Limerick accordion player honoured with highest accolade in Irish traditional music

A MASTER accordion player from Adare has received a prestigious Gradam Ceoil TG4 2024 award.

Derek Hickey, from Adare, is one of seven incredibly talented men and women to be honoured during a special lunchtime concert at the University of Limerick’s Irish World Academy this week.  

Gradam Ceoil TG4, now in its 27th year, continues to recognise and celebrate the absolute best in performance and cultural impact in seven categories. 

The announcement of the annual awards is an important moment in the traditional music calendar not just to recognise the achievements of the seven awardees but also to celebrate the outstanding talent that our country has to offer. 

The awardees reflect the outstanding vibrancy, diversity and huge work being done "to ensure that our tradition continues to evolve with such flair and will be handed down in the best of health".

One man who is certainly doing that is Derek and the Hickey family. Both his grandfathers played fiddle and his own musical career began at the age of ten, when his uncle left an accordion in the family home.

Derek progressed to dance tunes within weeks though he didn’t begin lessons – under the tutelage of Dónal de Barra – until he was 12. His professional career began three years later when he joined the Shannonside Céilí Band, founded by the Liddy family. The band toured extensively in England and throughout Europe.

In 1991. Frankie Gavin asked Derek to join him for regular sessions in his then leased hotel in Kinvara, Co Galway. One year later, at just eighteen, Derek joined Arcady, Johnny ‘Ringo’ McDonagh’s band, along with Frances Black, Brendan Larrisey and Patsy Broderick. Other guest members of this band included Sharon Shannon, Cathal Hayden and Gerry O’Connor.

In 1995 he joined De Dannan, recording two albums and touring until they disbanded in 2003. Derek is the button accordion tutor on the BA Irish Music and Dance at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick.

In 2023 he performed at the National Concert Hall Dublin, as part of the third series of the Irish Traditional Music Archive’s ‘Drawing from the Well’ series. Widely acknowledged as one of Ireland’s most prominent and influential master accordion players, his eponymous 2022 album was deemed by fellow box player Dermot Byrne as “a recording of a pure genius”. 

Established in 1998, Gradam Ceoil TG4 recognises not just the artistry of awardees but also strives to amplify the success of the recipients and make their music, song and dance available to global audiences through broadcasts on TG4’s platforms. 

The selection process for Gradam Ceoil TG4 recipients is undertaken by an independent panel, some of whom are past awardees and all of whom play or work within the tradition. 

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TG4 commissioning editor, Proinsias Ní Ghráinne, said: “TG4 is delighted to be afforded this opportunity to recognise these stars that shine bright within our tradition. Gradam is a token of gratitude from us to the many performances who grace our traditional music programs week in, week out. 

"We are delighted that we can help bring their music to global audiences through the live broadcast of Gradam Ceoil 2024 on TG4’s broadcast platforms. Comhghairdeas leis na faighteoirí uilig.”

This year’s Gradam Ceoil TG4 concert takes place at the University Concert Hall at 9.30pm on Sunday, May 5. Broadcast live on TG4 and across the globe on the TG4 player, recipients will be joined by an array of musical guests and award presenters for a night of vibrant music, fun and entertainment. 

Tickets are available through the UCH website.