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.