O'Flaherty Irish Music Retreat
Teaching Traditional Irish Music
Joey Abarta has spent the last 16 years touring North America, Europe, and Asia, teaching and performing music on the uilleann pipes. A Los Angeles native, he first received instruction on the pipes from Dubliner Pat D’Arcy, a founding member of the Southern California Uilleann Pipers Club. His musical skills have been further honed by several visits to Ireland, a year-long stint working … [Read more...] about Joey Abarta
Instructor – Uilleann Pipes
2020
Annmarie Acosta studied traditional Irish dance and music in New York, learning from some of the best teachers, including Jerry Mulvihill, Donny Golden, and the late Maureen Glynn Connolly. In 1998 Annmarie became the senior All-Ireland champion in the accompaniment category at the fleadh cheoil. During this same year, Annmarie achieved her T.C.R.G. and was honored by Irish America … [Read more...] about Annmarie Acosta
Instructor – Piano Accordion
2018
Isaac Alderson grew up in Chicago listening to his father play blues and jazz. At the age of 12, he discovered Irish traditional music and began obsessively practicing the uilleann pipes, learning from such players as Al Purcell, Patrick Cannady, Kieran O'Hare, and many others. At 14, he began to study the flute and whistle with Laurence Nugent from Co. Fermanagh. Many trips to Ireland over … [Read more...] about Isaac Alderson
Instructor – Whistle
2015
Kevin has been involved in Irish music since about 1979 after many years of interest in folk and jazz idioms. He has performed with Ken and Peggy Fleming continuously since 1988 and was a founding member of the Lone Star Ceili Band and the TIMES Band & Session Players. Kevin is moderately proficient on flute, whistles, guitar and cittern, but hopeless on bodhran.. … [Read more...] about Kevin Alewine
Instructor – Guitar, Mandolin
2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2012
Albert Alfonso has been playing bodhran since the early 1980’s - that’s right, since last century. At some point he was asked to participate in some local and regional workshops. Over the years, one thing and another has lead to workshops at The Royal Academy of Music in London, The Royal Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, as well as workshops at many Irish and Celtic festivals and traditional … [Read more...] about Albert Alfonso
Instructor – Bodhrán
2005, 2006, 2009, 2017
Russ Alvey has played guitar for more than 40 years. He has played rock to folk, ol' timey to Irish, all influencing his accompaniment style. He has played with the New Dallas String Band, Tinker's Dam, Malarky and currently plays with the TIMES Band & Session Players. In addition to his guitar abilities, he is recording and sound engineer specializing in acoustic music. … [Read more...] about Russ Alvey
Instructor – Guitar
2004, 2008
Accomplished flute and whistle player and traditional singer Hanz Araki is the son of Irish and Japanese parents. His mother's family left Ireland in the early 20th century and traveled across the Atlantic; landing first in Canada and making a second long journey across North America before arriving in Seattle, Washington. Hanz's father is shakuhachi grandmaster Tatsuya Kodo Araki, the fifth … [Read more...] about Hanz Araki
Instructor – Flute, Whistle
2016
Eimear Arkins comes from a small village on the West Coast of Ireland called Ruan in County Clare and has been living in St. Louis, Missouri for the last number of years. She is an award- winning musician, singer, and dancer, with eleven Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann titles to her credit. Eimear has toured extensively with the international music organization Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann on concert … [Read more...] about Eimear Arkins
Instructor – Fiddle
2020
Jeff Baker has studied and performed traditional music for 25 years, fueling a passion for seeking the "pure drop" in Irish dance and social music. His performance of the East Galway-West Clare-style repertoire has won him numerous American and International awards, including CCE All-Ireland recognition. Jeff appears regularly in performances and sessions around New England, the SouthWest and the … [Read more...] about Jeff Baker
Instructor – Flute and Whistle
2008
Randal Bays is a US-born musician who’s been playing Irish fiddle for more than forty years; “stone mad” for fiddling, as the saying goes. He’s now widely recognized as a master, with a special love of the traditional styles of Co. Clare and Co. Galway. He’s “among the best Irish style fiddlers of his generation”, according to Fiddler Magazine. Randal has toured and recorded with many of the great … [Read more...] about Randal Bays
Instructor – Fiddle | Recipient of the Irish Artist in America Achievement Award (2021)
2006, 2011, 2017, 2021
