Beoga (
Irish word for ''vivid'' or ''lively'') are an
Irish folk band. They were formed in
County Kerry
County Kerry ( gle, Contae ChiarraÃ) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...
in 2002 at the All-Ireland Fleadh although the original four members of the band hail from
County Antrim and
County Londonderry
County Londonderry ( Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry ( ga, Contae Dhoire), is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. B ...
in
Northern Ireland. The line-up features Damian McKee on accordion, multi-instrumentalist Seán Óg Graham, pianist Liam Bradley and Eamon Murray on bodhrán. Niamh Dunne, from
County Limerick, joined in 2005, on vocals and fiddle.
History
Their 2007 album ''mischief'' was voted one of the top folk albums of 2007 at the Live Ireland Music Awards and the German Music Awards. Their third album, ''the incident'', was shortlisted for a
2010 Grammy Award
The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2008 through September 30, 2009. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares Pe ...
nomination, in the
Best Contemporary World Music Album category. In that year they were awarded a U.S. House of Representatives Certificate of Congressional Recognition and were described by ''
The Wall Street Journal'' as "the most exciting traditional band to emerge from Ireland this century."
In 2016
Ed Sheeran invited Beoga to contribute to his album
''÷'' (divide). They co-wrote the song "
Galway Girl" using parts of the track "Minute 5" from their album ''how to tune a fish''. They are also featured on the song "
Nancy Mulligan
"Nancy Mulligan" is a song by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was included on the deluxe edition of his third studio album ''÷ (album), ÷'' (2017) and is the fifteenth track. After the album's release it charted at number 13 on the UK ...
".
On 25 June 2017 the band backed Sheeran for a performance of "Nancy Mulligan" during his headline performance at
Glastonbury Festival 2017.
The "''mini-album''" ''Carousel'' released in May 2020 shows a style change towards pop-music. A strong influence are the guest musicians fearured on the tracks. In April 2021 the Band released five instrumental tracks on the EP ''Breathe''. On this EP they mix the structures of traditional Irish tunes with elements of pop-music.
Gallery
411-0042-Beoga-hinnerk-ruemenapf.jpg, Beoga 2017
411-0021-Damian McKee-Beoga-hinnerk-ruemenapf.jpg, Damian McKee
411-0009-Eamon Murray-Beoga-hinnerk-ruemenapf.jpg, Eamon Murray
411-0013-Liam Bradley-Beoga-hinnerk-ruemenapf.jpg, Liam Bradley
411-0072-Niamh Dunne-Beoga-hinnerk-ruemenapf 01.jpg, Niamh Dunne
411-0017-Sean Og Graham-Beoga-hinnerk-ruemenapf.jpg, Seán Óg Graham
Discography
* ''A Lovely Madness'' (2004)
* ''Mischief'' (2007)
* ''The Incident'' (2009)
* ''Live at Stockfisch Studio'' (2010)
* ''How to Tune a Fish'' (2011)
* ''Beoga – Live at 10: The 10th Anniversary Concert'' (2013)
* ''Before We Change Our Mind'' (2016)
* ''Carousel'' (2020)
* ''Breathe'' (2021)
References
External links
Beoga: Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beoga
Celtic music groups
Folk music groups from Northern Ireland
Musical groups established in 2002