on October 25th at 7.30pm
in St. Edan’s Cathedral, Ferns.
There’s something special coming to St. Edan’s Cathedral in Ferns on Saturday, October 25th at 7.30pm – a concert that brings together Irish and Breton music, all inspired by the story of Irish migration to Brittany.
The Irish from Brittany is an artistic creation around Irish and Breton music which seeks to shed light on a lesser-known aspect of Breton history, that is the immigration of tens of thousands of Irish people to Brittany over more than a century right up the 1800s. While researching the works of historians who have studied Irish immigration, the musicians found that hundreds of families had Irish surnames without knowing it. These names were Bretonised. “Súilleabháin” became “Soulevan”. These traces can also be found in the architecture and certain traditions. This Irish presence is attested to in the civil registers at that period.
The idea for the concert came from Breton musician Brewen Favrau. He explains: “With the Irish of Brittany, we imagined what the meeting of both cultures might have been like, while still taking a certain amount of liberty. To do this, we composed songs and tunes and delved into traditional sources. We wanted to create an immersive experience using quotes taken from archives but also using soundscapes”, It is a very rich creation and an ambitious music encounter in four languages, Breton, Irish Gaelic, French and English. You will hear instruments that are emblematic of Irish music, and which have become firmly established alongside our own traditional music instruments. “With this creation, we are giving the spectator an insight into an area of our own history that fascinates us as musicians.”
The tour kicks off in Ferns before heading to Wicklow, Dublin, Limerick, Galway, and Inis Oírr. The line-up includes Veronique Bourjot (singer), Soazig Hamelin (fiddle/singer), Kevin Le Pennec (harp/singer), and Brewen Favrau himself (uilleann pipes, small pipes, whistles, and vocals). Brewen has played in Ferns before and says he’s delighted to return.
At the concert, you’ll not only enjoy the music but also hear about the inspiration behind the project. Afterwards, the group will be available to answer any questions, and they’ll even bring maps that trace Irish family names from the south east of Ireland to Brittany.
The event is hosted by the Ferns Heritage Project. Tickets @ €15 (€1.50 booking fee) can be purchased online on wexfordartscentre.ie/events – scroll to ‘The Irish of Brittany’.
Workshops
Workshops by each musician will be held in Ferns on Sunday, October 26th between 11am and 1pm. Workshops to include: Breton music on wind instruments (uilleann pipes, whistles, flute) by Brewen Favrau; Breton music on harp with Kevin Le Pennec; Breton fiddling with Siazig Hamelin; and Breton language singing and links with Sean Nós singing with Veronique Bourjot. For more information and to book a workshop place please email: fernsheritageproject@gmail.com
This project is supported by the Embassy of France in Ireland and Région Bretagne.