Mick Conneely - fiddle & bouzouki
Mick is widely regarded as one of the finest fiddle players of his generation in the Irish tradition. To date he has played, toured and recorded with many artists, most notably De Danann. In 2001 his debut solo album Selkie was released to critical acclaim on the prestigious boutique trad music label Cló Iar-Chonnacht. He has recorded on numerous albums to date.
One of England’s longest-standing and best-organized Irish communities is based in Bedfordshire, especially around the towns of Luton and Bedford. Though nowadays living in the Mayo gaeltacht of Tourmakeady, Mick Conneely was born and raised in the Bedfordshire, part of a family with a lengthy traditional music history. Both his father (also named Mick and from Errislannan, near Clifden, County Galway) and grandfather (Máirtín) were fiddlers. Mick’s repertoire came from his father’s lessons and the many musicians who visited the family home.
In later years, he would travel to Birmingham to play with the likes of flute player Kevin Crawford and accordionist Brendan Boyle. Regular visits to Miltown Malbay for Willie Clancy Week enhanced his burgeoning reputation and led to friendship with Mary Bergin, the tin whistler, and regular tours with her. In 1991 Mick also toured the US with De Dannan and played frequently with the band over the next four years. His own band, Errislannan, including Brendan Boyle, was formed in 1993, and released an eponymous album a few years later.
Mick's style of fiddle playing is characterized by his expressive tone, rhythmic drive, inventive ornamentation and his rich repertoire of tunes. Mick is also a leading exponent of the 6-string Greek bouzouki in Irish traditional music.
Mick has taught fiddle and bouzouki at various festivals and workshops around the world. Mick played fiddle with legendary Irish music group De Danann periodically over 22 years from 1991-2013 (full-time between 2009-2013, recording one studio album, Wonderwaltz, with the band in 2010). Mick continues to collaborate with David Munnelly promoting their fiddle & accordion duet.
Pauline Conneely - banjo
Tenor banjo player extraordinaire Pauline Conneely was born in Bedford, England of Irish parents from Connemara, County Galway and County Longford. Her father Mick played fiddle, flute, and accordion – and Pauline’s beloved late mom Lizzie was a champion step-dancer who knew and loved Irish traditional music inside and out.
Both parents inspired Pauline, and her siblings, Bernie, Kathleen, and Mick in learning the music by her dad playing music in the kitchen every night and her mom dancing and teaching the kids all the old Irish dance steps. This upbringing set them out on a life imbued with traditional Irish music and dance as part of their being.
As a young girl Pauline achieved great success as a champion Irish step-dancer before turning her focus to music. Under the formal tutelage of the late legendary musician Brendan Mulkere, Pauline honed her love of the banjo and earned her status as one of the top tenor banjo players in Irish music.
Her album All Because was also named Best Solo CD of the Year by the Irish American News in 2016. Pauline broke ground as the first Irish tenor banjo player to grace the stage at the Grand Ole Opry and has made several appearances.
Pauline founded the band Chicago Reel and is also a founding member of the Irish Music All-Stars which feature regularly at Irish festivals around the Midwest and East Coast.
Pauline frequently shares the stage with Grammy-nominated fiddler Liz Carroll, and performed with many respected artists performing on the world stage today, including The Chieftains, Cherish the Ladies, John Whelan, and of course, her siblings Kathleen, Bernie, and Mick Conneely!
In addition to performing, Pauline is a highly sought after banjo instructor and teaches both privately and at several Irish music teaching weeks across the country.
Sorcha Costello - fiddle
Sorcha Costello is a traditional Irish fiddle player from Tulla, County Clare. Daughter of Mary MacNamara, Sorcha comes from a family immersed in traditional Irish music.
From a young age, Sorcha has enjoyed performing nationally and internationally, including tours of New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. Her skill and passion for this music are evident, as she was awarded the prestigious Gradam Ceoil TG4 Young Musician of the Year 2021.
Sorcha is also in high demand as a teacher, especially in her home area of East Clare, because of her ability to communicate her unique style which has the trademark rhythm and swing qualities of generations of her family.
Sorcha Costello’s album The Primrose Lass, released in June 2023, is a solo fiddle album that includes a unique variety of both old and new tunes. The style and flow of this album resemble Sorcha’s love of the old tradition, evidenced by the swing, rhythm, and uncomplicated playing of tunes. Deeply rooted in the East Clare style, yet containing all her other musical influences from around the world, this album keeps the listener engaged throughout. Both accompanists on the album, John Blake (guitar + bouzouki) and Catherine McHugh (keyboard) weave their way around Sorcha’s fiddle playing to create a warm, comfortable atmosphere. This debut solo album has resulted in two RTE Radio 1 Folk award nominations for Sorcha, including ‘Best Folk Instrumentalist’ and ‘Best Emerging Artist’ for 2023.
Mary MacNamara - concertina
Music was a way of life when Mary was growing up in East Clare. Born in the townland of Clondanagh between Tulla and Feakle, she was in the company of the great masters of Irish Traditional Music of the region from an early age, such as John Naughton, Martin Rochford, P. Joe Hayes, Francie Donnellan, Joe Bane and Bill Malley. And there was plenty of musical guidance and inheritance from her parents who were both from musical families. Mary learned much from her mother Ita whose discernment in music was unquestionable, with a musical pedigree reaching back many generations.
Mary’s musical style was further honed and perfected as a young girl sitting by the fireside in the homes of Mikey Donoghue in Ballinahinch and P. Joe Hayes of Maghera and then Sunday afternoon sessions with Joe Bane and Bill Malley in Lena's Bar in Feakle. This unique musical nurturing has resulted in Mary being a highly respected musician performing at home and abroad and also one of the most sought after teachers of Irish music today.
Mary was the recipient of the MÓRglór Award in 2019. In the commendation, Glór stated the following: “An inspiration to many musicians, both in Clare, nationally and internationally, and an outstanding ambassador for the traditional arts in Clare…”
Mary has produced a number of CDs including Traditional Music from Clare, Note for Note, and The Lady’s Cup of Tea recorded with her daughter Sorcha Costella in 2016. as well as a book and CD, Sunday at Lena’s.
Brian Mullen - song
Brian Mullen is a singer and broadcaster from Derry City where he was born and still lives. Brian has a passion for a wide range of music including 'Sean-nós' (the old style of Irish traditional singing) and song in the Irish language.
His mother’s family were all singers and he sang pop and folk as a teenager. At university in Bangor, North Wales he met musicians who had links with Ireland and, traveling with them, he met such singers as Nioclás Tóibín in Ring and Mick Flynn in Miltown Malbay. While studying Irish at NNU Coleraine he met Len Graham, Joe Holmes and Eddie Butcher, the last of whom had a lasting influence on his style and repertoire. Later, when he returned to Derry to live, he became friends with Seán Gallagher, a neighbor and Irish speaker who had a fund of songs and stories. He accumulated songs, assembling an eclectic repertoire which has English, Scottish and American ballads, music hall ditties and songs in Irish.
In 1984 he began broadcasting “Mullen’s Folk”, on Radio Foyle which later transferred to Radio Ulster. In 1986, he joined the BBC’s Irish Language Unit as a producer and shortly afterwards began presenting “Caschlár” on Radio Ulster which features music from all over the world and styles including pop, soul, country and traditional Irish music. He has often sung on television and in 2012, he presented BBC Northern Ireland’s TV series on Ulster song, “Amhráin Aduaidh”. He often narrates documentaries on TG4 and RTÉ.
In 2007, he sang at the Library of Congress in Washington DC as part of Rediscover Northern Ireland along with his old friend Gary Hastings. He has also written about the shared heritage of tunes in Ireland and the wider world for Gael Linn's 2015 publication Aspects of a Shared Heritage: Essays on linguistic and cultural crossover in Ulster.
Conal Ó Gráda - flute
Born in Cork in 1961, Conal Ó Gráda has long been at the forefront of traditional Irish flute-playing and truly has one of its most distinctive sounds. A multiple All Ireland winner in his youth, Conal’s debut recording ‘The Top of Coom’ in 1990 is still regarded as a seminal recording of flute-playing. Conal takes the basic elements of traditional music and forges them into a personal style which, once heard, is unforgettable. His fast, rhythmically precise flute-playing has an earthy raucous tone reminiscent of the saxophone and is driven by a spirit from the true heart of traditional music. His second solo recording ’Cnoc Buí’ was released in 2008 to widespread critical acclaim.
Conal teaches flute privately in his native Cork and is a regular teacher at summer schools worldwide, including The Willie Clancy Summer School, Catskills Irish Arts Week and Blas.
In 2012, Conal published a book on flute technique and styles called ‘An Fheadóg Mhór…Irish Traditional Flute Technique’. This has been hailed as the best instructional flute tutor published to date.
He is a co-founder of the community flute band ‘Banna Fliúit Loch a’Bhogaigh’ and a member of the band Raw Bar Collective, with whom he released a new CD in February 2011 called ‘millhouse measure’s’.
Conal is also active in theatre and is co-founder of Nóta Stóta who are currently working on bringing a major Irish musical to the stage.
Danny O'Mahony - accordion
Danny O’Mahony comes from Ballyduff, County Kerry. A traditional accordion player, O’Mahony grew up immersed in the rich musical style of that region, playing with the older generation of musicians in his locality. His late father Mick, also a musician, nurtured his keen ear and interest in traditional Irish music.
He graduated from the University of Limerick with a Masters Degree in Performance and is a sought-after teacher and performer. In addition, Danny is a multiple winner of All-Ireland Fleadh titles on button accordion.
He released his critically-acclaimed debut solo recording In Retrospect in 2011, accompanied by Patsy Broderick on piano, Cyril O’Donoghue on bouzouki and Johnny ‘Ringo’ McDonagh on percussion. This was soon followed by a musical collaboration with concertina maestro Mícheál Ó Raghallaigh in 2012 resulting in a highly acclaimed duet album entitled As it Happened, which was awarded Instrumental Album of the year by the LiveIreland Music Awards.
In September 2019, Danny O’Mahony was appointed as the Traditional Artist in Residence at University College Cork 2019-20. He delivered a series of concerts, workshops, and classes over the course of his year-long residency.
Danny has been a guest tutor in various university Irish studies programs nationally and internationally and a registered tutor with the Kerry Education and Training Board. He is also an experienced broadcaster, having produced and presented Trip to the Cottage, a weekly radio program on Radio Kerry featuring Irish traditional music and song.
Note: At MIM, Danny will have both a b/c and C#/D accordion when teaching his workshops.
Dáithí Sproule - guitar, song
Dáithí Sproule, a native of Derry who has lived for many years in Minnesota, is one of Irish music's most respected guitar accompanists, and one of the first guitarists to develop DADGAD tuning for Irish music. He is also a fine singer in English and Irish.
Dáithí started out his career in the influential group, Skara Brae, with Mícheál Ó Domhnaill and his sisters, Tríona and Maighread. The band was recognized with the Grúpa Ceoil award in TG4's 2022 Gradam Ceoil ceremony in Dublin, 50 years after the release of its eponymous album on Gael Linn records. A member of the internationally renowned Irish band Altan, Dáithí has performed and recorded with many great traditional Irish musicians, including James Kelly, Paddy O’Brien, Liz Carroll, Billy McComiskey, Tommy Peoples, Seamus and Manus McGuire, Randal Bays, James Keane, the Kane Sisters, and Dermy and Tara Diamond. He also performs and records with Minnesota-based musicians Laura MacKenzie, Martin McHugh, Peter Ostroushko, Jode and Kate Dowling, Dean Magraw, Norah Rendell and Brian Miller.
Dáithí released his first solo album in 1995, "A Heart Made of Glass", with songs in English and Irish. In 2008 he released an instrumental guitar album, "The Crow In the Sun", featuring thirteen original compositions. "Lost River, Vol. 1." followed in 2011, with songs in English and Irish, arranged and accompanied on guitar, with a stellar line-up of guests.
Dáithí’s original compositions have been recorded by Skara Brae, the Bothy Band, Altan, Trian, Liz Carroll, Aoife Clancy, Loreena McKennitt, the RTE Concert Orchestra, 10,000 Maniacs, and others. His song, “The Death of Queen Jane”, was featured in the 2013 Coen brothers film, “Inside Llewyn Davis”.
In addition to performing and recording, Dáithí is a sought-after teacher and lecturer on subjects ranging from guitar styles, song accompaniment, and Irish traditional music to Irish language, literature and mythology. He has taught at University College Dublin, the University of Minnesota and the University of St. Thomas, and is an instructor at the Center for Irish Music in St. Paul. He is a 2009 recipient of a Bush Artist Fellowship from the Minnesota-based Archibald Bush Foundation.
Mary Vanorny - Trad Immersion Camp 1
Mary Vanorny is an esteemed Minnesota-based Irish fiddle player and instructor. She performs with Brass Lassie, the Kickin’ It Irish band, and Two Tap Trio. Mary grew up playing both classical and fiddle music, joining and touring with many orchestras as a violinist/concertmaster and also teaching the Suzuki method before turning her attention to Irish fiddling full-time. She studied fiddle with Brian Conway, and is a musical leader at local sessions.
Mary has released two albums “First Light of Day” (2018) and “In the Tap Room” (2021) and has been a guest artist/presenter at Minnesota Celtic Fiddlers, Pint of Irish Celtic Music Retreat (CA), and Spanish Peaks International Celtic Festival (CO). She founded and hosts the all-female MnáFiddlers group, is co-director of the Headwaters Fiddle Camp in Bemidji. Mary recently completed her Suzuki Teacher Training. An integral instructor at the Center for Irish Music (CIM), Mary teaches fiddle, youth ensembles, coordinates summer camps, has directed céilí bands, and has taught at the Minnesota Irish Music Weekend. Mary holds a degree in Environmental Education and Early Childhood Education.
Adrienne O'Shea - Trad Immersion Camp 1
Adrienne O’Shea is a singer, flute, whistle and piano player and Irish dancer. Born in Dublin, but having immigrated to Minnesota as a baby, Adrienne is connected to the Irish traditions of music and dance through her family and upbringing at the Celtic Junction Arts Center. An alumni of the Center for Irish Music and O'Shea Irish Dance, Adrienne is a passionate educator with experience teaching summer camps, group classes and private lessons at both schools. She is the lead vocalist and flute player for Kickin' It Irish, and released a solo album with Brian Miller called "Threads of Gold" in 2023. Adrienne has an MA in Irish Traditional Music Performance from the University of Limerick and a BA from UMN in Music and Childhood Development. She also holds many Midwest Fleadh titles in whistle, flute, piano, Irish and English singing.
Brian Miller - Trad Immersion Camp 2
A native of Bemidji, Minnesota, Brian Miller fell in love with Irish traditional music as a teenager in the crowd at the Winnipeg Folk Festival and never looked back. Based in St. Paul since
1998, Brian is active as a musician, researcher, teacher and librarian. He has toured nationally with the band Bua and performs these days in a duo with Dublin fiddler, Danny Diamond, the Lost Forty and the Two Tap Trio.
Brian plays and teaches guitar, bouzouki, flute and tenor banjo. He has taught Irish music at the Center for Irish Music since 2006 and at camps and workshops from Washington state to Washington DC. He is also the director of the Eoin McKiernan Library at Celtic Junction Arts Center. Brian is a leading figure in the research and revival of song traditions from the white pine regions of the northern US and Canada. As a singer, and through his blog Northwoods Songs, he explores ties between Ireland and these rich, underexplored songs and stories. He is a past recipient of the Parsons Award from the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
Hannah Flowers - Trad Immersion Camp 2
Hannah Flowers is an award-winning harpist and singer based in St. Paul, Minnesota with two solo albums to her name, “Amhrán na Cruite/Song of the Harp” and "Hall-Gate House.” She holds a B.A. in music, a Master's Degree in Irish Traditional Music Performance from Maynooth University in Ireland, and received a Fulbright scholarship to pursue postgraduate research in Irish harp accompaniment in 2020. Hannah has studied in Ireland with master harpists such as Grainne Hambley, Michael Rooney, and Michelle Mulcahy.
A skilled and well-loved instructor at the Center for Irish music, Hannah has also taught and performed at the Milwaukee Irish Fest, La Crosse Irish Fest, Minnesota Irish Fair, and performed many solo shows, programs, and workshops across the US and Ireland.
