Shilelagh Law
Shilelagh Law was born out of the close-knit Irish American neighborhoods of Yonkers and The Bronx. After a few years of wandering around after graduating college, Terence Brennan, Richard Popovic and Stephen Gardner re-connected over their mutual love of old Irish songs. They had known each other since elementary school, although their musical tastes growing up were more geared towards heavy metal, hardcore/punk and grunge. Indeed the three of them played in a band together for a few summers which was a weird mix of those three genres. But even then, back in 1993-94, a heavily distorted version of Wild Rover found its way onto their set list, which left a few people scratching their heads but many more singing and slamming along. By the time they sat back down together in 1998, Terence was playing the bodhran, a skill he learned during his year abroad at University College Dublin. Steve had swapped his guitar for a bass and Rich had traded in his electric guitar for his beloved Martin acoustic. But although the instruments had gotten more traditional, the fast and rowdy liberties they took with old Irish standards gave the songs new life and dragged them kicking and screaming into the light of a new day.
After cutting their teeth for a few years with their first fiddler Mary T., Denis McCarthy joined Shilelagh Law after hearing about them from his brother Kevin. Denny had been a powerhouse on the traditional music scene in his youth, winning multiple all-Ireland championships in a number of categories. But after walking away from music for a while, he decided to dip his toe back in the water just as SL was looking for a new fiddler. Serendipity. The music instantly gelled and the live shows took on a new energy and intensity that still has people talking about them in hushed and awed tones fifteen years later. And after occasionally sitting in over the years and contributing his masterful piano accordion skills to a few albums, Kevin McCarthy officially joined the band. The sound was complete, and the New York Irish music scene has never been the same.
Andy Cooney
Andy Cooney has nine Carnegie Hall sellouts under his belt and also filled The David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center with The New York Tenors. His outstanding voice and dynamic stage presence have long been a favorite among young and old alike. His talent and versatility provide the ability to deliver a song directly to the hearts of his audience; Andy is surely one of the greatest singing sensations on the Irish Music scene today. Christened Irish America’s Favorite Son by The New York Times, it is a title he richly deserves. Andy Cooney is one of The New York Tenors, along with New York Italian Tenor Christopher Macchio and New York Puerto Rican Tenor Daniel Rodriquez, a trio which has been receiving high critical acclaim for a number of years. Andy has recorded 19 albums to date, including Bright Brand New Day with Phil Coulter and his Orchestra. Andy and Phil frequently tour together and in March 2017, completed a three week tour of the US. Cooney’s latest CD, Irish Country Skyline, was released in the summer of 2016 as a journey back to his Country music roots. This release has been getting huge airplay all over Ireland and the UK with his hit singles On The Eighth Day and My Rose of Ballinrobe, both his own compositions. 2020 turned out to be an unusual year where the Coronavirus shut down the music industry. During 2020, Andy managed to release 4 new singles during the Coronaviruses pandemic, “Take Me Back To Dublin”, “We’re All In This Together” with his son Ryan, “Come Tennessee Me Tonight” with Country Music legend Larry Gatlin and his latest single release in November 2020, “The Waltz of the Angels”.
The Amadans
An amadán is a trickster found in Irish folklore and is a “bringer of madness and oblivion.” It’s literal meaning is “fool”
The Amadáns are:
Allen Gogarty-guitar/vocals
Tony Steele-bass
Brian Tracey-drums
Frank McCormick-banjo
Denny McCarthy-fiddle
Slainte the Band
Slainte is an Irish-American folk rock band, formed in a Boston College dorm room in 2013. We feature four vocalists, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, fiddle, whistle, flute, mandolin, saxophone, and drums. Our style is rock-influenced Celtic folk. We love playing upbeat versions of the classic pub songs marrying rockin’ electric guitar and sax solos with traditional fiddle and whistle parts. Lots of Dubliners, Clancy Brothers, Pogues, Saw Doctors, some Flogging Molly and Dropkicks, and some more contemporary Irish artists like The Cranberries or Ed Sheeran. We also do a number of classic rock, country, pop, and 90’s non-Irish covers where appropriate. Eagles, CCR, Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, Killers, Foo Fighters, Billy Strings. We have a really wide repertoire of non-Irish music and are happy to tailor our set to whatever is right for your event. Our home base is the Irish pub scene downtown Boston (bouncing between The Black Rose and Mr. Dooley’s), and we travel often to New York and beyond for festivals, weddings, and special events.
Brooklyn Bards
We are an acoustic traditional Irish folk band, performing across the tri-state area for over ten years. The band appears regularly at many Irish pubs, restaurants, weddings, and festivals. We play everything from the old Carolan tunes up to recent traditional repertoire including reels, jigs, ballads, airs, drinking songs, sea shanties, marches and rebel songs. Experience the joy found in the deep lyrics, rich melodies and rhythms of traditional Irish music!
Sporting Paddies
The Sporting Paddies play a wide variety of classic Irish rebel and drinking songs, ballads, originals, and lively trad tunes, all peppered with the occasional American song done in the singular Sporting Paddies’ way!
Among the band’s highlights are playing the NYPD Transit Bureau Emerald Society’s St. Patrick’s Day ball at Webster Hall in NYC, the FDNY Emerald Society’s annual fundraising boat cruise, and The FDNY Pipe Band’s Christmas and post St. Patrick’s Day Parade parties. Additionally, several of the band’s songs have been featured on Ceol na nGael on WFUV 90.7FM, Fordham University radio.
Bob Morris Irish Band
In 1998 six students of Pete Kelly, a teacher of traditional Irish music on Long Island, NY, began weekly practice sessions. One student, Bob Morris, and his wife Kathleen offered their home for practices and the band, with no name yet, grew to over 25 members. On June 20, 2000, Bob died suddenly. The band was named for him. We welcome anyone interested in playing traditional Irish music.