Widely hailed accordionist/melodeonist and sean-nos singer Diarmuid Ó Meachair, a Cork native who’s won and been nominated for a slew of prestigious awards and honors, will give a concert at The Lilypad in Cambridge’s Inman Square on July 29 at 8 p.m., presented by Live at The Druid. Ó Meachair will be accompanied by pianist Colman Connolly, who like Ó Meachair comes from an impressive family background in music. 

 Ó Meachair, currently living in the Boston area and teaching Irish music and language at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, is a former TG4 Young Musician of the Year and was nominated for three RTÉ Folk Awards; he also won the Senior All-Ireland melodeon title at the 2016 Fleadh Cheoil. In addition to performing as a soloist, he also is a member of renowned Irish band Dé Dannan, which features fiddler Frankie Gavin, a major figure in the late-20th century Irish music revival. 

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. Born into a family of musicians, Ó Meachair is an accomplished sean-nos singer as well, winning numerous singing competitions at the Oireachtas na Gaeilge.

He's recently finished work on his fourth album, a live recording celebrating the union of single-row melodeon and sean-nos dancing. His other releases are "Siúl na Slí," "Melodeon Medleys," and last year’s "Diarmuid Ó Meachair."  

Connolly, currently a student at Middle Tennessee State University, has been involved in numerous musical undertakings since an early age: singing Christmas carols in a choir; competing in the Mid-Atlantic Fleadh; forming the classic rock/soul/pop cover band The Low Darts; and playing with his family — including his father, award-winning accordionist Damien Connolly – at the All-Ireland Fleadh.

He's also involved in a project to restore and remix early 20th-century recordings of Irish fiddler Michael Coleman.  

Check out the event listing here.