Arts Life - Brian Morrissey

What I do: Teacher, musician, and creator & producer of Pulses of Tradition.

Favourite café: The Castle, Blackrock.

Current listening: Damien Mullane — 13

The last gig I attended: Pulses of Tradition at Triskel Christchurch — a must-see event in Cork!

The last book I read: Biography of Fidel Castro — a great read.

My last trip to the theatre: Dido and Aeneas at Cork Opera House. I’m not normally a man for opera but this production was fantastic.

My favourite film: Shine — a brilliant performance by Geoffrey Rush, and it gives a great insight into the unstable nature of the character’s genius.

My favourite writer/artist/musician: My favourite artist is JB Vallely — he really captures the energy of musicians in full flight.

My favourite work of art: The Roscommon Fiddler by JB Vallely. It is a brilliant portrayal of how musicians get lost in the music.

My favourite venue: My favourite place to play was always The Lobby Bar, but since it closed I really enjoy playing in and attending gigs at De Barra’s in Clonakilty and The White Horse in Ballincollig. Intimate venues such as these are fantastic places to hear great music.

The writer/artist/musician I would most like to meet: The musician I would most love to meet and perform with is Evelyn Glennie, as she is an inspirational percussionist.

Bio: Brian Morrissey was born in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, and now lives and works in Cork. He is a much sought after musician and has featured on nearly 30 albums with some of the world’s best traditional musicians, and also artistes from many other genres. He has performed with musical luminaries such as Béla Fleck, Donal Lunny, John Spillane, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, The Vallelys, Eoin Coughlan, Karan Casey, Kevin Crawford, Máirtín O’Connor and many more. Brian is a critically acclaimed percussionist, bodhrán, banjo and whistle player. He teaches at Gaelscoil Charraig Uí Leighin, and also at the School of Music and Drama in University College Cork.

Upcoming show: Brian is the creator and producer of Pulses of Tradition, the traditional music, song and dance experience at Triskel Christchurch, Cork. The show features some of the world’s best traditional musicians, singers and dancers, including Elaine Cormican (Liadan), Caoimhín Vallely (Buille/Karan Casey Band), Eoin Coughlan and dancer Andrew Vickers. This year’s run comes to an end on Friday, Sept 29, with a grand finale event. Guesting on the night will be Joseph Mannion, the young bodhrán sensation who, at eight years old, is creating quite a stir in the traditional music world.

* Further information on Pulses of Tradition: www.facebook.com/PulsesOfTradition. Box office: 021 4272022 or triskelartscentre.ie.