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
Eimear Arkins
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
Alison Baker
Flutist, Alison Baker, received her early music education at the Eastman School of Music - Preparatory Division while growing up in Western New York. Although a classical flutist by training, her passion for world music has taken her to the far reaches of the earth. Outside of traditional Irish music, she has studied nagauta music in Tokyo, Japan, and rumba percussion in Havana, Cuba. Closer to … [Read more...] about Alison Baker
Jeff Baker
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
Karen Ballew
This will be Karen Ballew’s 13th year to attend the O’Flaherty Retreat, and she is very excited to be teaching the Gaelic Singing workshops! Karen’s love for sean-nós singing and songs in the Irish language inspired her to teach lessons in this music, which eventually led her to found The Gaelic Youth Chorus at The North Texas School of Irish Music in 2013. She credits Danny O’Flaherty (Karen’s … [Read more...] about Karen Ballew
Shulamith & Armand Barbe
Randal Bays
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
Joseph Beckey
Joseph Beckey comes from a choral tradition until discovering Irish music at a pub in 2008. One of the musicians taught a class “Traditional Songs In Harmony” at the Center for Irish Music in St. Paul, MN. After that, he was hooked. He has taken numerous song classes as well as learning to play mandolin, guitar, bouzouki and bodhrán. Soon after learning his first chords, Joseph was … [Read more...] about Joseph Beckey
Séamus Begley
Séamus Begley is an accomplished accordionist, singer and storyteller. He started playing accordion at local dances at the tender age of 14. In 1972 he recorded his first album, An Ciarraíoch Mallaithe with his sister Máire. They made a second album, Planxtaí Bhaile na bPoc for Gael Linn in 1989, with Séamus on accordion, Máire on piano and piano-accordion and both of them singing and … [Read more...] about Séamus Begley
Cormac Begley
Cormac Begley is a solo bass, baritone, treble and piccolo concertina player from a West Kerry musical family. He also plays in a range of collaborations with Liam O Connor (fiddle), Rushad Eggleston (cello goblin), Liam Ó Maonlaí (singer and multi-instrumentalist) and Lisa O’Neil (singer songwriter). He is the founder of the Airt Residential School and the award winning Tunes in the Church live … [Read more...] about Cormac Begley