Beoga
With an adventurous spirit and a passion for charting the road less travelled, Beoga have shown that Irish traditional music can take fresh new directions. Constantly evolving, the quintet have proved that new audiences are eager to embrace the genre’s life-affirming energy.
That world-facing potential was proven by the popularity of their collaborations with Ed Sheeran on his all-conquering ‘÷’ album. Those two songs – ‘Galway Girl’ and ‘Nancy Mulligan’ – have been streamed over a billion times on Spotify alone. Their creative connection continued with some huge outdoor shows, including an unforgettable once-in-a-lifetime moment when they joined Ed during his headline set at Glastonbury.
Emboldened by the experience, Beoga focused on creating attention-grabbing hooks rather than exploratory instrumentals. As accordionist Damian McKee notes, “We were making music like we’d never done before. It was like starting again from scratch.”
“Irish music can sometimes be complicated for complicated’s sake,” adds bodhrán player Eamon Murray. “We had to step back, make it more direct and get to the point quicker.”
