HUP!
TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC SERIES (TG4)
Hup: noun, often said involuntarily and spontaneously.
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A loud cry of joy or excitement when music is played.
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A signal between musicians that one is about to go into another tune.
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An exclamation among listeners when the musicians go into another tune.
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An indication that the tempo should be lifted.
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A 13-part trad series airing on TG4.
Hup! captures the very best of our music in many of the musical hotbeds around the country and over the course of 13 programmes we are treated to intimate performances by masters young and old.
This series is unlike any traditional music series to date and with no presenter or narration the music and songs are left to speak for themselves, which isn’t hard! Each episode is framed against a summer school or festival and throughout the series we get a strong flavour of the festival, but also a musical portait of the area. Solo and duet performances are abundant, letting the music breathe naturally, while the incredible “once off” session is captured in its raw essence. An octogenarian master shares the billing with an emerging younster who is causing a stir, and families perform together on campsites, in barges, and in an ecclectic mix of locations throughout Ireland.
The musical accents of all the regions are championed and each episode will have a dominant instrument with regional repertoires reigning supreme. In Abbeyfeale the accordion is King, but we also find room for a local bones champion and plenty of songs. At the annual Cáirde na Cruite festival in Termonfeckin the Harp is Queen, while flutes and fiddles lead the music in North Connaught. Hup is an up-close and-personal celebration of the traditional arts filmed by day and by night in some of Ireland’s hidden gems which rarely get featured on television, from Drumshambo to Achill, Dungarvan to Ballyshannon.
Featuring some of Ireland’s most well-known performers, as well as introducing new emerging talent, this series showcases the extrordinary wealth of talent we have playing Irish traditional music today. From solos to sessions, choirs to quartets, and from a sean-nós dancer on a barrel to a jammed community hall full of set dancers, we are given a full overview of the endless strands of our musical heritage.
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