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Sharon Shannon

Sharon Shannon is an Irish musician from the village of Ruan in County Clare. She is best known for her work with the button accordion and her violin fiddle technique, but has also played the tin whistle. Sharon Shannon is going on tour with the Magners Irish Sessions. A series of gigs celebrating the Irish tradition of spontaneous music. Each night in a different UK city, Irish legends Sharon Shannon, Mundy and Damien Dempsey will take to the stage with a selection of their closest friends and fire the place up for a classic Irish session.

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Foster & Allen

Foster and Allen are a musical duo from Ireland consisting of Mick Foster and Tony Allen. Foster & Allen began back in the seventies when Mick and Tony were playing in Country Music bands around Ireland. In 1975 they formed a small group and went over to the UK to work the Irish music venues on a short tour. Mick & Tony had at this stage the idea of working together as a duo, playing ‘easy listening’ music with a touch of traditional Irish instrumentals. When their UK tour finished they decided to let the band return to Ireland whilst they stayed behind to try and break into the public eye.

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Declan O'Rourke

Declan O'Rourke is a gold record singer/songwriter from Ballyfermot Dublin, Ireland. At the age of 13, when living in Australia with his family, O'Rourke was given his first guitar by a priest in Kyabram who recognised his potential and love for music; Hence the title of his debut album "Since Kyabram", which was released in October 2004. The album's launch took place over three sold-out nights in Whelan’s of Wexford St, Dublin and was broadcast live on national radio. It entered the official Irish album charts at Number 5 and was the only new Irish entry in the Top 75 album chart that week.

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The Olllam

Belfast-born uilleann piper John McSherry and Detroit natives Tyler Duncan and Michael Shimmin have been dreaming of .the olllam. for the last decade. With a name inspired by the king’s own ollam bards of Irish lore, the trio wanted an ensemble that naturally represented their combined experience in a multiplicity of styles. McSherry, one of the best uilleann pipers in the world and a founding member of legendary Irish group Lúnasa...

Read more about The Olllam on Last.fm.

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Brian Kennedy

A protege of Van Morrison, this Belfast boy is an Irish singer-song writer with a unique, gentle voice, and he puts it to good use in his many ballads. He represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006. Born in Belfast on 12th October 1966, Brian Kennedy as a singer has perfect pitch and is often described as having ‘the voice which charms angels’. His first album was 'The Great War of Words' followed by 'A Better Man' in 1996 which gained quadruple platinum sales in Ireland. This led to awards for 'Best Irish Male Album' and 'Best Irish Male Artist’.

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Cathal Coughlan

Cathal Coughlan is the former singer of Microdisney and The Fatima Mansions. Though his solo work may seem deceptively mellow, he has lost none of the bitter edge that made him great. Cathal Coughlan has released three solo albums: Grand Necropolitan, Black River Falls and The Sky's Awful Blue. A fourth album, Foburg, based on a song-cycle called "Flannery's Mounted Head" that Coughlan and The Grand Necropolitan Sextet have been performing live throughout 2005, was released in September 2006.

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John Spillane

John Spillane (1961-present) is a singer/songwriter from Cork, Ireland. He graduated from University College Cork with a degree in Irish and in English. As a solo musician, John has released four solo albums to date, The Wells of the World (1997), Will We Be Brilliant Or What (2002), Hey Dreamer (2005). Prior to his solo career, he sang and played guitar with the Irish traditional band Nomos. With Nomos, he released two albums, I Won't Be Afraid Anymore (1996) and Set You Free (1997).

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Colm Mac Con Iomaire

Colm Mac Con Iomaire is from known Gaeltacht area of Cúileann na Páirce in Blackrock, Co. Dublin. He plays violin, keyboard and sings vocals with the Irish Rock group The Frames. Mac Con Iomaire has been involved with The Frames since 1990. Mac Con Iomaire has a practical opinion of the industry: "I think we measure success on a day-to-day level," Mac Con Iomaire has said. "All you can do is throw a bunch of seeds out there and see which ones catch on."

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