Sionna Lunchtime Concert: Drawing from the Well

The Irish Traditional Music Archive's annual Drawing from the Well Concert Tour will partner with RTÉ100 to celebrate the solo voice in Irish Music. Leading traditional artists Seán McKeon (uilleann pipes), Jesse Smith (fiddle) and Clíodhna Costello (banjo) and local guests will perform material inspired by material sourced from the RTÉ and ITMA Archives.

Admission is free and all are welcome. 

Seán McKeon (uilleann pipes)

Known for his virtuosic and exhilarating performances, Seán McKeon is one of Ireland’s leading traditional artists. In 2005, Seán was awarded TG4 Young Musician of the Year. McKeon and fiddler Liam O’Connor released the celebrated duet album Dublin Made Me in 2009 followed by his first solo work To The City in 2013. Seán is a keen collaborator with exponents of many different genres having performed with orchestras, jazz musicians, world music artists, and spoken word artists throughout his musical career. Seán is also a member of the Damien Dempsey band, performing around the world with the Dublin singer/songwriter. He has performed and recorded with Elvis Costello, Hozier, Christy Moore & Amble over the past 12 months. In 2025, Seán released Salamanca, a solo recording celebrating the individual expression inherent in the art of uilleann piping. The recording has been widely critically acclaimed; with the Journal of Music heralding the album as "something unique that will itself inspire long into the future."

Jesse Smith (fiddle)

Jesse Smith was born into a musical family. His mother Donna Long has recorded and performed with, most notably, Brendan Mulvihill and the American-based band, Cherish the Ladies. His dad John sings and plays guitar. Jesse grew up immersed in the Irish music tradition having spent his childhood surrounded by many of the great Irish American musicians. He moved to Ireland in 1998 performing and recording for a period with the band Danú. He has recorded with The Tap Room Trio, Harry Bradley, Seán Gavin, Cherish the Ladies, Colm Gannon, Alan Kelly, Sharon Shannon, Emmet Gill, Enda Scahill, Tim Dennehy and Donna Long. His well received 2002 solo recording entitled Jigs and Reels appeared in Earle Hitchner’s Top Ten Albums of the Year column in US paper, The Irish Echo. He teaches at many of the Irish music summer schools and is an annual teacher at the Willie Clancy summer school. Television appearances include Geantrai, The Raw Bar, and the RTÉ programme The Reel Deal. He received an MA from Dundalk Institute of Technology for his research thesis on Sligo’s Michael Coleman. As part of ITMA’s Drawing from the Well se, Jesse explored collections by P.W. Joyce, Francis O'Neill and Martin Mulvihill to bring a selection of little known tunes to life on the fiddle.

Clíodhna Costello (banjo)

Clíodhna Costello hails from North Tipperary, an area rich in traditional music. She was immersed in music at a young age, both at home among her siblings, and with local musicians, the likes of Paddy O’Brien, his daughter Eileen, the Larkins, O’Connors and Slatterys to name but a few. She started learning piano and whistle at a young age and quickly progressed to the banjo. She learned much early on from listening to the likes of Jody Moran, John Carty, John Morrow, and Brian McGrath. Clíodhna performs regularly in the popular musical trio with Johnny Óg Connolly and Pádraig Ó Dubhghaill.