The North Connacht musical tradition of counties Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon, and its strong association with the fiddle and flute, played a key role in the early recordings of Irish traditional musi...

The North Connacht musical tradition of counties Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon, and its strong association with the fiddle and flute, played a key role in the early recordings of Irish traditional music during the early 20th century. Emerging from this era, names such as Coleman, Morrison, Killoran and McKenna left a stylistic mark on music throughout Ireland and the United States, a rich heritage maintained in subsequent decades throughout the North Connacht region by a legion of superb musicians including Fred Finn and Peter Horan.

Influenced by the legacy of this highly-developed musical environment, the Innisfree Céilí Band comprises a generation of musicians who grew up playing together, fusing individual skill through a shared stylistic impulse, to produce a distinctive and mature musical voice. Defined by a rare sweetness and clarity of tone, the band succeeds in capturing the dramatic energy and drive which is a strong element of both North Connacht music and the genre of the céilí band itself.

In 2008, the Innisfree became the first céilí band from the North Connacht region to win the coveted
All-Ireland Senior Céilí Band competition at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.

Band Members

Fiddles - Cormac Mac Diarmada – Sligo, Oisín Mac Diarmada – Sligo, Damian O’Brien – Leitrim
Flutes - Finbar McGreevy – Roscommon, Máire Nic Dhiarmada – Sligo, David Sheridan – Leitrim
Damien Stenson – Sligo
Accordions - Paul Finn – Laois, Oliver Loughlin – Leitrim
Piano - Charles O’Connor – Sligo
Drums- Daragh Kelly – Sligo