Garry Shannon – Flute
The eldest of a celebrated musical family which includes accordeonist Sharon Shannon and Banjo player Mary Shannon of The Bumblebees, Garry has traveled through Europe, The Soviet Union, USA & Australia. Himself a senior all-Ireland winner in 1988, he is in demand as a teacher and has influenced many of the current crop of youngsters – soloists and groups. Garry has turned out a fine body of work on vinyl, cassette and CD as a soloist and with various respected groups and currently with the legendary Kilfenora Céilí Band. His Lose the Head! album with Orfhalaith Ní Bhriain, and his Loozin Air and Punctured! Albums are full of mischief, each an individual jewel crafted with consummate skill.
Garry is also coordinator of Meitheal Residential Irish Music Summer School.
Dave Sheridan – Fiddle
Dave Sheridan is originally from Tubber, Co. Offaly. He learned his music from local legend, Dan Cleary, a master on both pipes and fiddle. Dave enjoyed great success during these years, winning All-Ireland titles in 1979 and 1984. He appeared on his first radio and TV programmes around this time – playing on ‘The Mountain Lark’ and ‘Céilí House’.
Dave moved to Carlow in 1986 and lives there to this day. He immersed himself in teaching the youngsters of Carlow to play fiddle and has worked with individuals and many youth groups over the years. He ran a very popular folk club for 10 years with his wife. Michelle. This brought many well-known faces to Carlow.
He has travelled abroad extensively, playing music and representing Ireland in Japan, China, India and Mozambique, to name a few exotic venues! He still plays weekly in Carlow, leading a session he has attended since that first night in 1986.
Nicky McAuliffe – Fiddle
Nicky started teaching music in 1970 and is in the Willie Clancy Summer School since 1989.
He taught at the first Scoil Eigse in Listowel in 1974.
He lectured on the history of Irish Music in Tralee IT from 1995 to 2009.
He taught at the Gaelic Roots festival in Boston College in 2000.
In February 2019 Nicky was awarded Gradam Saoil by TG4
Joanne O’Connor – Banjo
Joanne grew up in a musical household in Tuar na Fola in West Limerick, where both her parents were musicians and singers and she played and sang as part of the family band for a number of years before moving to Dublin when she was 18. She currently lives in Ashbourne, Co Meath and is very involved in music in the area both as a teacher and performer.
Joanne plays banjo, fiddle, piano and a number of other instruments. She teaches at workshops countrywide including Willie Clancy Summer School, Joe Mooney Summer School and many others. She has also taught at workshops in America, France, Germany, Italy, Phillipines and has traveled with performance groups worldwide. She recorded the Derry Boat album with her colleagues in the Glen Iolar Band from Derry and also plays on the CD with Planxty O’Rourke.
Joanne has never forgotten her musical roots and her favourite tunes are Polkas and Slides. Joanne was taught music by Donal de Barra and she developed her style from listening to and playing with the great accordion, concertina, fiddle, banjo players in her area.
Joanne is the current All-Ireland champion in the newly composed section of Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann with the Tuar na Fola reel. She is currently working on a solo album which will include a number of her own compositions.
Edel Vaughan – Singing
Edel Vaughan is a native of Crusheen, Co. Clare, where she currently resides.
Edel has been playing music and participating in traditional and sean nós singing from an early age.
She has won six All Ireland titles and has travelled the world with the renowned Brú Ború group in Cashel.
Edel has also travelled and worked with the dance show’ Ragús’. Most recently she has had the honour of
being a member of the prestigious ‘Clare Memory Orchestra’ for a specially commissioned suite for the
Millennium of the death of Brian Ború. Currently, Edel is touring with the great Kilfenora Ceilí Band
for their series of concert shows sonce 2016, performing in venues all over Ireland such as Glór theatre,
NCH Dublin, Cork Opera House, Town Hall Theatre, Galway and the INEC in Kerry.
Edel is no stranger to stage or to the camera having performed on many television series including ‘Abair Amhrán,
‘Fleadh TV’ and Geantraí. Also, featuring in an RTÉ documentary ‘From the Rock to the Wall’, after a
3 week tour in China. Edel is a highly accomplished singer, although singing is her first love , she also plays flute.
Whilst she is currently teaching Irish and History in St. Flannans College, Ennis, she also teaches traditional
singing in many Comhaltas branches throughout the country. Edel has recently furthered her studies on completion
of a Diploma in Radio Production.
Always pushing the boundaries and now with the release of her new album….Edel indeed has been ‘Spreagtha’.
Tim Collins – Concertina
Tim Collins is widely regarded as one of the great traditional musicians and tutors of modern times. A native of County Limerick but based in County Clare where he runs his own Concertina School, he is a member of the famed Kilfenora Céilí Band since 1994, and he has toured and recorded extensively with the band over the last twenty-four years.
He is founding co-director of Consairtín: The National Concertina Convention (now in its sixth year) and is also founding director of the groundbreaking Irish Concertina Ensemble (ICE), the first of its kind in Ireland.
In addition to his music career, he holds a PhD from the National University of Ireland, Galway. His primary research interest is exploring the complex connections between music, landscape and Place, thus combining his academic and artistic background.
Tim’s music is currently being recorded in Prague by the Prague FILMharmonic Orchestra. The recording will be released in Autumn 2019 and will feature many several well-known musicians.
