Éamonn Coyne

Éamonn Coyne (eamonncoyne.com), who now lives in Edinburgh, is originally from Ireland (Dublin/Roscommon). On his debut solo album, ‘Through the Round Window’ (on Compass Records and released in late 2002) he plays banjo, guitars, and mandolin along with many close friends including Grammy Award winner Alison Brown, Dermot Byrne, Tom Morrow, Ciarán Curran, Kevin Doherty and Michael McGoldrick. fRoots called it “utterly stunning” and The Irish Times reported, “…this album comes as no surprise either in its virtuosity or eclecticism”. He has also performed and recorded with a vast array of people from many different music scenes including Tommy Peoples, Bèla Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Sinéad O’Connor, Tim O’Brien, and Russell’s House.

Éamonn plays with bands Salsa Celtica (albums El Agua de la Vida, El Camino, En Vivo en el Norte, The Tall Islands) and Treacherous Orchestra (albums Origins & Grind) and the multi-award-winning Kris Drever. Their debut duo CD, ‘Honk Toot Suite’, was described by Songlines as “a breath of fresh air” with its “mutually attuned musicianship of the first order” and “its immense yet ultra-supple sophistication”. ‘Storymap’, the follow-up to this, was BBC Music Magazine’s five-star Album of the Month in Sept 2013. Two EPs (released in 2012 & 2014) make up their full collection.

Éamonn’s most recent recording, with Dermot Byrne & John Doyle, called Liag was released to critical acclaim in 2019 and was described by Folk Radio as “A delight from start to finish, Liag is a superb collection which reunites three exemplary musicians, totally at one with each other and their music”. It features lesser-known local traditional music and song from or inspired by Southwest Donegal, relating how meeting there in the late 80’s at small village festivals has been a cornerstone of their disparate journeys towards their musical careers.