The McNamara Céilí Band

The McNamara Céilí Band
A four piece band whose members are all prominent figures on the London Irish scene. The McNamara Céilí Band have been a popular choice in recent years to play for set dancing at the Return to Camden Town Festival and in Cecil Sharp House:

Gary Connolly (accordion) hosted weekly sessions at The Auld Triangle (where he was a founding member of their céilí band) for 12 years, he now holds a residency at Toolan’s in North Finchley. Gary’s musical pursuits have taken him to Hong Kong and seen him on TG4’s Ardán. He also appeared solo in concert at the 2006 Festival and on Karen Ryan’s ‘The Coast Road’ CD on the Cló Iar-Chonnacht label which has been released in 2012.

Kathy Walton (flute) has been part of the London session scene in the twenty years she has lived here. A member of the original London all-female trad band ‘The Sheelas’, Kathy has pioneered numerous adult education classes for Irish music and co-founded ‘Meitheal Cheoil’ (teachers and musicians group in North London) producing CDs, Making tracks and Taking Note with her young students.

Karen Ryan (fiddle) has hosted many regular London sessions down the years, including the Black Horse, Powerhaus, Fiddler’s Elbow, Keenan’s and currently Toolan’s, North Finchley. She is a member of ‘The London Lasses’ who launched their fourth album By Night & By Day in 2010. Karen is a co-founder of and teacher with ‘Meitheal Cheoil’ and co-founder and Director of ‘Return to Camden Town’. 2012 sees the release of her debut solo album ‘The Coast Road’ on the Cló Iar-Chonnacht label.

Pete Quinn (keyboard) held a four-year residency with Karen at the Black Horse, currently holds a residency at Toolan’s in North Finchley and he is the accompanist with ‘The London Lasses’. In addition to his work with the Lasses, he has recorded with Karen Ryan, Mick Mulvey and Seán Casey and has performed in concert with Brendan McGlinchey, Brian Rooney and Colm O’Donnell among others.

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