Lecture, concert feature Irish broadcaster and traditional singer

Irish broadcaster and traditional singer Meaití Jó Shéamuis Ó Fátharta will explore the role of radio in preserving and promoting minority languages and cultures during an upcoming lecture at UW–Madison.

The lecture is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the Morphy Concert Hall, Mosse Humanities Building, 455 N. Park St. The event is free and open to the public. An informal session of Irish music and singing in Irish will follow the lecture.

Meaití Jó Shéamuis is one of Ireland’s best-known radio and television broadcasters in the Irish language. He has served as a producer and program host with Ireland’s national Irish-language radio network, Raidió na Gaeltachta, since its founding in 1972. He is also a highly acclaimed singer, deeply rooted in the traditions of sean-nós (“old style”) singing in Irish Gaelic. He has won the All-Ireland competition for men’s sean-nós singing twice. In 2001, he earned the O’ Riada Trophy, an even greater honor for Irish traditional song.

The event is sponsored by the University Lectures Committee, Department of Liberal Studies and the Arts, Folklore Program, Celtic Studies Program, Department of Linguistics and Department of Communication Arts, at UW–Madison; the Madison Celtic Music Association; and the Madison Celtic Cultural Center.