Singing Session: Breakfast Room, The Crown Hotel (4.30pm FREE)

Singing Session: Breakfast Room, The Crown Hotel (4.30pm FREE tickets can be reserved in advance)

Chan Reid with guests: Anna, Clare and Sheila Friel

Chan Reid

Chan was born into a musical family in Dublin, she was taught classical piano and singing from a young age by her grandmother Joan Kelly. Chan started to immerse herself in sean nós singing and Irish fiddle when she was at university in Dublin. She attended the Royal Academy of Irish Music and Royal College of Music. She has sung in choirs all her life, she has been leading singing for choirs, unaccompanied and harmony workshops for almost 20 years. Chan is an active folk and traditional singer, song collector and musician as part of the Irish diaspora in England, where she chairs a Comhaltas branch in the South East and teaches Irish fiddle and singing to adults and children. She has toured extensively as a solo artist and guest performer (including with The London Lasses) and has participated in a number of TG4 Irish language series and music documentaries as a sean nós singer.

Chan is a member of Celtic folk duo Bold Reilly and enjoys a full and varied folk festival tour schedule each year playing songs she has written, as well as songs from her ever expanding Irish repertoire. Chan has recently formed a new close harmony folk duo The Fox In The Reeds with her partner.

Chan was ITMA’s Saothar Composer in December 2024.

The Friel Sisters

Anna, Sheila and Clare Friel are traditional musicians from Doire na Mainséar, Donegal. Born in Glasgow, the sisters credit their main musical development to frequent trips to Ireland, partaking in workshops across the country, many of which they now teach themselves.

Since the launch of their debut album, The Friel Sisters have performed at venues and festivals across Europe, America and Asia. They have shared the stage with acts including Altan, The Chieftains, Lúnasa, Sharon Shannon and Cherish the Ladies. In 2016, the sisters performed at Festival Interceltique de Lorient, and won the prestigious Trophée Loïc Raison. In 2018, the girls released their second album Before the Sun featuring Hajime Takahashi on guitar and Cathal Ó Curráin on bouzouki.

In 2018, Clare was awarded TG4’s Gradam Ceoil Ceoltóir Óg na Bliana /Young Musician of the Year, performing solo and also with Anna, Sheila and Cathal on TG4 as part of the live awards show. The audience included Irish President Michael D. Higgins. On the night, she was given the award by the great Mairéad Ní Mhaoniagh.

The Friel Sisters are excited to launch their long-awaited third album, Northern Sky.