Elisabeth Affolter
Originally from France Elizabeth moved to Ireland lived in Tuamgraney for several years before settling in Ballinasloe. She is the leader of the Blossom Harp Ensemble and the founder of the Tuamgraney Blossom Harp Festival. She is an accomplished harpist and harp teacher.
Manus McGuire
Manus McGuire is an Irish fiddle player who has for many years been involved in performing, recording, teaching and in more recent times, composition. Originally from Sligo and now resident in East Clare, he grew up in a rich musical environment in the North West of Ireland and together with his brother Seamus, he was ideally placed to carry on a fiddle tradition made legend by Michael Coleman, James Morrison, Paddy Killoran and Lad O’Beirne.
As a recording artist, he has recorded solo fiddle albums, duo fiddle albums with his brother Seamus, and a number of CDs with bands Buttons and Bows, Moving Cloud, and Brock McGuire Band.
He is honoured to have won a number of prestigious fiddle awards such as the 2006 Male Irish Traditional Musician of the year in the U.S. by the Irish American News in Chicago. As well as performing with ‘Buttons and Bows’ and with Canadian singer/song-writer, Emily Flack, these days he is involved in teaching fiddle both at intermediate and advanced levels.
- In 2006, he was Voted Male Irish Traditional Musician of the year in the U.S. by the Irish American News in Chicago.
- He received the Bravo Award from Trad Magazine (France) in 2007.
- He won the prestigious national Fiddle contest, Fiddler of Dooney in his native Sligo in 1970
Fiana Ni Chonaill
Fiana is both a performer and a teacher of the harp. She has won many awards and has toured extensively in countries such as Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Cyprus and the USA as a member of the Irish Harp Orchestra. As well as giving solo concert performances, she has also collaborated with flautist Matthew Dean on whose solo album “Trasna Na Farraige” she featured. Highlights of her career to date include performing for former President of Ireland Mary McAleese, The Emperor and Empress of Japan and other state officials and dignitaries as well as performing in front of 50,000 people as part of the St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Trafalgar Square in London in 2014
Her ensemble Cuisle is now well recognised. She is also currently completing a PhD at the University of Limerick.
Denise Glass
Denise, formerly Larkin, from the musically renowned Larkin’s Pub in Garrykennedy, lives in Mountshannon. She performs regularly with a variety of groups ranging in styles from traditional/folk to country/rock music. Her style has a wonderful eclectic mix of traditional/ bluegrass with shades of Jazz.
Lisa Glass, Denise’s daughter is carrying on the music tradition and has been playing harp since she was 8 years old. Lisa loves to sing as well as play and has written many songs with accompaniments on the harp, piano and ukulele. She is currently studying music and english in UCD.
Cli Donnellan
Cliodhna (Cli) Donnellan is an Irish traditional musician, producer, community radio presenter and professional creative facilitator involved in the arts sector for the past 14 years. A native of East Clare, she concluded 10 years part-time work/study at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick with an Arts Practice Ph.D. 2018. Her work with artists involves establishing any blocks to creativity, connection to legacy, self-perceptions/beliefs, offering useful tools for positive change. In January 2021, Cli launched a 20-minute live interview artist slot on The Morning Dew radio show, providing a platform for traditional artists to share what they do and how they are navigating change. From June-October 2020, Cli produced and released her debut album “Beneath the Hedgerow”, Irish traditional fiddle music, rooted in East Clare style, featuring two of her own compositions. In September 2019, Cli re-released archival CD “Songs My Father Sang”. She was founder and co-ordinator of the Mountshannon Trad Festival 2010-2019
