Colm Mac Con Iomaire was raised in an Irish speaking musical family in Dublin. He was a founder member of the Irish traditional/ world music group Kíla and joined the Frames when they started in 1990.
Colm Mac Con Iomaire
Musicians main page
He has also recorded and toured as a member of the Swell Season since 2007.
Solo album – Hare’s Corner
In 2008 after many years spent as an ensemble musician, he finally got around to recording his very own album.
This record “The Hare’s Corner” is now being released in Britain.
The title refers to an ancient Irish custom of leaving a corner of a field uncut at harvest time so as to leave the Hare somewhere to hide.
It was used as a metaphor more recently by an Irish writer referring to the small pockets of Irish (Gaelic) speaking areas that hug the west coast of Ireland.
Gifted multi-instrumentalist
“Mac Con Iomaire is a gifted multi-instrumentalist as comfortable playing banjo, guitar, piano or electronic keyboards as he is playing fiddle. The result is a gorgeous album, so rich and seductive that it recalls everything from Irish pubs to American backwoods bluegrass.
Listen to Second Wave and Time Will Tell, with their interplay of banjo, guitar and fiddle, and you’ll think you’re sitting on some Appalachian porch with an Irish immigrant.
By contrast, Blue Shoes and Emer’s Dream are neo-classical studies in aching melancholy from an album that leans more to movies such as Barry Lyndon and Cold Mountain than the Irish pub.” — Bruce Elder – Sydney Morning Herald.
Eclectic sound recorded at home in Wexford
Colm plays most of the instruments on the album himself (Violins,Viola, Cello, Bozouki, Guitars, Harmonium, Banjo etc) and also got some friends to help out – Trumpet,Piano, Drums ,Bass and Irish Harp.
The album was recorded over a fortnight in Colm’s home in Co.Wexford which is on the south-east coast of Ireland.
It was a welcome change from being far from family on the road in countries various.
It was recorded by former classmate and Kíla & Maryjanes member Karl Odlum.
The record is eclectic in it’s influences and touchstones.. from Irish traditional to classical with a twist of the east and more..
More recently Colm played a series of sold out shows at the Sydney festival with his own 8 piece group. He is currently working on a new record and also writing and recording some soundtracks for forthcoming films.
Colm Mac Con Iomaire performing.
Colm Mac Con Iomaire
Musicians main page
