Brianna Brown is a talented, young multi-instrumentalist from St. Louis, MO. She is a two-time All-Ireland World Champion. At age 11, she won the 2015 All-Ireland World Championship in the under-12 concertina, and in 2016, she won the All-Ireland World Championship in the under-12 mouth organ. Brianna is the youngest American to ever win a world title at the Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann, and the … [Read more...] about Brianna Brown
Whistle
Kathleen Conneely
Born in Bedford, England, to Irish parents from Galway and Longford, Kathleen Conneely began playing Irish music at age twelve, along with her siblings, Bernadette, Michael and Pauline who taught banjo at last year's retreat. She took lessons from Co. Clare musician Brendan Mulkere, a well- regarded teacher in and around London. Her father Michael was a fiddle, accordion, and tin whistle … [Read more...] about Kathleen Conneely
Kevin Crawford
Born in Birmingham, England, Kevin Crawford’s early life was one long journey into Irish music and Co. Clare, where he eventually moved while in his 20s. He was a founding member of Moving Cloud, the Clare-based band who recorded such critically-acclaimed albums as Moving Cloud and Foxglove, and he has also recorded with Grianin, Raise the Rafters, Joe Derrane, Natalie Merchant, Susan McKeown, and … [Read more...] about Kevin Crawford
Rick Cunningham
Multi-instrumentalist Rick Cunningham has played traditional Irish music for over 40 years, playing in several bands in the southern US during that time. He primarily plays mandolin and button accordion, and also plays bouzouki, guitar, and whistle. Rick placed 1st in solo mandolin in the Midwest Fleadh Cheoiland, competed in the All Ireland in 2006, and he has taught at several festivals and folk … [Read more...] about Rick Cunningham
Janis Deane
Janis Deane, M.Ed., CCC-SLP is a certified Speech-Language Pathologist and has 40 years of experience working with patients who have voice disorders, swallowing disorders, chronic cough and vocal cord dysfunction. She specialized in working with singers and those requiring voice restoration following total laryngectomy. Janis is a classically trained singer, but also an avid instrumentalist. … [Read more...] about Janis Deane
Cedar Dobson
Cedar Dobson is a versatile tin whistle player, multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and producer hailing from California near Yosemite National Park. She plays high and low whistles, Irish flute, silver flute, Bodhrán, bouzouki, mandolin, and other instruments. Cedar discovered her deep passion for Traditional Irish music after discovering the tin whistle at an American Civil War … [Read more...] about Cedar Dobson
Brenda Dowling
Brenda Dowling is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist from Woodlawn, The Bronx, New York. Starting with traditional music at the age of 7, she has studied tin whistle, flute, and concertina under many renowned musicians. Brenda has won numerous titles, such as championships at the Mid-Atlantic Fleadh Cheoil, an All Ireland Championship, as well as an award from Comhaltas for promoting Irish … [Read more...] about Brenda Dowling
Michael Eskin
For the past 25-plus years, Michael Eskin has been playing traditional Irish music on a variety of instruments, including Uilleann pipes, tin whistle, wooden flute, Anglo concertina, and B/C-tuned button accordion. Since January 2000, he has co-hosted the weekly Tuesday night Irish session at The Ould Sod in San Diego, California, as well as being in the hosting rotation for the Sunday … [Read more...] about Michael Eskin
Colin Farrell
Colin Farrell, whose parents are from Co. Galway and Co. Cavan, was born in Manchester, England, into a musical family. Colin started playing the fiddle and tin whistle from an early age and has made a name for himself performing and recording with an array of great musicians in Europe and the U.S., including Flook, Grada, Karen Casey, John Doyle, The Elders, Julie Fowlis, Tim … [Read more...] about Colin Farrell
Brian Finnegan
Brian Finnegan from Armagh is regarded as one of the truly original and significant voices in traditional Irish music. Frontman with groundbreaking bands Flook and Kan, he has toured and recorded with a glittering array of stars as diverse as Anoushka Shankar, Cara Dillon, Rokia Traore, Bebel Gilberto, and most recently with Ed Sheeran on his Divide album. Brian’s mastery of the whistle and flute, … [Read more...] about Brian Finnegan