Check back for new performer and presenter bios coming soon!
In Alpha Order:
Damien Connelly And Sean Earnest:
Damien Connolly is an all Ireland button accordion champion and fiddle player originally from County Clare Ireland. Over the last 20 years he has lived in Connecticut and has taught workshops at various festivals, including the Catskills Irish arts week and The Swannanoa Gathering. In 2014 he appeared with Sting as a back up musician at the Tony awards. Nephew of fiddler Seamus Connolly, Damien has three albums (Tippin Away, Inspired, Home Recordings) available on Bandcamp.com.
https://damienconnolly.bandcamp.com/album/back-to-brooklyn
He is also the author of The Irish Accordion Tutor, Vol I, available on Amazon.
Seán Earnest’s empathetic and eclectic musical stylings have taken him far from his native Pennsylvania. He is best known for his tasteful and thoughtful harmonic accompaniment on guitar and bouzouki, although he also plays the tenor banjo and several other instruments.
Having cut his teeth in the Irish music scenes of Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York, Seán went on to hone his craft whilst studying at the University of Limerick’s Irish World Academy of Music & Dance, where he attained a first class honours Master’s degree in Irish Traditional Music Performance. Seán has served as a faculty instructor for the Catskills Irish Arts Week, the Baltimore Trad Fest, MAD Week in Washington D.C., the O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat in Texas, the Augusta Irish Week in West Virginia, the Milwaukee Irish Fest Center, the Celtic College at the Celtic Roots Festival in Goderich, Ontario, and VAKA Folk Festival in Iceland.
Seán has performed with many of Irish music’s luminaries including John Carty, Mary Bergin, Louise Mulcahy, Martin Hayes, Billy McComiskey, Brian Conway, Tony DeMarco, Kevin Burke, Damien Connolly, Dr. Mick Moloney, Joanie Madden, John Doyle, Kevin Crawford, Oisín Mac Diarmada, and many others. As a vocal accompanist he has worked with a number of well-known singers including Seamus Begley, Cathie Ryan, The Murphy Beds (comprised of Eamon O’Leary and Jefferson Hamer), Colleen Raney, Kyle Carey, as well as the international touring troupes Women of Ireland and The Celtic Angels. He features on recordings by Clare accordion and fiddle player Damien Connolly, Baltimore flautist Laura Byrne, and fiddler Andrew Finn Magill. Seán has toured regularly throughout North America and beyond with the Irish group Téada, the Paul McKenna Band from Glasgow, the McPeake Family of Belfast, and his own quartet The Yanks, with whom he has toured America & Ireland and released two albums to great critical acclaim. These days Seán is a familiar face at Irish music sessions from Boston to Baltimore and enjoys teaching students of all ages and skill levels in private practice.
Caitlin Finley And Will Woodson
Caitlin Finley (fiddle) and Will Woodson (flute, uilleann pipes) play sparky and driving traditional Irish music that’s grounded in the textures and rhythms of the rich Irish-American soundscape of the 1920s and 30s. With roots in the living Irish musical cultures of Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia, and a tremendous admiration for the first generation of recorded Irish musicians, the duo conjures up the sounds of the dance halls, vaudeville theaters, and house sessions central to Irish-American music from the first half of the twentieth century. Their sophomore album, Once Through the Hall, released in May 2026, is a celebration of this music, and features fiery duet playing on uilleann pipes, fiddle, and flute. The entirety of the material is sourced from early wax cylinder and 78 recordings, “echoing the influence of past masters, but delivered in a manner which shows Caitlin and Will are truly masters in their own right” (John McEvoy). The duo have made appearances at the St. Louis Tionól, the Patrick J. Touhey Memorial Weekend in Boston and the Ward Archives “Archiving Irish America” conference in Milwaukee. Additionally, Will has taught at the East Coast Tionól and the Na Píobairí Uilleann Tionól in Termonfeckin, Co. Louth. Most recently, Caitlin and Will appeared at the Cobblestone in Dublin as part of Na Píobairí Uilleann’s concert series, “Session with the Pipers”.
https://youtu.be/uT-9hwle1Zw?si=NiWxtvh8TA_-mhPy
Poor Man’s Gambit
Poor Man’s Gambit is a progressive traditional Irish band based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA. Steeped in the arts of Irish cultural music and dance, the trio has been presenting a unique cross section of traditional and contemporary repertoire to audiences both stateside and abroad since 2015. The band draws from Irish folk music’s oral tradition by enhancing the listening experience with backstories and historical anecdotes that bind the music to the culture and people of Ireland. With two multi-instrumentalists in the line-up, and featuring fiddle, button accordion, guitar, bodhran, cittern, both male and female vocals, and dance, the band has been noted for their ability to offer several layers of musical depth in addition to refined musicality.
https://poormansgambit.com/epk
Poor Man’s Gambit was formed in 2015 and hails from Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA. Fronted by Corey Purcell & Deirdre Lockman, the trio has released 3 albums, completed two international tours, and has been noted as an increasingly popular Irish-American group.
Steeped in the arts of Irish cultural music and dance, PMG has been presenting a unique cross section of traditional and contemporary repertoire to audiences both stateside and abroad for over a decade. The band draws from Irish folk music’s oral tradition by enhancing the listening experience with backstories and historical anecdotes that bind the music to the culture and people of Ireland. With two multi-instrumentalists in the line-up, and featuring fiddle, button accordion, guitar, bodhran, cittern, both male and female vocals, and dance, the band has been noted for their ability to offer several layers of musical depth in addition to refined musicality.
Deirdre Lockman (fiddle, vocals) has been pursuing her passion for Irish music and dance since the age of four when she was first introduced to the fiddle. Born into a musical family, she was soon performing with her family band, in addition to numerous orchestras and ensembles including the Junior String Philharmonic, and the Lehigh University Philharmonic Orchestra. A quick study, Deirdre began competing in fiddle competitions at an early age, and holds several regional fiddle titles.
Deirdre began Irish step-dancing at the age of 5, and competed at the regional and national level with the DeNogla School of Irish Dance out of New Jersey for eleven years, before focusing her full attention on traditional music.
In addition to her work with PMG, Deirdre offers private fiddle lessons to students in the greater Philadelphia area. You can learn more through her personal site here: www.deirdreviolin.weebly.com
Corey Purcell – Button Accordion, Cittern, Bodhran, Vocals, and Dance
Having been introduced to Irish culture at a very young age, Corey quickly grew to love the Irish music and dance which surrounded him. Advancing rapidly through the ranks of the competitive Irish dancing scene, Corey soon found himself on the National, then World stage of competition. After competing for 14 years, and discovering that he preferred his own artistic and rhythmic approach to the strict form required by the judges, Corey transitioned from competitions to stage productions and performance. He has danced with several notable bands including the esteemed Irish group Danú.
Corey’s journey to traditional music began when he was 16, and started teaching himself tunes on the Irish style button accordion which he bought himself for his birthday. Progressing quickly, he was soon studying under 7-time All Ireland Champion John Whelan, and began honing his technique under John’s tutelage. Corey found his true calling in traditional Irish music, and rapidly branched into other instruments including cittern, bodhran, and voice.
Corey’s 2023 solo release ‘Undaunted’ had the distinction of debuting at #11 on the acclaimed International Folk Charts, earning him recognition in the wider world of folk than his traditional roots would have led many to anticipate.
Kate Spanos – Introduction to Sean Nós Dance Workshop
Kate Spanos, Ph.D., is a dancer, educator, and scholar with extensive expertise in Irish dance and experience with other global movement traditions. Kate holds a Master’s degree in Traditional Irish Dance Performance from the University of Limerick’s Irish World Academy of Music & Dance, and she earned her doctorate in Dance and Performance Studies from the University of Maryland. Kate’s blend of scholarly insight and artistic practice inspires her mission to honor cultural heritage while fostering creativity and connection through performance.
Learn more at www.katespanosirishdance.com
Fiona Tyndall
Fiona originally hails from County Clare, Ireland and has been singing music of the Irish/Celtic tradition all her life. She has also lived in Boston MA and Princeton NJ, and now splits her time between both countries. Her deep love of traditional Irish music resulted in her first album, Deirin De, which blended traditional Irish language lyrics with innovative musical and vocal arrangements. In 2022, Fiona released New Frontiers, a collection of songs from County Cork singer-songwriter, Jimmy MacCarthy which blended her unique vocal talent with creative vocal and instrumental treatment, with some of Ireland’s top musicians, including Sean Whelan, James Blenerhassett, Tim Edey and Liam Bradley. Fiona’s unique voice that regularly brings audiences to tears (really !) lists her key influences as Joni Mitchel, Karan Casey, Niamh Parsons, and Mairead and Triona ni Dhomhaill . In 2024, Fiona completed a teaching certification associated with the Royal Irish Academy. She runs workshops in folk and traditional song/singing. Building on its success, Fiona started a monthly Singing Circle for acapella folk singers and many of her students attend – Fiona takes great pride in helping to build this community of singers as they perform at various trad sessions. Fiona regularly entertains growing audiences with live gigs across NY/NJ and PA, and headlines a monthly residency with her band, at the Dubliner on The Delaware, New Hope PA. Fiona plays Bodhran and recently took up tin whistle which she plays at traditional sessions in the Dubliner, New Hope PA, Mitchells, Lambertville NJ, and O’ Reilly’s Sandymount Dublin. 2025 sees the release of her brand-new album Einin and Cheoil – a collection of traditional Irish songs with unique and complex vocal and instrumental arrangement
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