Cathal Hayden was born in July of 1963, in the village of the Rock, Co. Tyrone, an area immersed in traditional music. The third in a family of eight, he was born into a deep musical background. His first instrument was a tenor banjo before progressing on to fiddle. Cathal’s father was a great follower of the All-Ireland Fleadh and during the mid 1970’s, he brought Cathal all around Ireland … [Read more...] about Cathal Hayden
Banjo
John Liestman
John Liestman has been playing Irish traditional music on the tenor banjo, mandolin, and uilleann pipes for over 30 years. He taught mandolin in 2011, 2012 and 2015 at the prestigious O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat, at the 2015 St Louis Tionol, and is an instructor with the Houston School of Irish Music. Over the years he has been a member of Terry and the Pirates, Claddagh (featuring Olcan … [Read more...] about John Liestman
Jack Maher
Jack Maher is from Dublin, Ireland. Equally proficient as an acoustic and electric guitar player, Jack plays mandolin and banjo and his live work and recordings brought him to perform with Van Morrison, Eddi Reader, Declan O Rourke, The High Kings, Mundy and many more. Jack is also a singer in his own right and a songwriter. He has performed and recorded with the Sharon Shannon Band for more … [Read more...] about Jack Maher
Brian McGrath
Brian McGrath comes from Brookeborough, Co. Fermanagh, an area steeped in traditional music. Brian's first professional work was with Dervish. He then joined Four Men And A Dog and played on the award-winning album Barking Mad. Moving on in his career, Brian accompanied Noel Hill, Paul Brock, and Frankie Gavin, among others, before joining the Sean Keane Band as pianist. Brian then joined De … [Read more...] about Brian McGrath
Daniel Mehalko
Daniel Mehalko is a young multi instrumentalist from the Dallas Texas area. Performing with his band Flashpoint and touring with legends such as the Brock McGuire band he has quickly established his reputation as one of the top banjo and mandolin players in the country. Daniel has been playing music from an early age but first delved into traditional Irish music in 2009 at the age of 13. … [Read more...] about Daniel Mehalko
John Morrow
John Morrow hails from a well-known musical family in Co. Leitrim. Although he comes from a traditionally fiddle and flute part of the country, John’s tenor banjo style developed through playing sessions in Leitrim and neighboring counties with his brothers and local musicians, such as the Cornafean group and Antóin MacGabhann. John has won Senior All-Ireland titles at Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann … [Read more...] about John Morrow
Gerry O’Connor
Gerry O'Connor was born in Tipperary in 1960 into a family steeped in Irish Traditional music . Learning music from his parents and grandparents he started playing banjo and fiddle in his early teens.In 1977 while attending UCD in Dublin he joined popular folk band Tipsy Sailor and made numerous TV appearances with them. He joined The Wild Geese in 1981 and toured Europe extensively, recording two … [Read more...] about Gerry O’Connor
Enda Scahill
Enda is the co-winner of the prestigious 2022 Steve Martin Banjo Prize, an award that recognises excellence in banjo. He is one of the most accomplished and recognised banjo players of his generation, an innovator who bridges the traditions of Irish music and the dynamic folk music of America. His rise from session musician to his debut album Pick It Up and on to founding one of Ireland’s greatest … [Read more...] about Enda Scahill
Brian Shaw
Brian Shaw has been playing acoustic music for 40 years including genres from Old Time, Contra Dance Bluegrass and Blues. Ask him to also tell you about his early days playing punk rock in the 80s-90s. He started playing Irish music around 2010 and has not looked back. He can be heard muttering to himself ‘why didn’t I start with Irish music sooner?’ at a session near you. He plays tenor … [Read more...] about Brian Shaw
Pete Strickler
Having spent his entire adult life being involved in music, from playing and promoting, to teaching, Pete Strickler finally found exactly what he was looking for when he was first introduced to Irish Traditional Music in his 30s. Pete's early years playing Irish traditional music were under the tutelage of both Matt and Shannon Heaton. In 2006, he took over the reins of the Small … [Read more...] about Pete Strickler