Andy Kruspe is a bodhrán player based Huntsville, Alabama. He has performed and recorded with several Celtic artists in the southeastern United States, including Banna de dhá, Black Market Haggis, David Coe & Friends, Candace Corrigan, Mithril, The Nashville Ceili Band, and SlipJig. He is also active as a teacher and clinician and has presented numerous workshops at several universities and … [Read more...] about Andy Kruspe
2016
Nolan Ladewski
Nolan Ladewski began to learn the tin whistle at 6 years old with his uncle and took up the flute at age 15. He has continued to improve his craft through the study of his favorite musicians and recordings and attended workshops in Ireland in 2000 and 2003-2004. In 2007 he attended workshops in England with tin whistle master Brian Finnegan. Nolan has also had great fortune to receive … [Read more...] about Nolan Ladewski
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
Mick Moloney
Mick Moloney is the author of “Far From the Shamrock Shore: The story of Irish American History Through Song” released by Crown Publications in February of 2002 with an accompanying CD on Shanachie Records. He holds a Ph.D. in folklore and folklife from the University of Pennsylvania and has taught ethnomusicology, folklore and Irish studies courses at the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown, … [Read more...] about Mick Moloney
David Munnelly
David Munnelly is an accordion player from Belmullet, Co. Mayo, on the west coast of Ireland. His singular musical voice is built on deep foundations, beginning with family influences, in particular his grandmother’s melodeon playing; to which he added wild virtuoso flourishes, echoing the swing-flavoured Irish-American music of the 1920s and 1930s. These roots in the Irish tradition are set … [Read more...] about David Munnelly
Eamon O’Leary
Originally from Dublin, singer, bouzouki and guitar player Eamon O'Leary has lived in New York City for the last twenty years. He has toured extensively throughout North America and Europe, performing and recording with many of Irish music’s great players. In addition to his performance schedule, Eamon has taught at numerous music programs including the Augusta Heritage Center, the Catskills … [Read more...] about Eamon O’Leary
Garry O’Meara
Garry O'Meara started playing music at the age of 9, learning the banjo, mandolin and guitar. Having completed a degree in music and Irish language, he began his career as a professional musician. He joined the crossover folk/pop band Reel, with whom he recorded and toured extensively around Ireland and the UK, enjoying three top-ten singles in the charts. Garry has toured with popular Dance … [Read more...] about Garry O’Meara
Tommy O’Sullivan
Acclaimed as “one of the great contemporary folk voices of Ireland” Tommy O’Sullivan is also a stellar guitarist who has been one of the hidden treasures of traditional Irish music for many years. He has toured throughout North America and Europe, appearing at many major venues and festivals. Tommy has always kept an active recording schedule, having recorded three albums as a member of … [Read more...] about Tommy O’Sullivan
Alison Perkins
Alison Perkins grew up in a household filled with music in Detroit, Michigan. The daughter of musicians, she attended her first concerts before she could walk. Her parents took her to countless musical events in the city's vibrant folk and Irish music scenes, and she routinely crawled into her dad's guitar case to be lulled to sleep by live music. As a child, she learned the fiddle from … [Read more...] about Alison Perkins
Christian “Junior” Stevens
Christian "Junior" Stevens first picked up the concertina and button accordion while growing up in Southern Maine. Largely self taught, he has studied with the legendary Noel Hill, and competed at the All Ireland Fleadh in Enniscorthy in 2000. He received a performance degree in classical and jazz piano from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, a background which has encouraged technical and … [Read more...] about Christian “Junior” Stevens