Real-life story of accordionist takes to the stage

Master of his craft

A THEATRE-music show telling the real-life story of one of Ireland’s foremost accordionists is coming to Galway as part of Galway Theatre Festival.

‘Bellow’ tells the story of Irish accordionist, Danny O’Mahony, a man who has dedicated his life to the preservation of traditional Irish music and to the mastery of his craft.

Following a successful run in New York, the theatre company Brokentalkers is now bringing ‘Bellow’ on the roads around Ireland with a stop in Galway from Thursday, April 30 to Friday, May 1.

Written and created together by Feidlim Cannon, Gary Keegan and Danny O’Mahony, this show takes the audience on a raw, intimate, deeply personal journey of self-reflection, passion, and the pursuit of artistic purpose.

It weaves together the past and present as Danny revisits pivotal moments in his life, his first taste of music as a child, the mentors who shaped him and the unrelenting pursuit of mastery that left room for little else.

Alongside Danny’s sublime live playing, the show also features an original electronic composition by Valgeir Sigurðsson, new writing and contemporary dance, heightening the tension between past and present.

What started with Danny’s simple curiosity around staging his music in a different way from regular stage performances, has led to the creation of a show that brings tradition back-to-the-now of today and does it with empathy and style and beauty mixing dance, music, theatre and love for Irish storytelling.

The show is produced by a Dublin based theatre company, Brokentalkers, whose ambitious work defies categorisation and have built a reputation both at home and internationally as one of Ireland’s most innovative and original theatre companies.