Paul Dunlea has been performing and curating shows with Triskel since 2016. Now, Paul returns with Scott Flanigan on Sat 28 March as part of the Triskel Lunchtime Jazz 2026 Series, which Paul is curating with Triskel. Elysia from our Box Office & Marketing Team sat down with Paul to discuss the upcoming Triskel Lunchtime Jazz Series 2026 shows, his previous performances here, and what 2026 has in store for one of Ireland’s most sought-after musicians.

Three words to describe your music?

Personal, varied, and enjoyable.

How did you first get to play the trombone?

My family was heavily involved in the Barrack Street band, and I started going there for percussion lessons when I was around five or six. They had a vacancy in the trombone section when I was around eleven or twelve, and so I got handed the trombone again at eleven and now here we are thirty five years later.

When did you eventually start to enjoy it?

I don’t know! I did all my grades up until maybe fourteen or fifteen or so, then I actually left it for a while and studied Electrical Engineering in college because that’s what all my friends were doing. I went to CIT out in Bishopstown at the time, and I saw an advertisement for a band in the paper. I did the audition and got the job, and I guess since then I’ve been a musician.

Why did you curate the Lunchtime Jazz 2026 series?

Tony (Sheehan, Triskel’s Artistic Director) approached me and asked if I would be interested in doing it. Being able to curate a series like this is an opportunity I’ve had before, for the Opera House or through the Guinness Jazz Festival for the better part of a decade now, which grew organically. I performed here in Triskel for a whole host of combinations over the years, so then he asked me would I be interested in helping curate the lunchtime series. He told me there had been success with doing lunchtime series in other genres and he wanted to try do one in the jazz space, so here we are. At the moment Cork has a really healthy jazz ecosystem with the weekly jazz nights and dedicated jazz courses in the music colleges and so on, so it’s a great chance to collaborate with Tony and the venue of Triskel.

Paul Dunlea (photo credit: Richie Tyndall)

You’ve been performing here since 2016, what makes you keep returning to Triskel?

It’s a really really hard room to play as a brass player. From an acoustic point of view, a trombone can be like an atomic bomb in a church. I like the challenge of the acoustics, and it’s just a beautiful place to play. I’ve played there in so many different combinations including an army band, and it’s aesthetically beautiful. Challenging in all the right ways.

Does any particular performance you’ve done in your career stick with you?

There’s a couple of different strands to what I do, so I’d say when it comes to my own music, there’s small ensembles, large ones, my own big band that sold out the Opera House last year. Triskel performances where I’m playing duo performances with Cormac McCarthy are particularly special to me because I’ve been playing with Cormac for the better part of two decades now, but then I have my own projects. I’m also playing as part of other people’s bands in bigger stadiums which I’ve been lucky for. Playing my own music takes precedence, but I’ve had some really cool experiences playing with other bands.

Paul Dunlea Quintet at Triskel Arts Centre

Who’s your dream collab partner?

I don’t know. I’m a massive Joni Mitchell and Tom Waits fan, and Radiohead maybe. I think when you’re leading your own project and playing your own music, it holds much more weight than who you’re performing with. I don’t think there’s any better feeling than being on stage in a room full of people rooting for you, I think.

Any message you’d like to pass to Cork’s young up-and-coming musicians?

Forget the rules, there’s no rules. Don’t get bogged down by chords and harmonies– now, all that stuff is very important to learn too, but don’t get stuck on it, just enjoy your instrument. Discover your voice on it, sit down with your hands on the keyboard and don’t care what chord you need, just play. There’s too many rules sometimes; just play. Think of it this way: when you take your driving test, you only drive like that for fifteen minutes or so of your life. Play and enjoy it, see where it takes you.

What’s in store for 2026?

I have a new album coming out later this year. It was recorded during or around COVID. I have some new projects starting with some other people I’m collaborating with as well. Most of the performers on the lunchtime jazz series are either lecturers, studying, or have studied jazz at MTU, and we are accepting applications for the Masters at the moment. (more information available through MTU Cork School of Music)

Cats or dogs?

Dogs. Absolutely dogs. Cats always have a motive.

Tickets are available for Paul Dunlea and Scott Flanigan now.