O’Brien, Browne and McGlynn to headline Ennis Trad Festival

COMING from what could be described as the Toonagh fiddle nursery, synonymous with such names as Custy and Peoples, Michelle O’Brien will perform as part of Ennis Trad Festival.
Joining Michelle on stage witll be Peter Browne, a box player who easily moves between Irish traditional music and jazz and legendary guitar player and stalwart of the tradition Arty McGlynn. The trio will combine to perform the headline gig on Saturday, November 12 at midnight in The Auburn Lodge Hotel.
Michelle O’Brien learned her music at her local primary school under the guidance of acclaimed music teacher, Frank Custy. From there, She was taken under the wing of her neighbour, the legendary Tommy Peoples, and latterly Tommy’s daughter, Siobhán. It is Tommy who became Michelle’s main influence and his distinctive style of playing can be heard in her music. Michelle moved to Dublin in the ’90s and is an influential member of the Dublin traditional music scene ever since.
Michelle has an All-Ireland fiddle title and Pan-Celtic fiddle title to her credit and is a much sought-after tutor, teaching at the World Music Centre, Limerick and at many festivals throughout Ireland and Europe. She is currently ‘musician in residence’ for Wicklow Arts Council.
Michelle has featured on recordings by Sharon Shannon,  Providence, The Bow House Quintet, Aogán Lynch (Slide) and Gavin Ralston, amongst others.
Peter Browne, from Dublin, has been playing traditional music on the accordion from an early age. He has performed and recorded with many bands and musicians over the years, including Stockton’s Wing, Slide, Providence and At First Light.
He has also been involved with a number of acts outside of the traditional realm such as the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, jazz and other ethnic and improvised forms of music.
Peter teaches at the Frankie Kennedy Winter School each year and has taught in the Falcarragh Ceoltóir course for two years, amongst other workshops.
Arty is one of the finest guitar players in Ireland with a unique understanding of the music he performs. Born in Omagh, County Tyrone, his family are steeped in traditional music and when he was 11, his mother bought him his first guitar. Despite his traditional music background his first influences were Wes Montgomery, Thelonius Monk and other giants of the jazz scene. By the time he was 15, he was playing professionally and touring throughout Ireland.
The late ’60s saw him working further afield, in the UK and USA, moving from band to band and adding the pedal steel guitar to his musical arsenal along the way. However, by the mid-’70s the endless run of one nighters had begun to lose their appeal and Arty was beginning to look for something that would excite him again.
Towards the end of the decade, Arty revived his interest in Irish traditional music and recorded his first solo album, McGlynn’s Fancy. This was the first recording where the guitar is played in an authentic traditional style, and as such has been hailed as a classic in the traditional music world.
He subsequently became one of the most sought after musicians in the country, playing and recording with Christy Moore, Paul Brady, Donal Lunny, Liam O’Flynn and the Chieftains. He also played as a member of Planxty, Patrick Street, De Danann and the Van Morrison Band.
Arty is equally in demand as a live performer, recording artist and producer. The album Barking Mad by Four Men & A Dog, which Arty produced, was voted Folk Album of the Year by Folk Roots magazine. Other production credits include Christy Hennessy’s The Rehearsal, an album that remained in the Irish charts continuously for eighteen months. He collaborated with Frances Black on her first two albums, Talk to Me and The Sky Road, both of which topped the charts in Ireland.
For more information on Enis Trad Festival, see www.enistradfetival.com or visit Facebook at Ennis Trad Festival.