Up and coming Laois harpist to compete in finals of prestigious music competition

Up and coming Laois harpist and young composer Aoibhe Kettle will compete in the final of prestigious Sean Ó Riada Bonn óir music competition on Friday 24 January.

The Seán Ó Riada Gold Medal competition is a prestigious traditional music competition that focuses on a different instrument every year over a four year cycle and this time features both the harp and the uileann pipes.

The competition this year attracted the highest ever number of entrants since its inception in 2010 with the numbers being whittled down to 6 harpers (all female) and 9 pipers.

Event organiser and presenter Peadar Ó Riada said that "we are very pleased that the competition is going from strength to strength with entrants from all over the world and an American finalist in the competition again this year”.

He said that the standard is very high and that "we are particularly happy to see the younger generation attending the concert every year even when their own instrument doesn’t feature they come back to meet up with each other and to play in the music session afterwards, we look forward to hearing great music again on the night”.

There will be two separate prizes for harp and uileann pipes with the winner for each instrument getting a bespoke Gold medal designed by Niamh Utsch, as well a cash prize of €2,500 each. 

Aoibhe Kettle from Wolfhill in Co Laois is a third year student at the Irish World Music Academy in the University of Limerick.

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Ms Kettle has already won a number of major competitions at The All Ireland Fleadh Cheoil Na hÉireann.

Aoibhe’s musical passion lies in composing for harp and she says that she is hugely inspired by older traditional Irish music composers such as Bill Whelan and Mícheál Ó Suilleabháin.

She recently finished her composition, “The Famine Suite” for harp and will be recording this work and others on her up-coming EP, releasing later this year.

Aoibhe comes from a very musical family and performs regularly with her brother Naoise Kettle (Fiddle) and her sister Nell Kettle Harp.

Unlike previous years there is only one finalist from the US for 2025 with most of the other finalists hailing from Dublin or the West of Ireland.

One thing that most finalists have in common is that they all come from some kind of musical background many of them having siblings or parents who play music which is now being passed on to the next generation.

Also significant is that more than half the contestants have competed and won prizes in many of the recent all Ireland Fleadh Ceoil and significant also that nearly all the uileann pipers have learned the pipes or got tuition from Na Piobairí Uileann.

The judges for this years competition are esteemed Dublin piper Mick O Brien, Scottish renowned piper Ailean Domhnallach and acclaimed harpist Siobhan Armstrong.

Tickets for the event can be brought at the door for €10 and it will be broadcast live on RTÉ Raidio na Gaeltachta and streamed online.

The competition is being sponsored by RnaG, Comhaltas, Gael Linn, IMRO, Rochestown Park Hotel and Iontaoibheas Fodhla.