Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I had the pleasure of being at Body & Soul at the weekend and seeing Kneecap, Róisín Murphy, CMAT, Fynch and Mango. I commend the organisers, such as Avril Stanley, and all the folks who make it possible. These events are really important for people's resilience. People come together for artists. I refer to the amount of curation that happened at the weekend. They are also important for the economy. I tip my cap to the Body & Soul festival at Ballinlough Castle last weekend. On another musical note, a very sad one, I wish to acknowledge the passing of Dennis Cahill on Monday at the age of 68. Dennis was a very well-known guitarist who was probably best known for his partnership with Martin Hayes and The Gloaming. I pay tribute to him and his work in popularising traditional music across the generations, but particularly my generation, in recent years. I had the pleasure of seeing Dennis perform many times and his style was unique. He was born to Irish parents in Chicago. This is a sad week for traditional music. May he rest in peace.