Welcome to a new episode of Music At Maddens Podcast with me, Lynette Fay.

This week we welcome Cathal Ó Curráin & Síle Friel to the podcast.

This week in the snug, Lynette welcomes Cathal Ó Curráin and Síle Friel

Two musicians whose lives trace the musical bridge between Glasgow and Donegal, where ferry crossings, kitchen songs, and 1 a.m. sessions shaped everything they are.

What began as homework on the boat turned into a lifetime of reels, mentors, and friendships that keep tradition not just alive, but roaring.

Síle brings the wild, luminous world of the uilleann pipes into focus, why they misbehave, why that’s part of their charm, and how visibility for women in piping grew through quiet advocacy and fierce community.

Cathal shares how the banjo became his second name, how sessions and radio spots nudged him onto stages, and why collaboration always wins over competition.

Together, they capture the pulse of the Glasgow–Donegal diaspora, where tunes, songs, and stories travel both ways until they sound like home in stereo.

Along the way, we talk about mentors and milestones: Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh’s example of leadership that lifts others, Crannóg’s influence in shaping the Glasgow trad scene, and the magic of Scoil Gheimhridh Ghaoth Dobhair, where Christmas gives way to dancing and dawn music.

Authenticity, Gaelic song, a few broken chairs, and the kind of crack that can’t be faked, it’s all here.

If you love Irish traditional music, diaspora stories, pipes, banjo, and the unfiltered joy of a late-night session, this one’s for you.

Enjoy!

New episodes every Monday.

Maddens Bar

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maddensbarbelfast_home_of_trad/

Hatch Belfast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/belfasthatch/?hl=en

Avalon Guitars

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avalonguitarsofficial/

Website: https://www.avalonguitars.com/

Smithwicks Irish Ale

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smithwicks_ireland/

Website: https://www.smithwicksexperience.com/