Commonalty, Coolfin, Dervish, Altán, At First Light, Flook, Patrick Street, Lúnasa, 4 Men and a Dog, Tommy Peoples, Liam O'Connor, Paddy Glackin, Paddy Keenan, John McSherry, Harry Bradley, MáirtÃn O'Connor, Dermot Byrne, CÃarán Mooney and my hero Andy Irvine with his band Mozaik.Other than that - Battlefield Band, Blazing Fiddles, Ossian, Karine Polwart - Scotland, Den, Gwerz, Pennou Skoulm, Skolvan, Storvan, Carré Manchot, Jean Michel Veillon, Soig Siberil, Paddy and Jacky Molard, Christian Lemaitre, Ronan Le Bars (Brittany), Hedningarna, Vasen, JPP, Varttina, Annbjorg Lien (Scandinavia), Xosé Manuel Budinho, Tejedor, Mercedes Péon, Susana Seivane, La Musgana, Camarón de la Isla, Paco de Lucia (Spain)There's always time for a bit of Joni Mitchell, John Martyn, Beth Orton, The Pogues, Cara Dillon, Prefab Sprout (don't laugh), The Sundays, The Foo Fighters, Blur, Bjork, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix. Tom Lehrer (even just for "I hold your hand in mine"), Boothby Graffoe, Earl Oakin and Richard Cheese are really funny Favourite composers: Bach, Debussy, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich.
Jaws, La Haine, Kolya, Schindler's List, The Life Aquatic, The Life of Brian, The Snapper. Anything by Woody Allen. Three Colours Red/White/Blue, Mother Goose, Michael Collins, La Double Vie de Veronique, Frantic etc. I could go on but I'm starting to get bored.
Mostly Comedies so Father Ted, Black Books, The Mighty Boosh, Have I Got News for You, The Office, Phoenix Nights, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, They Think It's All Over, Harry Hill's TV Burp, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Rising Damp and Porridge. Spooks is alright too...
Tibor Fischer, Louis de Bernieres, Roddy Doyle, Solzhenitsyn, Craig Thomas, Martin Cruz Smith, Pablo Neruda, Billy Collins, Michael Frayn, Paulo Coelho, John Irving, Annie Proulx, Irvine Welsh, Joyce (for 5 minutes at a stretch) and Flann O'Brien. Yeah I do read a lot.
My Parents and Michael Collins, James Connolly, Andy Irvine, Paddy Keenan