Michael McGoldrick

The 1995 winner of the BBC Radio Two Young Tradition Award, the U.K.'s Michael McGoldrick has been playing flutes and whistles virtually since birth. He was taught the tin whistle by his father, originally from County Galway, and at the age of 11 won the All-Britain Fleadh Cheoil on the same tin whistle. At the age of 16, Michael joined Manchester-based Celtic-rockers Toss The Feathers and was a founding member of the group iFlook! -- who graced the cover of FolkRoots magazine before they had even released a single recording.

His first solo album, Morning Rory, was released in October '96 and charted at No.1 for five weeks in the Irish Folk & Roots charts in the UK. Since then, he's toured USA with the RTE Concert Orchestra, packed his suitcases for Brazil, Australia, Canada, the USA, France, Spain and the UK with the Scottish supergroup Capercaillie, and with the hottest property in Irish music, Lunasa; he has toured England and Ireland extensively.

But it is as a soloist that has resulted in his live shows being described as the "Michael McGoldrick experience!" His current live outfit includes some of the most exciting musicians in this field of music, all of whom have worked on his album Fused, which shows him at the cutting edge of Celtic music, drawing on musical influences from traditional through world jazz to experimental hip-hop.

Musicians performing in the band include fiddle master Dezi Donnelly (Stockton's Wing and current Irish Traditional Young musician of the year)), Alan Kelly from Galway on accordion, Donald Shaw on keyboards, Ewen Vernal on bass (both from Capercaillie); on drums and percussion the ubiquitous James Mackintosh (Shooglenifty) and Che Beresford from Manchester; Jon Joe Kelly on bodhran, Ed Boyd on guitar (both from the acclaimed 'Flook!'), Andy Jones on electric guitar and the unique sound of Neil Yates on trumpet.
— Courtesy Calabash Music