Kieran Hanrahan

Kieran Hanrahan is a renowned Irish tenor banjo player and is hugely respected as one of the pioneers of the instrument in Irish traditional music since the 1970s. He was a founder member of the traditional music group, Inchiquin, with Noel Hill, Tony Linnane and Tony Callanan. He is also a founder member of Stockton’s Wing with whom he made many highly-acclaimed recordings as tenor banjo and mandolin player. He recorded his solo CD in 1997 called The Irish Tenor Banjo. It is considered to be one of the most important recordings of its genre. Kieran is the senior tutor at the annual Willie Clancy Summer School in Miltown Malbay in Co. Clare. He performs a similar role at the Scoil Eigse, which is held yearly at the All Ireland Fleadh run by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. Kieran has also taught at the renowned Gaelic Roots festival in Boston College. He produced and presented shows with President McAleese during some of her state visits to New Zealand, Norway and other European countries. Kieran returned to education in recent years and graduated with a First Class Honours Masters degree from the Conservatory of Music and Drama at DIT in Dublin. He also received the college’s gold medal for his thesis entitled “The Emergence and Teaching of the Tenor Banjo in Irish Traditional Music”. He now lectures on the tenor banjo and works with the Irish Traditional Music Ensemble at the Conservatory. He is also the Artistic Director of the annual Temple Bar TradFest in Dublin. Kieran Hanrahan is probably best known nowadays as the presenter of the flagship radio programme “Céilí House” which is transmitted weekly by the national broadcaster RTE Radio 1.