A Chumaraigh Aoibhinn O - Music

Áine Uí Cheallaigh Is Very Well-Known Irish Singer And Scholar Who First Gained International Attention With Her Rendition Of “Lift The Wings” In The Worldwide Hit Show “Riverdance.”

She Was Born In Belfast Her Father’s Hometown. Her Mother Was From An Rinn In Waterford. Her Musical Influences Can Be Traced To Both Areas Although She Is Best Known For Her Renditions Of Irish Tunes Performed In The Irish Language Gaelic.

Áine Has Twice Won The Coveted Corn Uí Riada For Sean‑nós “old Style” Singing Held At The Oireachtas Na Gaeilge An Annual Arts Festival Of Irish Culture Which Began In 1890s.

She Has An MA From The University Of Limerick In Medieval Chant. She Currently Divides Her Time Between Her Post As Principal Of Meánscoil San Nioclás In Rinn Ua GCuanach Co. Waterford An Irish Language Secondary School Renowned As A Fount Of Gaeltacht Tradition And Her Career In Singing And Acting.

Her Stage Credits In America Include “Riverdance ” “The Pirate Queen” And “Tir Na NOg.”

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The Band
Reeltime Are

Máirín Fahy - Fiddle Vocals
Chris Kelly - Guitars
Éilís Egan - Accordion
with Additional Musicians

Luke Daniels - Accordion
John Flatley - Piano Keyboards Accoustic Bass Vocals
Yvonne Fahy


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Chris Kelly
Chris Started Playing The Guitar At A Very Young Age After Receiving His First Guitar From Santa Claus. By The Age Of 11 He Was In His First Band And By 12 He Was Gigging. Money Was Saved To Buy A Fender Telecaster And Strat And Vox A C 30. Things Were Going Well And Cash Was Put Aside To Buy The First Motorbike. Rock And Roll Was Here To Stay!!

Then Chris Met Mairin On A Musical Tour Of The States And He Fell In Love With The Traditional Music As Well!!! They Are Now Happily Married And Chris Has Developed His Own Unique Style Of Backing Using Jazz Blues And Rock Roots.

Chris Has Travelled Extensively Playing Music In Europe Australia The States Even Moscow. He Has Played With The Frankie Gavin Quartet Mairtin O Connors Band And Harmonica Supremo Larry Adler And Plays Regularly With Brendan Power. He Uses Various Types Of Guitar Martin Takemine And Even And Old F Hole Hofner To Suit The Mood Of The Music. He Works Closely With The Other Members To Produce The Distinctive Reeltime Sound.




Máirín Fahy
Mairin Was Born Into A Family And An Area Steeped In Traditional Music. Her Grandfather Thomas Whyte Was One Of The Founder Members Of The Legendary Ballinakill Ceili Band Which Was The First Ceili Band From Ireland To Tour The States In The 1920's And Was Also The First Ceili Band To Record. Her Aunt Was Aggie Whyte The Brilliant East Galway Fiddle Player And Her Mother Bridie Also Played In The Ceili Band. Her Brother Gerard Lord Of The Dance Is An Excellent Piper Composer And Leader Of Furry Village. Terry Her Other Brother Has Numerous All Ireland Titles In Singing And Percussion And Is The Furry Village Drummer. Yvonne Máirín's Sister Who Plays Accordian With Furry Village Supplies A Broad Spectrum Of Percussion To Enhance The "Reeltime Backbeat" Ranging From Bodhrán She Is An All Ireland Champion Snare With Brushes Bongos And Shakers.

So It Is Little Wonder That Mairin Started To Play Music And Dance As Early As The Age Of Three And Proceeded To Win Many All Ireland Titles Both In Dancing And Playing Instrumental Music. She Is Now Regarded As One Of The Best Fiddle Players In The Country.

Mairin Was A Member Of "Macalla" The All Women's Ceili Bamd And Recorded Two Albums With Them. She Also Features On The Fine Album "Ceol Ti Neachtain" And Plays With The Temple House Ceili Band. She Has Toured The World Extensively Playing All Over Europe The States Australia Singapore And Even Hawaii.

Mairin Exceptional Voice Came To A Fore In The Celtic Musical Tara" Which Was Performed With The R.T.E Concert Orchestra And That Well Known Actor Patrick Bergin In Leisureland Galway And The Concert Hall In Dublin. However It Is In Reeltime That All This Heritage And Experience Comes Together To Provide A Stunning Performance From Mairin.

In Sept '96 Máirín Joined Riverdance Taking Time Out To Tour And Record With Reeltime. Since Then She Has Wooed Audiences And Musical Journalists Alike With Her Tremendous Talent On The Fiddle Leading To Reviews Which Stated

"On Fiddle All Ireland Champion Máirín Fahy Was A Joy To Watch ........Surely This Girl Is The Best Fiddle Player I Have Ever Seen ................. This Gifted Player Is Not Only A Master Of The Fiddle But Her Graceful Presence And Movement On Stage Endorses Her Many All Ireland Dancing Championships Titles ......... The Rhythm Is Not Only In Her Music But Also In Her Feet ................ It's Not Fair She Is Also The Vocalist With Reeltime Singing Exquisitely In Both Languages."




Éilís Egan
Like Mairin Eilis Was Born Into A Very Musical Family And Achieved Great Success Even At An Early Age Winning Numerous Titles.

Eilis Like Mairin Plays On The Acclaimed Album 'Ceol Ti Neachtain'. She Has Played With The Frankie Gavin Quartet Toured With Eileen Ivors And Has Just Recently Finished Playing In The Highly Acclaimed Bill Whelan Production Of "Riverdance".

In Reeltime Eilis Uses This Background To Produce A Performance Which Can Only Be Described As The Best In Contemporary Traditional Music.



Additional Musicians ...



Luke Daniels
Luke Daniels Began Playing The Bodhran At The Age Of Eight. Growing Up In A Family Of Traditional Musicians He Was Given His First Accordeon On His Tenth Birthday And Within A Few Months Was Playing The Vast Repertoire Of Irish Tunes That Had Become So Familiar Since Early Childhood.

He Was Soon Exploring Beyond The Irish Tradition Into French Musette World And Classical Music. His Renditions Of Paganini And Bach Stunned The Small Local Music Fraternity And By 1992 At The Age Of Eighteen His Innovative Playing Style And Clear Mastery Of The Instrument Won Him The Coveted BBC Young Tradition Award. As A Result He Appeared On National TV And Radio His Hour Long Showcase Programme Being Repeated Due To Popular Demand.

He Subsequently Appeared On Irish And Swiss National Television And Went On To An Acclaimed Appearance At The Philadelphia Folk Festival - A Storming Success Both In The US And The UK Where The Show Was Carried By The BBC.

Following The Release Of His Highly Acclaimed Debut Album Tarantella He Toured With De Danann And Has Performed With Riverdance.

Luke Has Been Associated With Reeltime Since 1994 When He Played Cork Folk Festival With Them And He Joins Them On Their US Tour.



John Flatley
John Joined Reeltime On Their Highly Successful U.S Tour Having Performed With The Band At The International Celtic Connections Festival In Glasgow. He Was Born In London And At The Age Of Ten Moved To Ireland. He Lives In Claremorris Co. Mayo.

From An Early Age John Has Been Playing Music. He Has Studied Classical Piano Which He Now Teaches To Many Budding Young Musicians In Mayo. He Is Also A Most Sought After Musical Director For Shows In The West Of Ireland.

He Has Played With Well Known Irish Groups Including Furry Village Speak Easy And Midnight Cowboys. Most Recently He Has Composed The Score For Two R.T.E. Documentaries.

But It Is In Reeltime's Live Show That John Really Shows His Versatility Playing Keyboards Additional Guitars And Accoustic Bass As Well As Vocals.



Yvonne Fahy
Yvonne Sister Of Máirín Has Been A Regular With Reeltime For The Last 2 Years Holding Down The Percussion Seat. Like Máirín She Was Born Into A Background Full Of Music. Her Grandfather Thomas Whyte Was One Of The Founder Members Of The Legendary "Ballinakill Ceili Band" Which Was The First Ceili Band From Ireland To Tour The States In The 1920's And Was Also The First Ceili Band To Record. Her Aunt Was Aggie Whyte The Brilliant East Galway Fiddle Player And Her Mother Bridie Also Played In The Ceili Band.

Her Brother Gerard Lord Of The Dance Is An Excellent Piper Composer And Leader Of Furry Village. Terry Her Other Brother Has Numerous All Ireland Titles In Singing And Percussion And Is The Furry Village Drummer.

Yvonne Who Plays Accordian With Furry Village Supplies A Broad Spectrum Of Percussion To Enhance The "Reeltime Backbeat" Ranging From Bodhrán She Is An All Irelnd Champion Snare With Brushes Bongos And Shakers.





Jo. Kelderman

kelderman.J@hotail.Om . User-Contributed Text Is Available Under The Creative Commons By-SA License Additional Terms May Apply. read less