In February 1986, famed Irish musicians Kevin Burke, Andy Irvine and Jackie Daly teamed together for the first time to tour the United States. The kernel for the tour was a rare opportunity for musicians who had long admired one another’s work to finally get a chance to share the same stage. Billed as “The Legends Of Irish Music,” in deference to their illustrious musical lineage (Burke was the fiddler for The Bothy Band, Irvine
sang and played bouzouki with
Planxty, and Daly was De Dannan’saccordionist), they drew
huge crowds and glowing reviews across the county.
Bolstered by their success, Kevin, Andy and Jackie decided to turn their impromptu association into a permanent group, and adopted the name Patrick Street. From 1987-1993, Patrick Street released four highly acclaimed albums and toured the U.S. five times. In October/November 1994, Patrick Street toured New England as a joint project with the renowned French-Canadian band, La Bottine Souriante. For this tour they played with House Band guitarist Ged Foley, who was such a positive addition that he was asked to continue with the band.
In 1995, Patrick Street (Kevin, Andy, Jackie and Ged) recorded a new album, Corner Boys, for Green Linnet Records, an earthy spirited album that highlights their virtuosity with a minimum of studio effects or layered arrangements. The album was released in conjunction with a warmly received May 1996 national U.S. tour. Buoyed by the strong reception to their new lineup, Patrick Street took to the road once again, with another new album, “Made In Cork,” under their belt, for a U.S. concert tour in October 1997. Their first “live” record, “Live from Patrick Street,” was recorded in 1998 and released to coincide with their 1999 tour. The quartet toured once more in the spring of 2001, in conjunction with the release of their first “Best of Patrick Street” CD. “Street Life,” was released in 2002, followed by “Patrick Street Live.” The group continued to tour in support of "Street Life," released oin 2002, followed by "Patrick Street Live," and "On The Fly," featuring the newest member, multi-instrumentalist John Carty, along with the final recordings of Jackie Daly, who retired from the group in 2007. Ged Foley left Patrick Street in 2009, and was replaced on a temporary basis by guitarist Arty McGlynn, bringing the band full circle.
was born in London, England to Irish parents who came originally from Sligo, an area renowned for its traditional music, particularly that of the fiddle. As a teenager he played in music clubs throughout England and Ireland, but in 1972 a chance meeting with Arlo Guthrie brought him to the USA to play on Arlo’s album, Last Of The Brooklyn Cowboys (he would eventually make the country his home).
At Christy Moore’s beckoning, Kevin moved for a period to Ireland to join what would become one of the most influential Irish groups of the 1970s, The Bothy Band. After the band’s breakup, he recorded two classic duo albums and toured with Bothy Band guitarist Míchéal O’Domhnaill. He has also made his presence felt as a member of both The Celtic Fiddle Festival (with Johnny Cunningham) and the leader of the Irish-American outfit Open House.
As a founder of Patrick Street, Kevin has given to the band’s sound and repertoire a highly ornamented Sligo fiddle style that is both “in the tradition” and full of multi-cultural surprises. “My style is a definite composite,” he says. “The old Sligo players provided the building blocks but I’ve borrowed bits and pieces from all sorts of musicians along the way.”
is one of the great balladeers of Irish music-his voice is one of a handful of truly great ones that gets to the very soul of Ireland. He was a member of two other groundbreaking groups, Sweeney’s Men (with Johnny Moynihan) and Planxty (with Christy Moore) and has worked closely with Paul Brady. Album collaborations include work with the likes of De Danann, Maddy Prior, June Tabor and Dick Gaughan.
If his voice explores an aching Irish romanticism, his sprightly bouzouki playing has brought a Balkan edge to his musical collaborations. Andy was one of the first to bring bouzouki and Bulgarian music to the Irish tradition. His collaborative album East Wind with Riverdance composer Bill Whelan featured Hungarian singer Marta Sebestyen.
was born in London, England in 1962. There was music on both sides of his family and it was handed down from generation to generation. John’s own father, John P, is a fine flute player and a multi-instrumentalist. With such a selection of instruments available to the young John it was inevitable that he dabbled with most of them, and today he is an acclaimed musician on fiddle, banjo and tenor guitar.
John started playing in the early 1970s when Clareman Brendan Mulkere started music lessons in the school John attended. He went on to enter Fleadh competitions over the years securing titles at all levels, and wining the Senior All-Ireland banjo title in 1982. During the 1980s John became a mainstay of the flourishing London session scene. In 1982 he spent a year playing and teaching music in Australia.
In 1991 John moved to Ireland settling in Boyle, Co Roscommon. He recorded his first solo album on banjo entitled The Cat that ate the Candle in 1994 which was released by Clo Iar Chonnachta. The one fiddle track on this led to a three album contract with Shanachie Records. His first fiddle album Last Night’s Fun, released in 1996, was described as a milestone in recorded fiddle music. 2000 saw the release of his second album with Shanachie, Yeh, That’s All It Is, on fiddle and tenor guitar and accompanied by Brian McGrath and Arty McGlynn. “Carty’s fiddle mastery makes this one of the finest new CDs showcasing the Irish melodic tradition at its best” – Paul Carr, Tower Records. In 2003 his third fiddle album At It Again, accompanied by Alec Finn, Brian McGrath, Francis Gaffney and Arty McGlynn, was released. “Sheer joy from the get go” –Siobhan Long, Irish Times
In 2003 John was also named Irish Television TG4's Traditional Musician of the Year. There have been five other recipients since the awards were instituted: Chieftains flautist Matt Molloy, fiddler Tommy Peoples, whistle-player Mary Bergin, harper Máire Ní Chathasaigh and piper Paddy Keenan—all of whom are considered to be the leading exponents of their instruments in the Irish tradition.
In addition John plays with his band AT THE RACKET which includes himself, Brian McGrath, and Seamus O’Donnell. He has guested with the Chieftains and De Danaan and been involved in many recordings, notably Brian Rooney’s acclaimed albums The Godfather and From London to Leitrim, which he also produced. John performed lead violin on the soundtrack of the film Mapmaker shot in Co Leitrim. Recently he has undertaken a series of concerts with Matt Molloy exploring the North Connaught tradition.
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Patrick Street has no U.S. tours scheduled at this time.
Patrick Street has no U.S. tours scheduled at this time.
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