IRISH
Chicago; Brooklyn; Bristol, Vermont; Asheville, North Carolina; and County Louth, Ireland
Photo courtesy of Remsberg Inc.
The vision of guitarist and bandleader John Doyle, this stellar quintet brings together some of the best Irish musicians in America. It is no exaggeration to call these exceptional artists, all longtime friends and collaborators, a supergroup of Irish American music.
Three members of the Irish American Music Masters—John Doyle, Seamus Egan, and John Williams—were founding members of Solás, an ensemble whose role in popularizing traditional Irish music in America can hardly be overstated. Egan, a multi-instrumentalist born in Philadelphia, spent much of his childhood living in County Mayo, Ireland, where his musical studies began. Before he was 14, Seamus had already won four All-Ireland competitions, in flute, tin whistle, mandolin, and tenor banjo (he plays low whistle, guitar, bodhrán, and uilleann pipes as well). In 1994, he assembled a group of friends to play the Lowell Folk Festival in Massachusetts, a locally produced festival established after that city hosted the National Folk Festival from 1987-89; the band that resulted was Solás. A bandleader, composer, and performer, Seamus Egan has helped define the sound of Irish American music today.
Chicago native John Williams is to this day the only American-born All-Ireland concertina champion. On childhood summer visits to Ireland, Williams spent many hours learning from his grandfather and other traditional musicians in Doolin, County Clare. He is today noted for his collection and preservation of traditional songs from Clare. In his work as a solo musician, Williams has played with artists as diverse as Mavis Staples and Nickel Creek. A virtuoso on concertina and button accordion, he plays a wide range of traditional instruments with brilliance and sensitivity.
Cathie Ryan first began singing as a child growing up in Detroit with the tutelage of her father Tim, a fine Irish tenor who had emigrated from Tipperary. Like bandmates Williams and Egan, Ryan took regular summer trips to Ireland where she found further inspiration in the singing of her paternal grandmother and from the storytelling of her maternal grandfather, a traditional seanachie (storyteller). Ryan was the original singer for Cherish the Ladies, an all-star ensemble of Irish American women musicians. Today she fronts the beloved Cathie Ryan Band, teaches traditional singing, leads cultural tours of Ireland, and is celebrated as one of the finest singers in Irish music.
Originally from Dublin, Brooklyn-based musician Ivan Goff rounds out the group on uilleann pipes and flute. He started taking lessons from uilleann pipe master Dan O’Dowd as a child, eventually adding flute and pennywhistle to his repertoire. Goff has played with many well-known Irish traditional bands like the Green Fields of America and the Eileen Ivers Band. He has brought his talents to multiple genres and stages, having performed with jazz saxophonists, theatrical productions, composers throughout the world, and dancers like Michael Flatley.
John Doyle is the most influential Irish American guitarist of his generation. Born in Dublin, John came up in a family where “everybody played something,” and his father, singer and song collector Sean Doyle, nurtured his interest in the deep wellspring of Irish song. Doyle is a remarkable guitarist, a devoted ballad collector, and a celebrated songwriter. His professional career began at age 16 with the Irish band the Chanting House. Following his move to the U.S. three decades ago, he gained acclaim with Solás; among current projects is the noted trio the Alt, who played at the Richmond Folk Festival in 2015. Through his collaborations with nearly every noted Irish American musician playing today, Doyle is unquestionably one of the preeminent champions of Irish music in America. John is among the group of outstanding artists returning to celebrate the Richmond Folk Festival’s 20th anniversary.
On Friday night, John Doyle & the Irish American Music Masters will be joined by special guest—and Richmond native—Morgan Bullock. Morgan began Irish step dancing about 15 years ago and is now a champion level dancer whose choreography and dancing has gained worldwide attention. She is a member of Riverdance, the first Black female touring dancer in the company’s history. In 2022, she received the Presidential Distinguished Service Award from Ireland’s President Michael D. Higgins.