Central Michigan Life

Issue date: 3/17/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Alexander Stawinski Singer Niamh Dunne shares a laugh with drummer Eamon Murray of the Irish band Beoga during their performance Friday at Warriner Hall's Plachta Auditorium. The performance was presented by the WCMU program "Our Front Porch" with John Sheffler. [Click to enlarge]

Sarah Brang said did not know what to expect from Beoga's performance Friday at Warriner Hall's Plachta Auditorium.

But the Irish folk quintet thrilled the Flint senior.

"They mesh really well as a group, and it's really uplifting," Brang said.

Beoga's performance featured several original songs with vocals by violinist and singer Niamh Dunne, but consisted primarily of instrumental compositions.

"We take Irish music ... to places purists wouldn't take it," said drummer Eamon Murray. "We're not scared to incorporate blues music and jazz music."

The band's performance reinforced Murray's statement.

Covers of Steely Dan's "Dirty Work" and Willie Nelson's "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone" twisted perceptions of traditional Irish music.

Murray asserted himself as the most talkative member of the group throughout the performance. Between songs, he shared stories about Ireland, good-spirited jokes about his bandmates and the tale of the Irish band's first experience with Taco Bell.

"It was really good," Murray said. "Although it might have something to do with it being 2 in the morning and we were hammered."

Murray also impressed the audience with his skills with the bodhrán, the traditional Irish drum for which he was named All-Ireland champion for four years.

"He's fantastic, he really is," said Midland resident Marge Vernon. "I can't imagine how his hands could move that fast."

Murray's bandmates also made a considerable impression on the audience.

Pianist Liam Bradley, accordionist Damian McKee and accordion-guitarist Seán Óg Graham first formed Beoga in Northern Ireland in 2002, and were joined by Dunne two years later.

Beoga concludes a month-long American tour today with a performance in Frankfort. The band then will return to Ireland, where they will continue work on their upcoming third studio album, which they hope to release by the end of the year.

John Sheffler, host of WCMU's "Our Front Porch," which presented Beoga's performance, said he thought the band did "a heck of a job" Friday.

"I thought the audience was great," he said. "You never know how the audience is going to react when you bring a band for the first time."

The concert was recorded for broadcast on WCMU at an undetermined date, Sheffler said. "Our Front Porch" also sponsored and recorded Beoga's concert in Harbor Springs on Saturday.


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