One of the many features of Greater Boston is a constant influx of young musicians, who relocate to the area for college, work, and the abundance of its Irish/Celtic music scene – or some combination of the three. A recent addition is Cork-born accordionist/melodeonist Diarmuid Ó Meachair, who won TG4 Gradam Ceoil “Young Musician of the Year Award” honors in 2022 and was nominated for two RTÉ Folk Awards in 2024 as “Best Folk Instrumentalist” and “Best Emerging Artist.” He’s also been performing as a member of the Frankie Gavin and De Dannan line-up, and appeared with them earlier this year at Celtic Connections and Tradfest. 

His playing on accordion and melodeon – notably his rhythmic flow, ornamentation, and creative variations – has prompted comparisons to such box luminaries as P.J. Conlon, Finbarr Dwyer, Jackie Daly, and Johnny Connolly; Ó Meachair makes a point of crediting the likes of legends like Jerry O’Brien and Joe Derrane, both of whom lived in the Boston area, for serving as inspirations. He is an accomplished sean-nos singer as well.

Ó Meachair – who during April will be at Boston College and the Irish Cultural Centre of Greater Boston – has released three recordings, “Siúl Na Slí,” “Melodeon Medleys,” and most recently, “Diarmuid Ó Meachair,” which includes contributions from Brian McGrath (piano), Garry O'Briain (mandocello), Michael McCague (guitar), and Colm Murphy (bodhrán).

He recently took some time to discuss both his geographical and musical journeys.

     So, how did you wind up moving to Boston?  

Ó Meachair: I have been working as a primary school teacher in Cork City since 2018, but I decided to take a “career break” from teaching to focus on my music and to travel to places where the culture appealed to me, such as Castelfidardo in Italy, Quebéc, and Louisiana. I made the move to Boston since I have many friends here and knew of a lot of the places where Irish traditional music is welcome. When an opportunity to teach Irish music and language at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester was advertised in June 2024, I decided to apply and make the most of the chance to teach the music I love at an academic setting in Massachusetts. I interviewed for the position while I was teaching at The Willie Clancy Summer School in July and when it was offered, I accepted. 

It’s going great so far. The community in Holy Cross is fantastic and it’s nice to mix some teaching with concerts and festivals around the US. I would love to stay based in Boston and Worcester and keep performing concerts, workshops and lectures around the US for the next few years. 

What aspects of the traditional music scene in Boston have you found most appealing?

Ó Meachair: There are so many fantastic places to play Irish music – The Druid in Cambridge and The Burren in Davis Square especially. And there are so many fantastic musicians in Boston and other US cities. It has been a pleasure to get to know these musicians and spend time playing with them in their hometowns, and begin to understand the history of the traditional music scene in the US from the source. 

I’m a huge fan of the great Jerry O’Brien, who was from Kinsale in Cork – the same county as me – and it has been pretty cool to spend time playing his tunes around the US. I have been invited to perform at an event for Jerry at Boston College on April 10, which is really exciting. I’m honored and very grateful to Boston College for the opportunity to honor a great Cork man who did great work in the Boston Irish music scene.  

You come from a family with strong ties to the Irish music tradition. What was it like to grow up with that sort of legacy? Did you feel it was expected of you to become a musician?

Ó Meachair: It was never expected of me to become a musician, but playing music and singing sean-nós songs is something that comes naturally to my family. I’m lucky that all of my family play different instruments – flute, uilleann pipes, fiddle, mandolin – so I was exposed to a wide repertoire of tunes and techniques informally. It’s extremely special to be able to share the music from my area with US audiences and they have really appreciated my concerts and recordings so far.

What were some of the important experiences in your development as an accordion player?  

Ó Meachair: The exposure to different instruments and accordion styles has been extremely important in the development of my own style on the accordion. I originally started on the B/C accordion but I was always curious about the C#/D accordion and the single-row melodeon. I eventually got my hands on a melodeon at 14 and a C#/D accordion at 19, which were important moments in my development as an accordion player. I’ve studied a lot of the 78s that were recorded in New York in the 1920s as well as some of the great Quebecois accordion players. 

And then there's your sean-nos singing.

Ó Meachair: My family on my mother’s side has a long history of singing in the Cúil Aodha area. It was something we always practiced at school and at home. We attended many festivals and summer schools and sean-nós singing was always an integral part of those events. My siblings and I were very lucky to be exposed to some of the best singers in Ireland and it’s a special thing to be able to share the culture from my family and my homeplace with new audiences. 

You've released an album every year since 2022. Have you always found the recording process enjoyable, or did it take a while to get used to? 

Ó Meachair: I love the recording process. I have been very lucky to have gotten the chance to work with great sound engineers and producers like Jack Talty from Raelach Records and Garry O’Briain in New Quay. The first two albums were recorded in the same sessions. Playing with great accompanists definitely helps!