Lorcan Mac Mathuna

Lorc?n Mac Math?na was born in Cork in 1976 into a family with a passion for traditional music and singing. Much of his singing has been passed to him by his father S?amus and were passed to him by masters of the tradition from places like C?l Aodha, where he lived at a time when the nation seemed to discover its rich heritage through people like Se?n ?'Riada. The influences on Lorc?n's style have been diverse and all of them deeply personal.

The influences on Lorc?n's style have been diverse and all of them deeply personal. Sean N?s is a soulful and emotionally expressive style of music and when it strikes a resonance with the listener it can have a dramatic and revelatory effect. Lorc?n's greatest influences have been such moments and each song he has learned started as a singularly striking performance in some personal encounter with the tradition, such as one beautifully fluid and uplifting rendition (or telling as they say in the Irish tradition) of an Cl?r Bog D?il in a tiny cramped bar in Mayo. From this he has developed a style, confident in his empathy with the tradition, which is controlled and exciting and which expresses the feeling of his songs and connects the listener to the emotions of the songs creators.

Lorc?n's take on Sean N?s combines a deep interest in stories with a deep appreciation of music. He realises that the music and the stories (the lyrics) of Sean N?s are entwined inseparably. It is a deeply expressive form of music and it is that expressiveness which Lorc?n emphasises when he pushes the conventional boundaries of Sean N?s. In exploring the potential for this aspect of Sean N?s he has collaborated with traditional, classical, and jazz musicians. Collaborations of these sorts give differing pastiches on which to lay his singing and allow explorations of melody, harmony, and pulse which give a deeper understanding of the music in Sean N?s and embellish the listener's appreciation.

This present phase in Lorc?n's musical development brings the Sean N?s style of singing into a new realm. One where the unaccustomed listener can readily recognise the musical quality of the songs without having to ?acquire a taste.? To cultivate a taste for these soulful and passionate melodies is a fulfilling journey in itself, but a little help from sympathetic instrumental development of the melodic lines of the tunes puts a thrill into the experience and brings a whole new dimension to the experience. Musicians such as Caoimh?n ? Raghallaigh and Mick O Brien are no strangers to innovation when it comes to music and their intuitive playing on his album R?gaire Dubh are an experience to be relished.

Lorc?n has led another life outside of music. He was once a good hurler before old age and the realisation that he had relatively little talent put a stop to that ambition (seeing as it was only ambition that kept him marginally above the ranks mediocrity that put paid to that path of his development). He has now decided to consider himself an authority on the sport.

He is a marginally better singer ?a sport that doesn't depend on vigour and where his advanced years aren't actually a hindrance- than hurler. He reckons that if he practices long enough he still has a good chance of fooling people into thinking he is a decent singer. Coincidentally he has also decided to bluff his way around the singing racket and considers himself an authority on that as well. His friends tell him he is a good singer and some discerning listeners say his singing is passionate ?which sounds like a compliment- so that encourages him to keep going.