Enniskillen musician Sean Magee has been making up for lost time in 2022 as he jets to far flung destinations like New York and Dubai.
The talented Co Fermanagh singer managed to use lockdowns during Covid 19 to boost his profile online by playing live sessions. Now after appearing at a venue in the Big Apple on St Patrick’s Day this year, he is to head to the Middle East in August for the opening of a new venue in Dubai.
An All Ireland Fleadh winner on the fiddle at the age of just 14, Sean said he’s been living the dream this year with the international gigs.
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“This year I have loads to look forward to. I’m playing in Dubai at the end of August and then I’m doing Craic by the Creek in Manchester as well," Sean told MyFermanagh.
“Over Covid I had been doing Facebook Live videos on my own page and they really helped to boost my profile a bit. That was one good thing to come out of Covid I suppose.
“These international gigs seemed to come out of that stuff that I was doing. I was maybe getting tens of thousands of views on these videos after a day of putting them up.
“A few of these festivals got in touch with me then to see if I would come over so I was just delighted to hear that.
“It’s been great and the reception everywhere I go has been brilliant as well. After Covid it has been nice to just get back on tour like we are supposed to.
“It’s brilliant with the likes of music you can see a bit of the world and make a few pound for yourself while you’re doing it.
“The best gig I’ve ever done was at a place called Haswell Green’s in New York earlier this year, on St Patrick’s Day. It was just absolutely unbelievable.
“I’m going back there again next year as well. The amount of people there from Fermanagh, Tyrone, Donegal was unreal.”
Despite his international travels this year however, Sean said his Co Fermanagh roots still remain very strong. His father Conor was a well-known musician in days gone by throughout the county as well.
“My father has been playing in bands all his life, from about the age of seven I started playing the fiddle. His idol was Pat McManus and I got fiddle lessons from him when he moved home from London.
“I started playing with my father when I was 10 then I started competing and I won the All Ireland Fleadh competition for the fiddle when I was 14.
“I would have been more into my trad music at that time. When I got to university then I started pushing more into the guitar and singing.
“People have asked me recently if I’ve been singing my whole life but I didn’t really until the age of about 19 or so. I started doing solo gigs all around the country after that.
“I love being at home as well though. I don’t do as many gigs in Enniskillen now as what I used to.
“I suppose if you’re from here people are inclined to think ‘sure it’s just your man from down the road’.
“By the end of the year I’m hoping to have five original songs I can put out. That’s the next stage for me to see if I can get this original stuff out and see where that takes me.”
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