Talented Rathcabbin musician performing in prestigious competition

Talented harmonica player William Holmes, from Rathcabbin, is performing this evening in a prestigious competition, the 2026 Bonn Óir Seán Ó Riada Competition.

William is a member of Roscrea Comhaltas, which said it was "absolutely delighted to wish our branch member William Holmes the very best of luck as he is one of the 15 finalists in the prestigious 2026 Bonn Óir Seán Ó Riada Competition."

The branch said William is very talented and is a wonderful ambassador for traditional music.

In addition to the harmonica, he plays fiddle, uilleann pipes, guitar and piano, and regularly performs at the Comhaltas Heritage Centre Brú Ború in Cashel. He holds a BA in Music and Psychology and is currently completing a Professional Masters in Education in Music at the University of Limerick.

The competition will take place at the Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork City this evening, Friday, 23rd January at 7pm. Tickets will be available on the door, and for those who cannot attend, the event will be broadcast live on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta and streamed via www.rte.ie/radio/rnag

Now in its sixteenth year, the competition, founded by Peadar Ó Riada, celebrates a different traditional instrument each year. This year’s focus is on metal reed instruments, accordion, concertina and harmonica.

"We are immensely proud of William," said Roscrea Comhaltas on its Facebook page, "and wish him every success tonight. Go n-éirí leat William.

Commenting on this year’s competition, Peadar Ó Riada said: "We are very pleased that the competition is going from strength to strength with entrants from all over the world and two American finalists in the competition this year. We are particularly happy to see the younger generation attending the concert every year. Even when their own instrument doesn’t feature, they come back to meet up with each other and to play in the music session afterwards. We look forward to hearing great music again on the night."