Paul Clesham Concertina, Piano, Fiddle, Accordion, Melodeon

Multi-Instrumentalist and teacher Paul Clesham is from Hollymount, Co. Mayo. Paul began learning Irish traditional music at the age of eight from noted Co. Mayo traditional music teacher Bernie Geraghty, quickly learning to play the fiddle, concertina, piano, accordion and melodeon.

In 2015, Paul won the Senior Concertina and Senior Piano Accompaniment competitions at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (All Ireland Music Competition) adding these awards to his six previous All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil titles for Melodeon, Grúpaí Cheoil and Céili Band.

Paul graduated from University College Cork with a BMus degree with first class honors in Music and the Irish language. While studying at University College Cork, Paul was awarded the prestigious Seán Ó Ríada memorial prize for Irish traditional music performance, and was also awarded the Mary V. Hart memorial prize for the highest result in the BMus examination of 2015. In 2012 Paul was awarded a scholarship from UCC to study Music for a semester at the prestigious Wesleyan University in Connecticut.

Despite his young age, Paul is an experienced and well regarded teacher of traditional Irish music. He teaches for both the local Comhaltas Ceoltóirí branches throughout County Cork and for special outreach programs associated with University College Cork including Music Generation (Cork Education & Training Board) and the Early Start Programme, University College Cork. He has lectured on Accompaniment in Traditional Irish Music, and the changes that have developed throughout the last century in Accompaniment styles. He has also researched the effects of music on kids and teenagers with Special Educational Needs.