The Professors

Malcolm Gullis (Piano,Organ,Irish Harp,Theory,Junior & Leaving Cert) Obl.S.B,JP,MA,BA(Hons),FRSA,FICM . Principal.

He began his musical career as a chorister and became Organ Scholar at Southampton University studying with Jonathan Rees-Williams on the famous Father Willis instrument in  Salisbury Cathedral  and latterly at Lichfield Cathedral. He continued postgraduate studies with Professor Gordon Phillips,Sir George Thalben-Ball, & Professor Arthur Hutchings and had  long associations with the music of both Edington Priory and Salisbury Cathedral.
An experienced Secondary School Teacher  Malcolm has been a finalist in music teacher of the year award and has also undertaken University lecturing.  He has taught both in public and private Schools and has three Oxbridge Scholars to his credit. In 2004 he was Limerick County Council Artist in Residence bringing music education to rural schools and has again been awarded this honour in 2006. Also in that year he was awarded a Teachers Reading Fellowship to St. John’s College,University of Oxford. Malcolm is a member of both the ISM and association of post primary music teachers.

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Dr. Janet Harbison (Irish Harp)

D.Litt,MA; BA(Hons, Music & Psychology); FIHC;LTCL; ATCL,TTCT; PG Dip.Cult.Mgt.,.  Director of the Harp Centre and Irish Harp College, Founder and Director of the Irish and National Harp Orchestras. )

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Dr. Desi Wilkinson (Flute,Whistle,Fiddle,Guitar,Clarinet) Ph D,MA,B Ed. Fellow of the Irish Harp Centre & Music School.

Internationally acclaimed traditional flute player and ethnomusicologist. He pursues academic interests with energy and has written and lectured on Irish Music, Breton music and Celticism, from an ethnomusicological perspective, contributing to several significant publications . Desi has worked with most of the major figures in Irish folk music and Breton music and recorded extensively  He performs both as a soloist and with the group Cran. Other combinations include his duo work with the fiddler Gerry O’Connor, the guitarist Brendan Hearty and the accordionist Máirtín O’Connor. He has taken part in many inter-ethnic ‘musical soups’ and has enjoyed them immensely. The most recent of these outings were La raverse, which was an eclectic fusion of the musical traditions of Ireland, France and Québec and Senegal to Donegal in which the vastly different traditions in Ireland and Senegal were explored by musicians from both cultures. He divides his time between Limerick and Newcastle on Tyne, where he is a Professor in the Music Faculty.

Imogen Gunner (Fiddle/Violin) BA,, MA, Grad. Dip. Ed..  began working as a professional performer at the age of 14, and now combines a career of performing and teaching music. A graduate in music from NUI Maynooth, Imogen went on to complete a Graduate Diploma in Music Education and a Masters in Ethnomusicology at the University of Limerick, She won first prize in the Irish Student Music Awards of 1999, with the four-piece ensemble, Réalt and was a finalist in the 2004 Grádam Ceoil (Honour of Music) National Traditional Music Awards, held in the National Concert Hall, Dublin. For two years she was also a member of Fiddlesticks, the fourteen-piece fiddle band, led by Dr Liz Doherty, and an arranger and composer.

Colman Connolly (Flute,Whistle,Uilleann Pipes)
Colman has played flute, whistle and uilleann pipes from an early age, learning with renowned teachers Marion Gill and Paul Carton. Now in huge demand as a teacher and performer, Colman regularly visits London’s Hammersmith Irish Centre to conduct pipes master classes. He is chief pipes and flute adjudicator for the London Comhaltas Branch competitions and has won the All Britain Piping Championships several times. Colman’s sensitive and fluid style makes him a captivating performer and he tours regularly with the London based Siansa, Welsh Harper Harriet Earis,  Irish Harp Center colleague Imogen Gunner and the German based band Déirin Dé. Colman is also co-organiser of the UK’s biggest annual piping festival, where he tutors along side Paddy Keenan, John McSherry and Michael McGoldrick. He is also a talented web designer and graphic artist for an array of musicians – his designs can be viewed at www.connollydesigns.com

Brendan Hearty (Guitar,Mandolin)  Brendon has been a Guitarist and Mandolinist for over thirty years. He has worked with many of the prominent musicians in Irish Traditional Music including Peter Mc Ardle, Gerry O’Connor, Desi Wilkinson, Johnnie Moynihan and most recently Andrew Mc Namara with whom he has recorded two CD’s.  Apart from his work in Irish traditional music, Brendan has a great love of contemporary, blues, country blues and American Traditional Music having recorded two records with The Higglers, an Irish Old Time American Band. Throughout his career, Brendan has particularly enjoyed sharing his love of the Guitar and Mandolin with students of all ages and abilities.

Paul Mulligan (Guitar). Paul is an acclaimed Guitarist and songwriter based in Co. Galway. He has toured extensively throughout Europe and North America with Ireland’s leading traditional musicians including Jackie Daly, Maire O Keefe, Brendan Larrissey. Recently he toured with legendary American songwriter John Prine. One of Paul’s compositions “The Tide Full In” has been recorded by Irish Singers Elanor Shanley, Niamh Parsons and Mary McPartlan winning the 2005 Mojo Folk album of the year and by Californian based singer Sylvia Herold.

Robert Hogg  (Bodhran). Castleconnell born and bred Bob is a celebrated traditional musician in Munster not least the Bodhran (though this is not his only instrument.) Bob particularly enjoys passing on the tradition to students together with the experience of playing ‘in session’’.

Katie O’Sullivan  Dip LCM (Concertina, Accordion,Whistle, Flute, Fiddle)

Aoife Neville  Grad. Dip. Ed . (Concertina)

Claire Ryan  Grad. Dip. Ed . (Button Accordion)

Mary Murphy Grad. Dip. Ed.  (Flute fiddle whistle)

Ged Foley Growing up in County Durham in the northeast of England, Ged (Gerard) absorbed the area’s rich tradition of folk song and dance music. It was there that he learned to play mandolin and Northumbrian Smallpipes (the bellows-blown bagpipe native to that part of England), which he no longer plays,  and began to develop his extraordinary guitar style. At first he teamed up with singer-songwriter Jez Lowe and toured the British Folk scene. Several years with Scotland’s Battlefield Band followed. He toured with them throughout Europe and North America before returning home to co-found The House Band with Chris Parkinson. This saw the start of a long period of recording and touring which has taken him all over the globe. Alongside his House Band duties, in 1994, Ged was asked to take over the guitarist’s role in Irish “supergroup” Patrick Street with Kevin Burke, Andy Irvine and Jackie Daly. In 1999 he formed the duo Foley & Jones with fiddle player Sandy Jones. Two years later he became the accompanist for unique trio of fiddlers, The Celtic Fiddle Festival, now consisting of Kevin Burke, Christian Lemaître, and André Brunet. The year 2002 saw another significant change in Ged’s career when for two years he became Artistic Director of the Catskills Irish Arts Week based in E. Durham NY. This is a week long teaching festival covering all aspects of Irish traditional music, dance and arts.

When time allows, Ged also plays fiddle in the Midwest based Ceili band Tessera, teaches, and produces records. He does duo work with Kevin Burke in and out of the US, and also with John Carty. He is always in demand as a session musician. Ged has played and/or recorded with Kevin Burke, Liz Carroll, Paddy Keenan, Kieran O’Hare & Liz Knowles, Andrew McNamara & Patrick Ourceau, Larry Nugent, Mark Roberts, John Skelton, John Carty, Michael Cooney and Paul Smyth. In addition to his considerable instrumental acumen, Ged is also a fine singer. whose choice of songs, though often unorthodox, is always successful. A consummate musician and extraordinary entertainer, Ged Foley always gets it just right.

Denise Broderick  Grad Dip Ed. (Singing)

Eamon Moloney (Flute,Whistle)

Sarah O Kennedy Singing
Sarah hails from Limerick where she first studied singing under Marie Walshe  and later studied in Dublin under Evelyn Dowling and Irene Thompson.  In 1997 she joined the world-renowned group ANUNA and remains a soloist to this day, recording, travelling and performing worldwide.

Dennis Liddy Grad. Dip. Ed . (Fiddle)
Denis Liddy was born in Clare and is from a big Clan of traditional musicians. His father Dan, is prominent in Comhaltas circles as are many other members of the immediate family. In fact, the Liddy clan is synonymous with traditional music in Clare. Dr.Bill Loughnane, who played fiddle with the Tulla Ceili Band, was a first cousin of my grandfather.
The Liddy family group, known as Shannonside Ceili Band formed in 1985, still play occasionally to this day. The Liddys were the bedrock of many ceili bands in Cratloe in the 70s and 80s featuring  prominently in many Seisiun, Scoraiocht, Plearacha and grupai cheoil. Indeed, the whole family toured abroad many times and played countless ceilithe throughout Ireland, the UK and Europe.
Denis has been teaching music since 1982 and formed the Barefield Ceili Band at Barefield NS. This now comprises of bands and groups under 12, 12-15 and 15-18 and they have won many All-Ireland titles since 1998.

His particular interest is  ceili bands and he currently plays with the Turloughmore Ceili Band, who recorded "The Bee's Wing" CD in 2001. His first recording was with Shannonside Ceili Band in 1985 and  has produced three CDs with the Barefield Ceili Band "Iolar" 1999 and "Flowers of the Burren" 2002 and 2003. In addition he has  recorded with Planxty O'Rourke and "Tuath" with Orfhlaith NiBhriain in 2000.

Deirdre Scanlan - B. Ed. (Tradional Singing)

Singing from an early age Deirdre Scanlan from Ballina, Co Tipperary, has been at the forefront of traditional and contemporary Irish music for a number of years. An all Ireland champion at junior and senior level Deirdre is an accomplished solo and ensemble performer. As a teenager she toured the UK and USA with Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann and was fiddle player with the Ormond Ceili Band.  In 1999 Deirdre’s first recording “Speak Softly” featuring three self-penned compositions was released to critical acclaim. From 1999 to 2007 Deirdre took the role as lead vocalist with the internationally acclaimed group Solas, featuring on five of their recordings, and toured extensively through Europe, the US and Japan. She has performed on the international stage from London’s West End to the famous Radio City Music Hall NYC. Media credits include The Late Late Show, TG4’s Ardan, RTE Radio 1 and Raidio na Gaeltachta. In the US she has featured with Solas on National Public Radio, XPN, and the international radio concert series “Mountain Stage”. Deirdre is an experienced and highly skilled song workshop facilitator. She has conducted numerous song workshops here in Ireland, Europe and North America.

Denise Kelleher Grad Dip Ed (Fiddle)

Patrick Olsen MA,BM (Saxaphone,Guitar,Flute)