Performers and Instructors 2020

Louise is a well-established performer and tutor on both flute and uilleann pipes. Louise has toured extensively throughout the world including performances in Asia, New Zealand, Australia, Europe, America and Canada. Louise has been a guest tutor at many festivals across the globe including Augusta Irish Week in the United States, The Catskills Irish week, Ceol Aneas- New Zealand, The Willie Clancy Summer School, Masters of Tradition Festival in Bantry and Cruinniú na bhFliúit, Baile Bhuirne amongst others. Louise has also performed at many uilleann piping events including The North East Coast Piping Tionól. She has appeared on numerous television and radio programmes in Ireland and abroad and has also presented the traditional Irish Music series “Geantraí” for the Irish language television station TG4. Louise is the only person in the history of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann to have won 4 senior All Ireland titles on the same day. She was awarded a Doctoral Fellowship in Irish Music Studies in 2016 and is currently researching the history of women in uilleann piping.

Sean McComiskey is among the most innovative young performers on the button accordion, with a unique harmonic style that has earned him a spot in the pantheon of Irish accordionists far beyond his native Baltimore. As the son of legendary button accordion player and National Heritage Fellow Billy McComiskey, Sean has been surrounded by Irish Traditional music his entire life and has developed a deep appreciation for the rich tradition of which he is a part.

This has helped Sean establish a reputation as a highly regarded teacher and promulgator of Irish music and earned him teaching positions with the Catskills Irish Arts Week, the Augusta Heritage Center’s Irish Arts Week, the Chris Langan Traditional Irish Music Weekend in Toronto, the CCE Musical Arts and Dance (MAD) Week in Washington, DC, the Baltimore Irish Arts Center, and the Spanish Peaks International Celtic Music Festival.

In 2014, Sean formed the Baltimore-based acoustic roots group, Charm City Junction, with Patrick McAvinue on fiddle, Brad Kolodner on clawhammer banjo, and Alex Lacquement on upright bass. In 2015, they released their self-titled debut album and in 2016 were nominated for the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Band Momentum Award. Most recently, Sean was featured on a new recording of traditional Irish set dances for listening and dancing called, Cover the Buckle.

Josh Dukes is an All-Ireland champion accompanist and a highly sought-after music teacher in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area. A multi-instrumentalist whose talents embrace the ceili drums, guitar, bouzouki, bodhran, flute, and tin whistle, Josh has established a reputation for providing sensitive, tasteful support for traditional Irish music.

As Josh continues to perform Irish music, having shared the stage with such renowned musicians including John Doyle, Paddy Keenan, Billy and Sean McComiskey, Brendan Mulvihill, Kevin Crawford, Zan McLeod, and Myron Bretholz, and he can be seen playing ceili drums regularly with The Old Bay Ceili Band. Josh lives in greater D.C. Area with his wife Judy and two daughters, Mya and Olivia.

Fiddle Player Patrick Ourceau, based in Toronto and for many years resident of New York City, has for over twenty years been performing and teaching Irish Music all over North America and Europe. He has released and been featured on a host recordings, most notably on Tracin’ with concertina player Gearoid O hAllmhurain; Live at Mona’s with Guitarist Eamon O’Leary; on the Chulrua release The Singing Kettle; on flute player Cathal McConnell’s Long Expectant Comes at Last; on accordion player John Whelan’s Celtic Roots; and on theTG4 CD and DVD release Geantrai, a compilation celebrating the first ten years of the popular traditional Irish music television program.

Patrick has been very active in the promotion of Irish music in Toronto, mainly through his private teaching but also through workshops, sessions and various performances. He taught for several years in the Irish music after school program at St. Paul school in Regent Park and for the last few years, has been helping with other local musicians to organize the Chris Langan Weekend.

Fiachra O‘Regan, from Connemara, on the West Coast of Ireland, plays Irish music on the Uilleann Pipes and Whistle, He is a senior All Ireland Champion on both these instruments. Fiachra has performed throughout the world, touring in his own group as well as with many other artists and groups. He is also sought after as a teacher in private lessons and at festivals. In 2008, Fiachra recorded Aisling Gheal, his first solo album, and has since recorded three albums with Quebecois fiddler Sophie Lavoie, as well as appearing as a guest on many other albums.

Sophie Lavoie is a fiddler, pianist, singer and composer from Lac-St-Jean in Québec. She has played in various Quebecois bands including L’attisée and Tu m’en diras tant. Since 2008, she has been touring with Irish piper Fiachra O’Regan. The duo Sophie & Fiachra has recorded three albums: Sophie & Fiachra (2010), Rewind (2014) and Un Canadien errant (2016), the latter was nominated for Best album of the year at both ADISQ and Canadian Folk Music Award in 2016. “One of the rising stars of Québécois music” (fRoots Magazine), Sophie has recently been awarded a scholarship for a Masters in ethnomusicology at the University of Montreal. Her research involves the fiddle style and repertoire of her native region, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean.