John McSherry, Brendan Quinn and Francis McIlduff

Three of Ireland’s foremost folk musicians, John McSherry, Brendán Quinn and Francis McIlduff are heading to Brewery Arts on Thursday 14th March – an unmissable show for all fans of traditional and Irish folk music!

John McSherry, Brendán Quinn and Francis McIlduff are three phenomenal musicians who first got together as a trio at Belfast’s Féile Trad Trail in August 2022.

Those familiar with John McSherry’s transatlantic supergroup the olllam (with Vulfpeck’s Joe Dart) will already be familiar with what a musical force John is. He is also founder member of top traditional bands Lunasa, Tamalin and Donal Lunny’s Coolfin, and has produced a string of critically acclaimed and innovative albums, both solo and collaborative.

John has been a major figure in Irish music for over 20 years. He is a composer, producer, arranger, and established studio session musician of world renown, having recorded and performed with artists including Sinéad O’Connor, Rod Stewart, Nanci Griffith, Gary Kemp, The Corrs and Clannad.

Brendán has toured the world as a singer-songwriter and traditional accompanist for many years. Hugely influenced by his love of Irish music and the Irish language, his ability to convey the stories of strangers and his own experiences through song has created his distinctive, captivating style.

Francis McIlduff, a member of the legendary McPeake musical family from Belfast, was immersed in traditional Irish music from an early age. He debuted with the family band Clann McPeake in the 1980’s, and has gone on to play with leading outfits including Alias Ron Kavana, Afterhours, Sin É and more recently At First Light, the band in which Francies and John first created the “double pipes” sound that has become their trademark.

When the trio began playing together at Féile, the depth of their musical connection and rapport was instantly evident, so much so that they decided to record an album together. Wanting to keep their sound as authentic as possible, they opted to record in Redbox Studios, the working home of good friend and musical comrade, Dónal O’Connor. Playing live as a trio instead of multi-tracked separate takes, the album was recorded in sixteen hours and mixes traditional and modern tunes with Brendan’s contemporary songwriting. With “dualling” uilleann pipes, soaring whistles, interweaving harmonies, rock steady bodhran and guitar grooves, the tunes and songs are delivered with a confidence, energy and drive that only a live approach can create.