I’m deeply saddened by the loss of Pompilio “Pompi” Rosciani early this week - he was my lovely friend and the mighty accordion guru to me and thousands of others since I first met him in 1980. 

He was a…

A most worthy and wonderful honor for our dear Mick Moloney!!

Picture: Mick Moloney’s sister Violet Moloney Morrissey pictured with his brother Dermot Moloney and sisters Nanette Moloney and Kathleen Moloney ahead of the honorary doctorate ceremony
Photo by:…

I received a lovely recording the other day from the Bloomington, Indiana, based band Supertrad entitled “Blue Sky on Walnut”

Supertrad’s current lineup is Sam Bartlett on tenor banjo plus five string banjo, and Eric Schedler on piano accordion —…

Hard to imagine that it is 35 years ago today since the Horse was killed after falling 13 stories on a job-site accident in Chicago at the age of sixty. That day and time is embedded in my being... 
 

I…

This is the full 2014 online concert video of Dennis and I playing two tunes: Hector the Hero and The Charleston Reel. A snippet of the video below appeared in the TG4 Documentary: “Dennis Cahill: Litir ó Do Chara" (meaning:…

From the first time the Horse, Liz Carroll, and myself met you in TJ Daly’s on 63rd Street back in 1976 you were a constant source of joy, joviality, jigs played in that jaunting juggernaut west Kerry style – followed…

This year marks the 60th anniversary of my arrival in Chicago from Ireland along with the Kerrywoman where we were reunited with the Horse for a new start and new beginning in this great Windy City. 

It was also sixty…

(Maryann Keifer & Me with picture by Grace Madden behind the desk)

Hi Folks!! 

Sorry to let you know that I won't be able to fulfill Maryann McTeague Keifer’s wishes for me to assume the mantle of her “Ireland Tonight”…

I was in New York City for six hours yesterday morning for the mighty service for Mick Moloney just blocks from where he lived the past many years in Washington Square and where he and I passed several times a…

I think that Mick Moloney — the most eloquent and articulate person I’ve ‘ere known — would get a good chuckle that stumbling bumbling me ended up giving a few pre-tunage remarks about himself at The Scattering this past Sunday…

I dunno what to say. I dropped Mick off at his Bleecker Street flat at noon on Monday after twelve brilliant days of music, song, long chats, laughs, and just plain ol’ hanging – just as we had done countless…

The funeral mass for Dennis Cahill will take place next Friday, July 8th at 11AM at his parish church: 

St. Priscilla's Church 

6949 W Addison St 

Chicago, IL 60634 

I will post an update if a viewing link is available…

Our dearest Dennis Cahill passed away peacefully on Monday evening, with his beloved Mary by his side as she has throughout his journey. Just moments before — we were comforting Dennis while The Lament for Limerick from Dennis’ album with…

(Martin Hayes, Dennis Cahill, Paddy Moloney, and Triona Marshall on harp)

In less than one week after the passing of Tony MacMahon — Paddy Moloney, the legendary musical leader of The Chieftains died on Tuesday at the age of 83…

Sorry to learn of the passing of one mighty man of music who I knew on and off since meeting Tony MacMahon when I was a kid in the 1960's in Chicago and various other places throughout the years where…

Eileen Carroll (1929-2021) 

And just like the tune Liz wrote for her mom which she named Mrs. Carroll’s Strathspey — Ma Carroll — which is what I always called Mrs. Carroll in my mind — was the embodiment of those…

It’s funny how things happen. Turned on the radio one Saturday night in the early 1980s to listen to The Midnight Special on WFMT in Chicago, one of my first baby steps away from round the clock diddly-diddly and sean-nos…

Talk of a surreal day on Saturday. I've been working on a 192 track audio project for nearly a year and am now about one-fifth the way through on the first draft of the liner notes. I ended my writing…

Yogi Berra Explains Irish Traditional Music (Trad): 

Interviewer: Can you explain Trad? 

Yogi: I can't, but I will. 90% of all Trad is half improvisation. The other half is the part people play while others are playing something they never…

I was on my first solo trip to Ireland to compete in the 1977 Fleadh Cheoil in Ennis - after a successful Fleadh, I had a notion to head over to London for a long weekend before going…

My individual video contribution to the 140 minute plus "Infinite Hope" originally live streamed on Wednesday, June 24th, 2020.

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Infinite Hope"…

Years back in the corner confessional of the 6511 Club I was with Kevin Henry, his wife Pauline, the late Brendan & Theresa Williams — and behind the counter bartending, bantering, and holding court, was the late Jack Finan…

While searching online for a way to trade in all them years of playing the accordion for the equivalent in time of playing the fiddle - I came across the following track by the brilliant Four Men and a Dog…

Pre-ramble: Musician Seán Montgomery and Irish Trad music radio presenter Maryann Keifer nominated me for a post-for-ten-days yokeybob album thingy.

I decided to expand it a wee bit as many of my friends don't know much about traditional Irish…