A welcome return to Brunswick for Seamus Begley and Jim Murray one of Ireland's most enduring traditional acts. Séamus is a brilliant button accordion player and singer and one of County Kerry's favourite sons. His playing is characterized by a boundless energy, a frisky and witty spontaneity, belting out jigs, slides and polkas with rapid sprays of reckless ornamentation before making a sudden key change into a bitter-sweet air, sung or played on the accordion. Jim Murray is one of Ireland's finest guitarists and his formidable reputation has been established as a player of traditional music - both as a melody player and as an accompanist. Over the last decade, Jim has worked with an array of great musicians most notable for Australian audiences with Sharon Shannon's band, and has combined a wide range of music and influences to create a unique and exciting modern sound in guitar accompaniment bringing it to the 'now'. They are touring Australia with their highly anticipated second album éirí go lá (up until dawn) which was released in early 2009.


Kate Burke and Ado Barker are one half of Australia's top trad folk band Trouble in the Kitchen. After a successful European tour with the band last year Kate and Ado stayed in Ireland for an extended period playing in clubs, sessions and kitchens, including a short tour with Andy Irvine. The duo is now a fully functioning unit featuring Kate's lovely vocals and tasteful guitar and Ado's very fine fiddle playing. They will be playing selections of new tunes and songs picked from their Irish sabbatical and enhancing their reputation as one of the best trad duos in the country.

The Louis McManus Memorial Concert
2009 marks the 21st anniversary of the Brunswick Music Festival, and over those 21 years, no-one has captured 'the heart and soul' of the Festival more than the late Louis McManus.

Louis lived in Brunswick for more than ten years and this was his 'home-town' festival. It was fitting then, that he played such a major role in the 1st Brunswick Music Festival way back in 1989.

Louis would go on to play at the Brunswick Music Festival with either the The Purple Dentists or the Leisure Twins each and every year until illness forced him from the stage.

The Annual Louis McManus Memorial Concert, presented as a part of the Brunswick Music Festival, is an opportunity to celebrate the music and the friendship that we all shared with Louis.
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