Kilkenny sisters honoured for their contribution to Irish culture and heritage

Sisters Karena and Paula Dowling were recently presented with a national award from Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and Spink Branch of Comhaltas in recognition of their 40 years' contribution to Ireland's  for the.

They are daughters of Joe and Pauline Dowling, Firoda and granddaughters of the late Mikie Dúlaing, button accordion player from The Spike, who himself was a weekly performer on Radio Éireann, for many years.

The girls, who were taught at the age of four by their father Joe, established traditional music classes in the Convent when they were very young teenagers, renting the room from the nuns for £3 every week. They have taught consistently since that time in the local communities of Castlecomer, Spink and Lisdowney, with some families having had three generations attend classes with them.

In addition to their classes, they have represented Ireland abroad, performing live in concert, and on television and radio in Canada, America, Europe, and Africa. They have also worked as full-time career musicians here in Ireland, but the most memorable times were those spent performing with their father Joe, brothers Joe and Shane and sisters Lynn and Emer, as part of the family trad group. They are both still busy passing music on to the next generation of musicians in the local communities.