Paahto & The Bull

Connollys of Leap

Sun 25th Oct, 7PM

Connollys of Leap proudly presents   PAAHTO & THE BULL SUNDAY 25TH OCTOBER 2026 Support -  Méabh McKenna Doors at 7.30pm Paahto & The Bull is the guitar-duo project of Patrick "Paahto" Cummins and John Francis Flynn - two musicians whose musical partnership has quietly evolved over more than fifteen years into one of the most compelling collaborations in contemporary Irish folk music. Having first met on the Dublin traditional music scene and performed together since 2011, the pair helped found the acclaimed traditional group Skipper's Alley before exploring more adventurous musical territory through Once There Was A King. Throughout every project, their musical connection has remained unmistakable. Born during the quiet months of the pandemic, Paahto & The Bull began as an experiment between two lifelong collaborators, exploring the possibilities of two acoustic guitars alone. Inspired by Paahto's love of bluegrass flat-picking and John Francis Flynn's unmistakably inventive approach to accompaniment, the project strips everything back to its essence. No additional instruments. No vocals. Just two players, two guitars, and a remarkable musical conversation. The result is intimate, hypnotic and deeply expressive — music that feels rooted in tradition while constantly reaching somewhere new. After gradually developing the project from informal online performances into a fully realised recording, Paahto & The Bull signed with Claddagh Records in late 2025. Their debut album arrives in 2026, capturing a sound that has been quietly developing through years of friendship, collaboration and shared musical curiosity. Their philosophy is refreshingly simple: "This is what we play. This is how we play. And this is what we are going to play." Support -  Méabh McKenna is a multi-instrumentalist from Moynalty, Co. Meath. Utilising the pedal and early Irish harp, voice, and electronics, their live performances have evolved from traversing the worlds of traditional, classical, and early music, intuitively weaving them with contemporary and electronic elements. Invoking translations of mythology, cultural identity, and forms of sacred music, their music forges a soundworld of mycelial improvisation in a resonance that’s entirely their own.