Bonn Óir Sheáin Uí Riada buaite ag Aoife Ní Bhriain

Is í Aoife Ní Bhriain ó Ráth Éanna i mBaile Átha Cliath buaiteoir Bhonn Óir Sheáin Uí Riada i gcomórtas fidle Chuireadh chun Ceoil a bhí ar siúl oíche Dé hAoine in Óstán an Rochestown Park i gCorcaigh.

Chuaigh RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta i muinín na teicneolaíochta don ócáid, le go bhféadfadh an fidléir iomráiteach as Co. an Chláir, Martin Hayes, moltóireacht a dhéanamh ar an gcomórtas ó Nua Eabhrac, áit a raibh sé ag réiteach do ghig, i gomchar le beirt mholtóirí eile a bhí i láthair ag an gceolchoirm, Seán Keane ó Na Chieftains agus Liam O'Connor, Ceoltóir Óg na Bliana TG4 2002.

Is í Ceannaire RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, Edel Ní Chuireáin, a bhronn an seic €5000 agus Bonn Óir Sheáin Uí Riada, deartha ag Pádraig Ó Mathúna, ar Aoife.

As Ráth Éanna d'Aoife, agus tá ceol ar an dá thaobh aici - is é an píobaire Mick O' Brien a hathar agus is ceoltóir agus múinteoir ceoil atá ina máthair, Fidelma. Rugadh agus tógadh Aoife i mBaile Átha Cliath, agus thosaigh sí ar fhoghlaim an veidhlín clasaiceach nuair nach raibh sí ach dhá bhliain d'aois. Ní dheachaigh sí ariamh chuig ranganna foirmeálta sa cheol traidisiúnta, ach phioc suas go nádúrtha é ón gceol a chuala sí thart uirthi agus í ag fás aníos. Rinne sí a 20ú breithlá a cheiliúradh tá cúpla lá ó shin, agus dúirt sí nach bhféadfadh sí bronntanas níos fearr a bheith faighte aici ná an comórtas a bhaint. Tá sí i mbun staidéir faoi láthair do chéim i gcumadóireacht an cheoil i Leipzig sa Ghearmáin.

Chuir Peadar Ó Riada tús leis an gcomórtas ar a chlár Cuireadh chun Ceoil i 2010 agus bhí os cionn 60 ceoltóir a chuir isteach air ó Éirinn agus ó áiteanna eile i bhfad i gcéin ar nós an Fhrainc, Ceanada, An Rúis, An Astráil, Meiriceá agus Sasana. 15 ceoltóir a bhí san iomaíocht don duais mhór sa chraobh, orthu siúd triúr as Meiriceá, duine amháin as Sasana, agus ceoltóir amháin ó Sydney na hAstráile.

Bonn Óir Sheáin Uí Riada, móide €5000, a bheidh le fáil ag an mbuaiteoir. Is é Pádraig Ó Mathúna as Caiseal Mumhan a rinne an dearadh ar an mbonn agus thóg sé beagnach 4 mhí air é sin a dhéanamh. Portráid Sheáin Uí Riada atá ar thaobh amháin den bhonn, agus iomhá atá greannta ar an taobh eile atá bunaithe ar Dhán Aimhirgín - an chéad dán Gaeilge a cumadh ariamh, de réir an tseanchais. Is i stíl La Tene atá an taobh seo den bhonn déanta, ag úsáid modh ceardaíochta an repoussé. Dhá phláta airgid atá ann agus iad ceangailte dá chéile, agus nuair a bheidh an buaiteoir fógraithe tógfaidh Pádraig an bonn ar ais arís agus greannfaidh sé ainm an bhuaiteora agus an bhliain ar an mbonn, agus ansin déanfar é a chneasú in ór.

Is iad na ceoltóirí a bhí ar stáitse ar 7 Eanáir:
Ivan Roberts Syndey na hAstráile
Micheál Cherry BÁC
Claire Egan Londain
Devin Sheperd Chicago Mheiriceá
Aoife Ni Bhriain BÁC
Rebecca Mc Carthy-Kent Port Láirge
Armand Aromin West Warwick, Meiriceá
Tara Breen Co. an Chláir
Aidan Connolly BÁC
Heather Mullen Chicago Mheiriceá
Mairead Hickey Corcaigh
Melanie Houton Dún na nGall
David Doocey Maigh Eo
Martin Dowling Béal Feirste
Maedhbh Boyd Inis, Co. an Chláir

Is iad na hurraithe Leabharlann na hOllscoile i gCorcaigh, Roinn an Cheoil in Ollscoil Chorcaigh, Bardas Chorcaí agus roinnt daoine aonaracha.

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Aoife Ní Bhriain is the winner of the Seán Ó Riada gold medal in the inaugural year of the traditional fiddle competition, broadcast live from Cork on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.

RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta took full advantage of modern communications technology for the event to allow renowned fiddler Martin Hayes to judge the competition from New York, where he was preparing for a gig. His fellow judges, Seán Keane of The Chieftains, and Liam O' Connor, TG4 Young Musician of the Year 2002, were both present at the concert in Cork.

Edel Ní Chuireáin, Ceannaire of RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, presented Aoife with the specially designed gold medal, Bonn Óir Sheáin Uí Riada, and the prize money of €5000.

The winner, Aoife Ní Bhriain, is from Raheny in Dublin, and comes from musical stock - her father is the piper Mick O' Brien, and her mother Fidelma, a music teacher, is an accomplished fiddler. Aoife, who celebrated her 20th birthday 3 days ago, began learning classical violin at the age of 2, and never formally learned traditional fiddle, but picked it up naturally from the music she heard played at home. Speaking after her win, Aoife said she was absolutely over the moon, and still shocked that she had won. She is currently studying for a BA in Performance and Musical Arts in Leipzig, Germany, and will return there on Monday.

The competition was inaugurated by Peadar Ó Riada on his traditional music programme Cuireadh chun Ceoil in 2010 and there were over 60 entrants including musicians from France, Canada, Russia, Australia, USA, Ireland and the UK, and the 15 finalists who will be on stage on Friday will include three fiddlers from America, one from London, and one fiddler who has travelled all the way from Australia to take part.

The Bonn Óir Sheáin Uí Riada gold medal has been specially designed by Cashel goldsmith Pádraig Ó Mathúna, as well as €5000 prize money. Ó Mathúna took almost 4 months to design the medal, which is engraved on one side with a portrait of Seán Ó Riada and features a design on the other side inspired by Dán Aimhirgín - Song of Amergin - uttered by the Milesian druid Amergin as he first set foot on Irish soil. This side of the medal is done in the La Tene style to indicate rhythms of music, using repoussé technique. The medal consists of 2 silver plates back to back, and following the competition on Friday Pádraig will engrave the winners name and the year into the medal, and it will then be coated in gold.

The finalists were as follows:
Ivan Roberts Sydney, Australia
Micheál Cherry Dublin
Claire Egan London
Devin Sheperd Chicago USA,
Aoife Ni Bhriain Dublin
Rebecca Mc Carthy-Kent Waterford
Armand Aromin West Warwick, USA
Tara Breen Co. Clare
Aidan Connolly Dublin
Heather Mullen Chicago, USA
Mairead Hickey Cork
Melanie Houton Donegal
David Doocey Mayo
Martin Dowling Belfast
Maedhbh Boyd Ennis

Sponsors of the prize include the Library in UCC, the Music Dept in UCC, Cork Co. Co and some private contributors.