Gradam Ceoil TG4

Citation

To be regarded as a great traditional musician with individual style in a county which boasts an excess of highly rated traditional musicians is quite an accolade. Sorcha Costello is one such musician. From Tulla in east County Clare, Sorcha grew up in a family steeped in traditional music, in an area which was home to some of the great masters of traditional music including fiddler P.J. Hayes, fiddler and piper Martin Rochford and the Tulla Céilí Band. Her musical lineage is peerless; her mother Mary MacNamara is a renowned concertina player and her grandmother Ita’s own musical pedigree reached back generations. Sorcha has been playing music since before she can remember and has an illustrious career as a performer, having won numerous All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil solo, duet and band accolades. ‘The Lady’s Cup of Tea’ her duet album with her mother with their innate understanding of each other’s music, embodies the east Clare style. Sorcha is also in great demand as a teacher of music of that region because of her ability to transmit its unique style, with its trademark rhythm and swing qualities moulded by the environment and landscape of East Clare – its mountains, bogs and meadows. TG4 Ceoltóir Óg na Bliana 2021, Sorcha Costello