Rose Conway Flanagan originally began Irish music lessons with Martin Mulvihill while growing up in the Bronx. She then further developed her New York Sligo style of fiddling with the help of family friend and mentor Martin Wynne and her older brother Brian Conway. Rose was recently inducted into the Mid Atlantic Region Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Hall of Fame alongside her father Jim and her … [Read more...] about Rose Conway Flanagan
2019
Michelle Hedden
Michelle Hedden is one of Texas' most in-demand bodhrán players and teachers. Using her vast knowledge of styles and her immense talent, she supports each tune by accentuating its unique character and feel in order to help create the communal magic that is Irish music. Michelle certainly has the ability to step out and provide impressive individual "fireworks" with her playing, but her real focus … [Read more...] about Michelle Hedden
Derek Hickey
Derek Hickey hails from Adare, Co. Limerick. Both his grandfathers played fiddle and his own musical career began at ten years of age when his uncle left an accordion in the family home. Derek progressed to dance tunes within weeks though he didn’t begin lessons - under the tutelage of Dónal de Barra - until he was 12. Derek’s professional career began three years later when he joined the … [Read more...] about Derek Hickey
Liz Knowles
Liz Knowles began the violin at the age of seven in Kentucky but this doesn’t even begin to explain the story of her musical life. While being educated as a classical musician, focusing on new music and the very old (baroque and early music), she began to wander into other styles, discovering Irish music quite by accident. It was like discovering a new language that had all of the right vocabulary … [Read more...] about Liz Knowles
Grey Larsen
Grey Larsen, a musician of wide-ranging experience, is one of the foremost performers and teachers of Irish flute and tin whistle in the US. He is the author of the most comprehensive book on Irish flute and whistle playing, the 480-page "The Essential Guide to Irish Flute and Tin Whistle" (Mel Bay Publications, 2004), known especially for its method of notating and better understanding Irish … [Read more...] about Grey Larsen
Oisín Mac Diarmada
A graduate in Music Education from Trinity College Dublin & Royal Irish Academy of Music, Oisín Mac Diarmada began playing fiddle in Clare at a young age, over time developing a deep interest in the playing style of the Sligo region, having moved there at the age of 11. Founder of the internationally-renowned group Téada in 2001 with whom he has recorded a number of albums on the Gael Linn … [Read more...] about Oisín Mac Diarmada
Andrew Finn Magill
Raised in an Irish musical household in Asheville, North Carolina, Andrew “Finn the Fiddler” Magill grew up studying with many of the best traditional Irish fiddlers at The Swannanoa Gathering music workshops. At age 18, his debut album Drive & Lift (which features John Doyle and John Skelton among others) was featured multiple times on NPR and his 2016 two-disc project Roots and … [Read more...] about Andrew Finn Magill
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
Brian McNamara
Brian McNamara hails from County Leitrim, a musically rich rural region of Ireland which has produced notable musicians past and present and which has been prominently associated with the preservation and performance of Irish Traditional Music. Introduced to the uilleann pipes in 1979, Brian has become renowned nationally and internationally for his unique musical style and repertoire. As a winner … [Read more...] about Brian McNamara
Sue Richards
Sue Richards is a traditional Celtic harper who studied classical harp as a teen at Oberlin College and then Ohio State University. When she discovered Celtic harps, she immediately ignored the pedal harp and turned to the Irish and Scottish music of her heritage, winning the American National Scottish Harp Championship four times. She has played for Presidents Clinton and Bush, Queen Elizabeth of … [Read more...] about Sue Richards