A warm welcome back for Owen Spafford + Cáit Ní Riain + Ultan O Brian, to perform at Levis Corner House as part of Ballydehob trad Fest 2026
#liveatlevis
book early front bar gig
ARTIST BIO
Fiddle player Owen Spafford of Leeds, fiddle and viola player Ultan O Brien of
Clare, and pianist and vocalist Cáit Ní Riain of Tipperary join forces for a special fire
of fiddling, song, and musical exploration. Steeped in the Irish tradition with
influences ranging across many genres, they each have interesting and fresh
approaches to exploring the vast landscapes of music, song, and sonic worlds.
They each bring their distinctive and individual musical voice and deep passion for
music to the stage to create a magical tapestry of sound together.
Individual Bios
Ultan O Brian
Ultan is a fiddle/viola player & composer based in County Clare. Ultan has a
background in traditional Irish music and improvised music and performs as a
soloist and in duos and bands with Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, Martin Green (Lau),
Nic Gareiss, Laura Jurd, Slow Moving Clouds, Neil Ó Lochlainn’s Cuar, and John
Francis Flynn.
In March 2025, Ultan released his debut solo album, Dancing the Line, through
Nyahh Records featuring Nic Gareiss, Martin Green and Edwina Guckian.
‘There’s an understated virtuosity to these tunes — a weightlessness that lifts the
spirit even in their plaintive moments, often propelled by the percussive shuffle of
dancer Nic Gareiss, who taps his way across the album’s floorboards. O’Brien pays
tribute to the experimentation that’s always thrived in the tradition, nodding to
players like Nell Galvin and Packie Manus Byrne whose singular creative methods
inspired his own development as a musician.’ — Eoin Murray
Cáit Ní Riain
Cáit Ní Riain is a singer and multi-instrumentalist from Upperchurch in
Co.Tipperary. She is deeply rooted in Irish traditional music and song, and
has been influenced by the great depth and beauty of the songs and tunes
of Ireland, and of folk musics the world over; the music, songs, and
rhythms that have grown from the ground up, from the human’s
relationship with land. She is particularly passionate about the traditional
songs of Ireland, the keening tradition, the deep embodiment of voice, and
voice as a potent healing and spiritual tool. She composes her own songs
which are rooted in themes of wildness, love, and the need to decolonize
our minds, hearts, and bodies. She plays piano and sings in ‘The
Weaving’, alongside accordionist and singer, Méabh Begley and Leeds’
fiddler, Owen Spafford. The Weaving are an exciting new group
celebrating the deep taproots of both Irish and English traditional music
and song who will release their debut album entitled Dlúth agus Inneach,
Warp and Weft, on February 11th 2026.
Owen Spafford
Owen Spafford is a fiddle player and composer from Leeds whose musical
life
started in the Leeds-Irish trad. scene. Owen has since toured with Giffords
Circus
and received a scholarship to study composition at the Royal Academy of
Music.
His installation exploring the oral tradition in traditional music ‘Welcome
Here, Kind
Stranger’ has been presented in Luxembourg, the Netherlands and UK
featuring musicians Sam Amidon, Brighde Chaimbeul and Mikey Kenney.
Owen is also an All-Britain Fiddle Champion in the Fleadh Cheoil na
Breataine and BBC Young
Composer Competition nominee. Equally at home in a traditional session as
he is
in a free improvisation workshop, Spafford’s understanding of the oral
tradition
and love for vernacular music from around the world enables an inventive
and
thoughtful fiddle style.
In 2022 Owen released a debut album with guitarist Louis Campbell which
Martin
Hayes described as “a beautiful, moody and tasteful recording that defies
classification. The arrangements and playing are truly subtle and the sounds
are
pristine.” The duo allows Owen and Louis to distill their love of traditional
and
experimental music into powerful, intricate and intimate music. Their music
manages to orbit many different sound-worlds from traditional English dance
tune to chamber music and post-rock with influences ranging from field
recordings, to The Gloaming, Bill Frisell, Ravel and Godspeed You! Black
Emperor.
Alongside the duo, his band ‘The Weaving’ with Méabh Begley and Cáit Ní
Riain
explores Owen’s deep love for traditional Irish music
????Ballydehob Traditional Music Festival 2026 will be held across the village of Ballydehob, West Cork from Friday, March 27th - Sunday, March 29th 2026. ballydehobtradfest.com/
Levis Corner House
Main St., Ballydehob, Co. Cork
+353 2837118
