About the Band

Craobh Rua (pronounced Crave Roo-Ah) translates from Irish to 'Red Branch' and is a name that is well known in Celtic history from the stories of the Red Branch Knights of Ulster.

Hailing from Belfast they perform Irish traditional music with their distinctive northern style. Their music has delighted audiences and earned them wide acclaim and recognition. Craobh Rua are now regarded around the world as one of the finest ambassadors of Irish traditional music. The band’s musicians bring their own individual experience to the group and fuse their talents to bring life to a wide array of instruments including the banjo, mandolin, fiddle, uilleann pipes, tin whistle, guitar and vocals. They take a refreshing, unpretentious but uncommonly skilled run at some of the greatest music in the world.

They have given concerts and festival performances in the USA, Canada, Australia, Germany, Austria, Italy, Holland, Switzerland, Brittany, Asturias, Belgium, Poland, Slovenia, Denmark, Norway, Bulgaria, England, Scotland, Wales and of course their native home - Ireland.

Craobh Rua has released six albums to date and appeared on a number of compilation albums. Their latest release, I’d Understand You If I Knew What You Meant, has been critically acclaimed and spent most of 2015 near the tops of the traditional music album charts.

“Craobh Rua are free advertisement for everything that’s good about Irish Traditional Music – they play it from the heart and they play it superbly. Long may they continue to do so.” -Belfast Telegraph

Band Members

Brian Connolly

Brian Connolly (banjo and mandolin) from Belfast was taught the mandolin by his grandfather and then started playing the banjo. His main influences include Barney McKenna of the Dubliners, The Chieftains, The Bothy Band and Planxty. He played with several groups while at school and began playing at sessions. He founded the original Craobh Rua in the mid-eighties and remains the driving force behind the band today. As well as touring with Craobh Rua he teaches banjo and mandolin and has published a banjo tutor book Play Tunes on the Irish Tenor Banjo Introductory Repertoire.

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Desy McCabe

Desy McCabe (uilleann pipes and tin whistle) originally from Belfast and now living in Cork. Desy started initially playing the tin whistle at 15 and then a few years later began to play the uilleann pipes. His main influence on the uilleann pipes was the uilleann piper and pipe maker Sean McAloon. He also learned from recordings of The Chieftains, The Bothy Band and Planxty and started to play at the sessions around Belfast. He is the original uilleann piper with Craobh Rua and recorded on the first album Not A Word About It.

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Eoghan McKenna

Eoghan McKenna (fiddle) from Co. Antrim started playing fiddle at age 7, taught by London musician Karen Ryan. Later he took lessons from Sean Maguire. Influences include Sean Maguire, Andy McGann, Paddy Reynolds and Michael Coleman. Has played with Cross Keys Ceili Band and is an All Ireland Fiddle Champion. He also plays banjo and mandolin and has been playing with Craobh Rua for the last few years.

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Declan Keenan

Declan Keenan (guitar, vocals) from Belfast, starting playing tin whistle at the age of 6 but moved to guitar at age 12. He studied at Queen's University Belfast, graduating with a Masters in Music specialising in classical guitar performance. Since then, he has continued playing guitar incorporating different styles. He has travelled extensively performing both solo and with bands. His influences include John Williams and Arty McGlynn.

Declan Keenan

Patrick O'Hare

Patrick O'Hare (uilleann pipes and tin whistle) from Belfast began playing the pipes at age thirteen. He has toured extensively throughout Europe as a soloist and with various bands. He was asked to join the group Ciorrus, formed by Donal Lunny but turned down the opportunity as he felt it was not the right time. As well as a performer and teacher he is also a maker of the uilleann pipes and has gained a reputation as one of the most outstanding reed makers of his generation, making reeds for many pipers from around the world such as John McSherry and Michael McGoldrick. He has published a book A Guide To Reed Making For The Uilleann Pipes.

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Michael Cassidy

Michael Cassidy (fiddle) from Belfast started playing fiddle at the age of twelve, taking classical lessons at first and then playing traditional music after attending a Bothy Band concert. Initially he learned from recordings of Paddy Glackin, Kevin Burke and Sean Maquire on a fiddle bought by his grandfather and handed down to him in the early eighties. He played in several groups at school and has played in Craobh Rua since 1986.

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Conor Caldwell

Conor Caldwell (fiddle) from Belfast is a student of Donegal fiddle music and was awarded a PhD in 2013 for his thesis on the fiddler John Doherty. He has taught and lectured as many prestigious festivals around Ireland and Europe including the Willy Clancy Summer School, the Glencolmchille Fiddle Week and Scoil Gheimhridh Ghaoth Dobhair, as well as having worked at Queen's University, Belfast. Conor has collaborated with a number of artists in recent times, including Danny Diamond, Maurice Leyden and the Scottish fiddler Coll Macdonald.

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Jim Rainey

Jim Rainey (guitar and vocals) Belfast born, began playing guitar and trying to sing at around the age of 16. It was at this time that he first discovered Irish trad music and whilst immediately smitten, did not begin to play at sessions until into his twenties. A self-taught musician, Jim got most of his musical education at the various sessions throughout Belfast. His influences are too numerous to list-though he is particularly drawn to Breton fest noz music, blues, bluegrass and gypsy swing.

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Reviews and Testimonies

“The mighty Northern style of Irish Traditional Music cruises through their veins” -fRoots

“A rich sound defined by its acoustic driven jigs, reels and waltzes, Craobh Rua’s traditional Celtic Fare not only warms the soul, it sets the toes-a-tappin’.” -John Roos, LA Times

“Craobh Rua are free advertisement for everything that’s good about Irish Traditional Music – they play it from the heart and they play it superbly. Long may they continue to do so.” -Belfast Telegraph

“They are among the foremost bands playing Irish music today.” -Rock ‘N’ Reel

“My pick of the festival was Craobh Rua…gained momentum like a runaway freight train and had young and old cheering and dancing in the field.” -Main Line Times, Philadelphia, USA

“Craobh Rua…stole their way into hearts with the almost telepathic virtuosity and verve of their instrumental playing on uilleann pipes, fiddle, banjo, mandolin and bouzouki.” -Jim Ferguson, The Shetland Times

“Craobh Rua played warm, unpretentious and skilful music…” -Scotland on Sunday

“A Rare musical feast. Craobh Rua had the audience clapping their hands and stamping their feet so much at the end of their energetic performance that they were persuaded to play an extra piece.” -The Shetland Times

“The stars of the show were undoubtedly Craobh Rua…they produced one of the tightest sounds I have heard from a live band.” -The Orcadian

“Craobh Rua combine the best of traditional and contemporary influences in arrangements which splice together individual interpretations of melody and harmony lines into a texture which has the durability of a hand-woven cloth.” -Archie FisherBBC Radio Scotland

“One of the most wonderful live bands we’ve ever had on the show.” -HENO S4CTV, Wales

“Craobh Rua are nothing short of spectacular.” -Mark Sustic, Champlain Valley Folk Festival, USA

“They have a wonderfully relaxed yet exciting way of playing tunes…The original arrangement and easy delivery of their songs makes a wonderful contrast to the tune sets and provides a balance that leaves every audience delighted and looking for more.” -Phil Cunningham

“If you're a fan of Irish traditional music and it's the real diddly you're 'craobhing', you can't go wrong with Craobh Rua!! Their fiery combination of fiddle, banjo and pipes produce tunes so true to their origins you can almost smell the peat smoke.” -Steven Dietrich, Producer, Celtic Airs Concert Series, University of Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, USA

LIVE PERFORMANCES

TV and Radio Performances

  • BBC TV series Blas Ceoil
  • TG4 series Geantraí
  • BBC TV Series The Shetland Sessions
  • BBC Music Live when they played live in front of millions of viewers
  • BBC Radio 3 in World Music Day along with a host of artists from around the world
  • Millennium Stage Live Internet Broadcast concert series from the Kennedy Center, Washington, DC
  • Voice of America - Smithsonian Concert Series Washington, DC was recorded and broadcast worldwide

Festival Performances

USA FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES
  • Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Washington, DC
  • Common Ground on the Hill Festival, MA
  • The Celtic Classic, Bethlehem, PA
  • Southern Illinois Irish Festival, Carbondale, IL
  • The New Bedford Folk Festival, MA
  • Irish 2000 Arts and Music Festival, Albany, NY
  • Irish Fest, Milwaukee, WI
  • The Philadelphia Folk Festival, PA
  • The Philadelphia Ceili Group Irish Music & Dance Festival
  • The Sebastopol Celtic Festival, California
  • The Festival of the Mabon, Denver, CO
  • The Cincinnati Celtic Music and Cultural Festival, OH
  • The Washington Irish Festival, Washington, DC
  • The North Texas Irish Festival, Dallas, TX
  • The Chicago Celtic Festival
  • The San Francisco Celtic Festival
  • The Lincoln Center Out-Of-Doors Festival, NY
  • The Bethlehem Music Festival, PA
  • Mayfair, Allentown, PA
  • The Champlain Valley Folk Festival, VT
  • The Louisville Irish Festival, KY
  • The Portland Celtic Music Festival, Oregon
  • The International Festival, Sacketts Habor, NY
  • The Harborfest, Oswego, NY
  • The Nassau Comm Coll. Festival, Nassau, NY
  • The Fiddle and Bow Festival, Winston-Salem, NC
  • The Charlotte Folk Society Festival, Charlotte, NC
CANADIAN FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES
  • The Winnipeg Folk Festival
  • The Vancouver Folk Music Festival
  • The Calgary Folk Music Festival
AUSTRALIAN FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES
  • The Port Fairy Folk Music Festival
  • The Perth International Arts Festival
  • The Kapunda Celtic Music Festival
  • The Nannup Folk Music Festival
  • The Portland Music Festival
ENGLISH FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES
  • The Canterbury Festival
  • The Helmsley Folk Weekend
  • The Wallingford Bunkfest
  • The Glasson Festival
  • The Bromsgrove Folk Festival
  • From The Heart, Barbican Centre, London
  • The Cheltenham Folk Festival
  • The Celts in Kent Festival
  • The South Bank Folk Week
  • The Towersey Folk Festival
  • The Wimborne Folk Festival
  • Brampton Live, Brampton, Carlisle
  • The Gosport Folk Festival
  • The Tyneside Irish Festival, Newcastle
  • The Nantwich and Crewe Folk Festival
  • The Footloose Festival, Matlock
  • The Craic Festival, Hye-On-Wye
  • The Malborough Music Festival
  • The Whitney Folk Festival, Oxfordshire
SCOTTISH FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES
  • The Shetland Folk Festival
  • The Orkney Traditional Folk Festival
  • The Edinburgh International Folk Festival
  • The Douglasdale Folk Festival
  • The Moniaive Folk Festival
  • The Girvan Folk Festival
  • Glenfarg Folk Feast
  • The Stonehaven Folk Festival
  • The Isle of Arran Folk Festival
  • The Isle of Bute Folk Festival
  • The Killin Traditional Music and Dance Festival
  • The Kilmarnock Folk Weekend
  • The Port William Folk Festival
  • The Skye Folk Festival
  • The Garlieston Folk Festival
  • Feis an Eilein, Skye
  • The Caol & Lochaber Music Festival, Fortwilliam
  • The Dunfermline District Arts Festival
  • The Dundee Folk Festival
  • The Dumfries and Galloway Folk Weekend
  • The Blairgowrie Folk and Blues Festival
WELSH FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES
  • The Cnapan Folk Festival
  • The Pontardawe Festival
  • The Swansea Celtic Festival
IRISH FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES
  • Cork Folk Festival
  • Ulster American Folk Park, ‘Folk in the Park’
  • 5th Annual Irish and Traditional Folk Music Festival
  • The Belfast Festival at Queens
  • Gign The Bann Festival
  • The Hilden Beer Festival
  • The Belfast Folk Festival
  • The Ballyshannon Folk and Traditional Music Festival
  • The Pan Celtic International Festival Killarney
ITALIAN FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES
  • Yule Fest, Comun Nuovo, Bergamo
  • Festival Celtica, Milano
  • Festival d’Irlanda, Genova
  • Etnofestival, San Marino
  • Folkest, Brugnera
  • Festival Interceltico, Trezzo sull ‘Adda
  • Festival Irlandese, Padova
  • Varesefestival, Varese
GERMAN FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES
  • Venner Folk Frühling
  • The Harlekinade Folk Festival, Ludwigshafen
  • The 4th Herbst Folk Festival, Plauen
  • The Muhlhausen Festival Muhlhausen
DUTCH FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES
  • Iers Festival, Sneek
  • Razzmataz Festival, Souburg
  • Zaanfolk Festival, Zaandam
  • Ommen Festival, Ommen
SLOVENIAN FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES
  • The Okarina Folk Festival, Bled
  • The Lent Festival, Maribor
  • Rock Otocec ’97, Novo Mesto
  • The Mediteran Festival, Zola
OTHER FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES
  • The Irish Nights Festival, Schaffhausen, Switzerland
  • Festival Intercéltico d'Occidente, Tapia de Casariego, Asturias
  • Neuche Celta, Ribeseya, Asturias
  • The Tonder Festival, Denmark
  • Folkfestival Gutenbrunn, Austria
  • Stadtfest Neusiedl, Austria
  • The Interceltic Festival, Lorient, Brittany
  • The Labadoux Festival, Belgium
  • Na Fir Bolg Festival, Belgium
  • The Third Celtic Festival, Poznan, Poland