The West Ocean String Quartet

“Séamus McGuire’s supple tone was a delight, his instrument tracing shapes every bit as distinctive as anything John Coltrane, Ben Webster or Martin Hayes have created” – Siobhán Long, The Irish Times

Fiddle-player Séamus McGuire became well known among Irish music audiences in the 1980s for his sibling-tight fiddle duet playing with his brother Manus on their debut album, The Humours of Lissadell (Folk Legacy Records, USA). Since then he has been acclaimed as a founding member of the influential group Buttons and Bows and the ground-breaking West Ocean String Quartet. His album, The Missing Reel with Leitrim flute-player John Lee and guitarist Arty McGlynn is regarded as essential to any collection of Irish traditional music recordings.

Born in Co. Sligo, Séamus grew up in a family which was steeped in music. His parents Paddy and Jo were both accomplished musicians, playing piano and fiddle. Legendary fiddle-players such as Lad O’Beirne were regular visitors to the McGuire family home during holidays from New York. During a meeting with another iconic fiddle-player, Paddy Killoran in 1960, Paddy signed the young Séamus’ autograph book with the note “from one violinist to another”. Charlie Lennon was a family friend, and composed the reel “Master Séamus” for Seamus aged 14 – one of Charlie’s first compositions. At the age of sixteen Seamus won the prestigious Fiddler of Dooney competition in Sligo and a few years later, the Oireachtas senior fiddle competition. He was soon recognized as one of the country’s most talented young traditional fiddle-players.

In Kinvara, Co.Galway a few years later, Séamus and Manus shared tunes in sessions with Jackie Daly and Garry O Bríain, leading to the formation of the traditional group Buttons and Bows in 1983. Their recordings to date include the eponymous ‘Buttons & Bows’, ‘The First Month of Summer’, ‘Gracenotes’ and ‘The Return of Spring’. Along with Daithí Sproule and his brother Manus, he recorded the album ‘Carousel’ in 1984. Seamus’ solo album, “The Wishing Tree” inspired by the eponymous poem by Seamus Heaney, was named by The Irish Times as one of the top five traditional recordings in Ireland in 1995.

The West Ocean String Quartet, founded by Seamus and cellist/composer Neil Martin in 1999, fearlessly explores the territory between traditional and classical music. The quartet won “Traditional Album of the Year” in 2014  (The Irish Times), and performed at The Royal Albert Hall, London, in “Ceiliúradh”, a celebration of President Michael D Higgins’ historic visit to the UK in 2014.

In 2018, Séamus and Leitrim flute-player John Lee released their album “The Legacy of Stephen Grier” which explored the remarkable unpublished manuscript collection notated by Stephen Grier in Gortletteragh, Co Leitrim in the 1860s.

In addition to performing and recording, Séamus is a fiddle tutor at the B Mus degree programme in traditional music performance at Ulster University, Magee campus, Derry and  currently works as a music tutor with the Donegal Education and Training Board based at the Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny. Other teaching experience includes workshops at Boston College Gaelic Roots Festival, USA; Rencontres Irlandais, Tocane St Apre, France; Department of Irish Studies, Notre Dame University, South Bend, Indiana, USA;  Music Generation Project, The Model Arts Centre, Sligo; ‘Mind Your Quavers’ adult back-to-music group Donegal ETB;  “Blow the Dust off your Old Trumpet” back-to-music project at National Concert Hall, Dublin; Masterclasses for Coirm, Donegal; Masterclasses for Ceol na Coille, Donegal; Fiddle workshops at the Seamus Grant Festival, Clonmany, Co Donegal.

Séamus’ compositions include Glenveagh Castle (commissioned by Dúchas / The Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht for the Ceol Reoite Millenium project 2000), recorded by The West Ocean String Quartet; The Wishing Tree inspired by the poetry of Seamus Heaney; The Curlew’s Call, a suite commissioned by Ceol na Coille, Donegal; Oyster Island (for the Buttons & Bows album, The Return of Spring); The Vagabond (for the West Ocean String Quartet), and The Chestnut Hill Reel (for the Seamus Connolly digital archive collection of Irish Music, Boston College, USA).