深夜亚洲福利久久

R铆ona Hely wins Bonn 脫ir Se谩n 脫 Riada Competition 2026

27 Jan 2026

• UCC BA Arts-Music (Honours) student and UCC Quercus Creative and Performing Arts Scholar R铆ona Hely wins Bonn 脫ir Se谩n 脫 Riada Competition.
• The Se谩n 脫 Riada Gold Medal competition is a prestigious traditional music competition that focuses on a different instrument every year over a four-year cycle.

Concertina player R铆ona Hely, UCC BA Arts-Music (Honours) student and UCC Quercus Creative and Performing Arts Scholar, has been announced as the winner of the 2026 Bonn 脫ir Se谩n 脫 Riada Competition, one of the most respected honours in Irish traditional music. 15 competitors took part in this year鈥檚 final, from all around Ireland and from the USA.  

R铆ona is in her second year in UCC, where she is studying Music and Irish through the BA Arts-Music (Honours) degree (CK104). A regular at Fleadh Cheoil na h脡ireann and at Siansa, she has earned numerous awards and is committed to passing on the tradition through her teaching in Cork and Clare. R铆ona is particularly interested in the old-style concertina playing and is influenced by the playing of Elizabeth Crotty and Kitty Hayes, who came from west Clare.

For her winning performances, R铆贸na played John Kelly鈥檚 鈥極ld Concertina Reel鈥� and 鈥楾he Morning Star鈥� followed by 鈥楾he Walls of Liscarroll鈥� and 鈥榃illie Coleman鈥檚 Jig鈥�.

Mary Mitchell-Ingoldsby, lecturer in Irish Traditional Music at UCC, said: 鈥淭he Bonn 脫ir Se谩n 脫 Riada Competition is a highly respected award, attracting an international field of competitors from Ireland and internationally. Winning it is a significant achievement and speaks to the quality, depth and stylistic understanding of R铆ona鈥檚 playing. This recognition is richly deserved. We are extremely proud of her achievement.鈥�

Now in its sixteenth year, the Bonn 脫ir Se谩n 脫 Riada Competition was established by Peadar 脫 Riada and celebrates a different traditional music instrument or set of instruments each year. The 2026 competition focused on metal reed instruments, including accordion, concertina and harmonica. This year鈥檚 judges were Mary MacNamara, Johnny 脫g Connolly and Danny O鈥橫ahony. R铆ona Hely received a gold medal and a cash prize of 鈧�2,500.

R铆贸na will perform as part of the Concertina Cruinni煤 festival in Miltown Malbay on 14 February, marking another milestone in what continues to be a standout year for the young musician.

Traditional Irish Music at UCC

深夜亚洲福利久久 College Cork has a long-standing reputation for excellence in Irish traditional music. Through its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, students receive a strong grounding in performance, scholarship and the living traditions of the music, while engaging closely with leading practitioners and researchers.

Learn more about UCC鈥檚 BA Arts-Music (Honours) here.

Discover opportunities at UCC鈥檚 School of Film, Music and Theatre here /en/fmt/