Pat Broaders grew up in Dublin, the son of parents from Wexford. He began his journey in traditional music at the age of eight. He started out on the whistle, and later moved on to theuilleann pipes under the tutelage of Leon Rowsome. He took up the bouzouki in 1988, inspired by the sounds he grew up hearing from bands like Planxty, and the popularity of the instrument in Dublin’s vibrant … [Read more...] about Pat Broaders
2019
Brenda Castles
Brenda Castles comes from a rich tradition of music in Co. Meath, having learned concertina from Rena Traynor (née Crotty) and concertina maestro, Mícheál Ó'Raghallaigh. She has several All Ireland Fleadh titles to her name both in solo and group competitions. Music has brought her around the world from Hong Kong to Rekjavik, Taipei to Tipperary. Brenda is currently based between … [Read more...] about Brenda Castles
Anna Colliton
Anna Colliton’s distinctively buoyant and imaginative playing has made her one of the leading exponents of the bodhrán, the traditional Irish frame drum. Anna has appeared with Eileen Ivers, Cherish the Ladies, Comas and the Paul McKenna Band among others, worked as a sub with the original company of the Broadway hit “Come From Away,” and completed a three-year residency at Walt Disney World in … [Read more...] about Anna Colliton
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
Frances Cunningham
Frances Cunningham is a native of Southeast Texas and fell into Irish music at an early age. She learned the Irish Bouzouki and became a founding member of the Celtic rock band SixMileBridge which recorded and toured heavily from the late 90s into the 2000s. She then moved to Nashville where she picked up the Tenor Banjo and since then has gone on to be an in demand accompanist and session … [Read more...] about Frances Cunningham
Dave Curley
Dave Curley is a multi-instrumentalist , singer and songwriter from Co. Galway Ireland. He regularly performs with a number of music ensembles in North America including One for the Foxes, SLIDE, The Crannua Collective, fiddler Finn Magill, the Ashley Davis Band, and with fiddler Colin Farrell. The One for the Foxes album Take A Look Around received Album of the Year from the American Celtic … [Read more...] about Dave Curley
John Doyle
Originally from Dublin, and a longtime resident of Asheville, N.C., John Doyle is a compelling singer and songwriter, producer, multi-Grammy nominee, and an extraordinary master of the Irish guitar whose singular percussive style has influenced a generation of players. A founding member of the acclaimed group Solas, John’s guitar sound took the traditional music world by storm and has likely … [Read more...] about John Doyle
Danielle Enblom
Danielle Enblom is a dancer, fiddler, choreographer, and ethnochoreologist specializing in Irish (sean-nós and old-style step dance) and North American dance forms. She holds a research-based master’s degree in Ethnochoreology (dance anthropology) from Munster Technological University, Ireland, and a Diploma in Traditional Irish Music from University College Cork, Ireland. Growing up immersed in … [Read more...] about Danielle Enblom
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