A powerful antidote this to the US Folk Scene fashion of "banjo joking" and a night less perhaps about Traditional music than the state of the art, and potentialities, of the once humble and derided "drum with strings", the stock in, trade of African slaves.

Kevin Griffin, from Doolin, opened this concert strongly on jigs, reels and horn pipes, displaying that cloying, but very banjo, technique of bending notes at tune ends, though cluttered somewhat by a PA fondness for his guitar backing. Christy Dunne picked up the baton with a terrific Maho Snaps set and McFadden's Handsome Daughter. Barney McKenna, in his turn, conducted a workshop of sorts on the history of the banjo and serenaded the capacity crowd of forty something, camera clicking pundits with a Swanee River seamlessly hitched to Kelly The Boy From Killane. Joined by family members Mick and Scan Og, they ran through chordal Jazz accompaniments to finish on The Salamanca and Miss McLeod's.

Somewhat overshadowing this generation, a charming Eamonn Coyne, with a beautifully matched Kevin O'Doherty on guitar, took the banjo brightly on a different journey through all the laid back colours of its developed Traditional music spectrum on reels schottische and a fine Toss The Feathers.

Mary Shannon's deceptively simpler plectrum style terrifically interpreted by Donna Hennessy on guitar took this further. Her developing of mood and rhythm in long sets from light and, casual to deep and involved, like Coyne's performance, strongly suggested a sitar like role for the banjo in Irish music.

Gerry O Connor's round up introduced yet another dimension the investment of Appalachian and Bluegrass technique sets such as his adventurous but unhurried Neilly O Boyle Moving Cloud set him apart as a truly virtuosic wizard.