Dermot Dermot Crehan was born in Dublin into a family steeped in the traditional music of Ireland. At the age of 15 he became All Ireland Fiddle Champion for three years running. Then he studied classical music at The Royal College of Music and has since performed with the world`s greatest musicians, composers, and groups including The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The London Philharmonic Orchestra, The Philharmonia Orchestra, Girls Aloud, Oasis, The Verve, Robbie Williams, The Spice Girls, and on many film scores including The Lord of the Rings, Patriot Games, Mrs Brown, Legends of the Fall, Charlotte Gray, Tipping the Velvet and The Shipping News.

dermotcrehan.co.uk

Clive Clive Carroll was recently described as "probably the best and most original young acoustic guitar player and composer in Britain" (Acoustic Guitar Magazine). Born in 1975 to parents steeped in the Irish music tradition, he has been immersed in a diverse range of music ever since. His career started when Clive was little more that eighteen months old when his father made him his first banjo. From there on it was only a few steps to achieving a 1st Class Honours degree in Guitar and Composition from Trinity College, London in 1998. Clive's debut solo album was released in 1999 under the Old Bridge Music record label and has been lauded by John Renbourn, John Williams and Christy Moore amongst others. Earlier this year Clive was included in Total Guitar Magazine's "Top 10 Acoustic Guitarists of all Time".

www.clivecarroll.co.uk

Jean Jean Kelly. Born in county Cork. A scholarship student at the Royal College of Music. Since graduating she has led a busy life as a professional harpist. She regularly tours nationwide with the Locrian Ensemble performing concerti by Handel and her own arrangements of beautiful 16th century harp music by the blind Irish harper, Turlough O` Carolan. She has recorded two compact discs with the group. Jean has also worked with The London Irish Sinfonia, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Boyzone, Phil Coulter, and BBC television. Jean played the harp at Buckingham Palace for Prince Charles 50th Birthday and has since performed at Highgrove on several occasions. She is also involved in ongoing concerts for the Live Music Now! And has also has released an acclaimed CD of Irish harp music as well as appearing on The Lord of the Rings soundtrack. Jean has recently performed in Vienna and St. Petersburg providing music for plays devised by Boomerang Theatre Company.

jeankellyharp.co.uk

Mick Sands was born in the North East of England into an Irish family of singers and musicians. He has worked with The Royal Shakespeare Company, The National Theatre London, The Young Vic and for Sir Peter Hall. Other theatre work includes The Gate, The Lyric Hammersmith, The Druid Theatre, The Liverpool Playhouse and The Young Vic. He has also toured internationally with several companies. He enjoys an international career as composer and performer and is a specialist in ethnic singing styles. He was awarded the Christopher Whelan award for music in theatre and has been nominated for the prestigious EMMY award.

Mick Sand's Bandcamp page

Robert White studied trumpet at The Guildhall School of Music & Drama. From there he went into the world of freelance orchestral, pop and session music. He then studied various ethnic instruments, specialising in bagpipes (particularly the union pipes), spending many years living and studying in Ireland. His style of playing is derived from the Willie Clancy or Clare style, but is also influenced by Seamus Ennis and Liam Og O' Flynn. So great was his interest in piping that he made them professionally for many years (see Robert's solo piping page). He now plays and writes music for over 50 instruments in all musical styles. Robert's work has included music for Theatre, TV and film for the BBC TV & Radio, ITV, Channel 4, RTE, The National Theatre London, Royal Shakespeare Company, English Shakespeare Company, The Crucible, The Bush, The Donmar Warehouse, The Young Vic, The Gate. Film; The Lord of the Rings, The Shipping News, Gangs of New York, The 25th Hour, The Four Feathers, Jack and the Beanstalk, True Story and Veronica Guerin. He is a founding member of The New Scorpion Band.

robertwhitemusic.com

Tim Tim Laycock is a folksinger, songwriter and actor. He has performed with Magic Lantern, The Albion Band and The Melstock Band and has played concertina in five productions at The National Theatre. As an actor-musician he has appeared in many productions at The National Trust Theatre, The Chichester Festival Theatre, Leicester Haymarket and the Old Vic. Tim has written and directed three plays and has collaborated on many more. He works regularly for The Lions Part. Tim is a specialist in the songs, traditions and poetry and prose of William Barnes and Thomas Hardy. He often gives solo recitals and appears regularly in schools, performing traditional music and storytelling. His concertina playing was heavily featured in the film The Shipping News. Tim is a founder member of The New Scorpion Band.

Tony Tony Hinnigan was born in Glasgow and moved to London at the age of 17 to study cello with teacher William Pleeth, at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. After graduating he began to work as a freelance musician with various orchestras but mainly in the theatre with contemporary dance companies such as Ballet Rambert. In 1982 he was a founding member of the band Incantation, formed to play the music for the ballet Ghost Dances. They later released the single Cacharpaya, which charted that year. In 1986, Ennio Morricone invited the band to perform on his score for Roland Joffe's film The Mission. This began a relationship with the world of film music which is on-going, including soloing and co-producing on film scores for Braveheart, Titanic and The Mask Of Zorro, Apocalypto and many others. Tony recorded Michael Nyman's string quartets with the Balanescu Quartet for Decca, and has played in the Michael Nyman Band for over 15 years. Recent projects include working with James Horner on Shekhar Kapur's The Four Feathers and Martin Campbell's Beyond Borders.

tonyhinnigan.com

Kevin Kevin Boyle. Born in London to Irish parents, Kevin was surrounded by traditional music from the earliest age. Grandparents on both sides of the family were musicians and singers. In 1960's London the very best of music was to be found in the many Irish clubs and pubs that abounded at that time. Kevin took up playing the piano and had his first paid 'gig' accompanying Sean Maguire, the fiddle legend, at Hampstead Folk Club in 1968 while he was still at school. He took up the guitar and tenor banjo and progressed to playing regularly in the White Hart in Fulham Broadway, a famous music pub of its day. In 1974 he was a founder member of 'Le Cheile', who produced 2 albums and toured Ireland and Britain in '75-'76. He has participated in many musical collaborations over the years, notably with brother Paul on fiddle and sister Maggie Boyle, singer and flute-player, who is a well- known and popular artist on the folk circuit. He has also played regularly for Carrig and guested on Incantation recordings. Currently a regular in the National Theatre and Festival Hall foyers with Brendan McGlinchey.