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LIGONIER HIGHLAND GAMES ENTERTAINMENT ROSTER
DEVILISH MERRY
Devilish Merry is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania based Celtic Folk Band, using all acoustic instruments to mix Appalachian and Celtic melodies with powerful, ballad-based songs on American history and heritage.
It’s a lively mix of old-time fiddle tunes, Irish jigs and reels, Pennsylvania folk and labor ballads and riveting new songs from the musicians’ own life experience.
Devilish Merry has performed at museums, school assemblies, coffee houses, bars, parks, malls, hotels, summer camps, art galleries, houses of worship, community nonprofits, Civil War battlegrounds, hospitals, farmers markets, country fairs and every kind of school setting you can imagine. Over the last four decades, they’ve probably played for close to a million sets of human ears.
Now, they’re ready to play for yours.
DEVILISH MERRY includes — Burr Beard (hammered dulcimer) Jan Hamilton (fiddle) Sue Powers (banjo) L.E. McCullough (flute, tinwhistle, harmonica, bones) Jeff Berman (fretted dulcimer) with special guest Kip Ruefle (bodhran).
It’s a lively mix of old-time fiddle tunes, Irish jigs and reels, Pennsylvania folk and labor ballads and riveting new songs from the musicians’ own life experience.
Devilish Merry has performed at museums, school assemblies, coffee houses, bars, parks, malls, hotels, summer camps, art galleries, houses of worship, community nonprofits, Civil War battlegrounds, hospitals, farmers markets, country fairs and every kind of school setting you can imagine. Over the last four decades, they’ve probably played for close to a million sets of human ears.
Now, they’re ready to play for yours.
DEVILISH MERRY includes — Burr Beard (hammered dulcimer) Jan Hamilton (fiddle) Sue Powers (banjo) L.E. McCullough (flute, tinwhistle, harmonica, bones) Jeff Berman (fretted dulcimer) with special guest Kip Ruefle (bodhran).
THE LOW KINGS
The Low Kings are a 6-piece Celtic rock band inspired by acts like Flogging Molly and the Poguesas well as traditional Scottish and Irish pub music. The band are regulars at the Pittsburgh Irish Festival, Riley's Pour House, Mullaney's Harp and Fiddle, and other festivals like Zelienople Horse Trading Days and Penn's Colony. The Kings' rocked-up takes on classics, featuring Highland pipes, have made them fan favorites in Pittsburgh.
SEAN PATRICK REGAN
Sean Patrick Regan is a 3rd-generation bagpiper, a former amateur National and World Solo Piping Champion, and the current Professor of Bagpiping at PennWest Edinboro (formerly Edinboro University).
Sean is the only person in the world to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education, and a Master of Music Performance, with the Bagpipe as the primary instrument. He has earned terminal certificates in Piping Performance, Theory, and Teaching from the Piping and Drumming Qualifications Board, Scotland, as well as the Graduate Certificate awarded by the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association.
Sean has competed as a member of pipe bands of every grade level, and instructs the Balmoral Pipes & Drums, a Pittsburgh-based Grade 5 band. He also serves as the Artistic Director for the Balmoral School of Piping & Drumming.
Sean teaches private students locally and nationally, in person and online. In addition to teaching, he performs regularly as a soloist and as a member of Grammy-nominated Celtic ensemble, The Rogues. He is featured on seven albums, and contributes periodically to The Voice, the quarterly publication of the EUSPBA, providing articles on bagpipe pedagogy and philosophy.
Education and entertainment are combined in this abridged performance as Sean attempts to answer every question ever asked about the Great Highland Bagpipe
Sean is the only person in the world to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education, and a Master of Music Performance, with the Bagpipe as the primary instrument. He has earned terminal certificates in Piping Performance, Theory, and Teaching from the Piping and Drumming Qualifications Board, Scotland, as well as the Graduate Certificate awarded by the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association.
Sean has competed as a member of pipe bands of every grade level, and instructs the Balmoral Pipes & Drums, a Pittsburgh-based Grade 5 band. He also serves as the Artistic Director for the Balmoral School of Piping & Drumming.
Sean teaches private students locally and nationally, in person and online. In addition to teaching, he performs regularly as a soloist and as a member of Grammy-nominated Celtic ensemble, The Rogues. He is featured on seven albums, and contributes periodically to The Voice, the quarterly publication of the EUSPBA, providing articles on bagpipe pedagogy and philosophy.
Education and entertainment are combined in this abridged performance as Sean attempts to answer every question ever asked about the Great Highland Bagpipe
MELINDA CRAWFORD & COMPANY
Melinda Crawford is a Scottish fiddler based in western Pennsylvania. With a sound that hearkens back to the Highlands and Islands, she has performed the music of traditional and modern Scottish fiddling in Scotland and throughout the United States. Blending traditional tunes and her own compositions, she weaves imaged of ancient lands into sets with vibrant dances that are as much fun to listen to as they are to play. Joining Melinda on keyboard is Dan Perttu whose haunting harmonies bring the mist to the atmosphere, along with Kip Ruefle on bodhran, who also brings the dancing rhythms to life.
A teacher as well as a performer, Melinda is also a Scottish F.I.R.E. sanctioned judge and the director of the annual Strathgeny School of Scottish Fiddling at Westminster College, where she also serves as a professor of music.
A teacher as well as a performer, Melinda is also a Scottish F.I.R.E. sanctioned judge and the director of the annual Strathgeny School of Scottish Fiddling at Westminster College, where she also serves as a professor of music.
RED McWILLIAMS
Combining a percussive guitar with a rich baritone voice and a positive attitude has created the perfect blend of Celtic entertainer. Red moves from ballads to bawdy, from patriotic to parody, from historical to hysterical. Red addsoff-the-wall comments, jokes, stories, ribald humorbetween songs that makes his solo act entertaining, and one of a kind. Red is appreciated by Celtic music lovers all over the world and is often called “America’s Celt.”
DENNIS DOYLE
Dennis Doyle is a Celtic harpist from California. His delightful program of traditional Celtic harp music, stories, songs, bits of history and jokes have been performed all over North America, Japan, the UK and Ireland. Teachers and musicians run in his family which originally hails from County Wicklow, Ireland.
Dennis has over ten recordings and has two published books on Celtic and liturgical music. The most recent recording is Swift River.
Though based in California, Dennis has deep personal roots in Westmoreland and Fayette counties of Pennsylvania where his grandfather William Doyle worked the mines in the region. Dennis’ father, Mark Doyle, was born in Connellsville and grew up in Uniontown, moving the family post-war to Los Angeles in 1949.
Dennis has over ten recordings and has two published books on Celtic and liturgical music. The most recent recording is Swift River.
Though based in California, Dennis has deep personal roots in Westmoreland and Fayette counties of Pennsylvania where his grandfather William Doyle worked the mines in the region. Dennis’ father, Mark Doyle, was born in Connellsville and grew up in Uniontown, moving the family post-war to Los Angeles in 1949.
RICHPATRICK CELTIC MUSIC
RichPatrick brings audiences Celtic folk music, blending traditional and contemporary songs and tunes. The trio features Rich Lange on vocals and acoustic guitar, Sue Borowski on vocals, fiddle, bouzouki & mandolin and Jim Borowski on bodhran and vocals.
ABBOTS CROSS
Abbots Cross is a traditional and modern Celtic duo made up of Alan Booth and Mike Clancy. The combination of Alan Booth's rich vocals and Mike Clancy's jazz background makes for an exciting musical experience.
Their influences range from The Wolfe Tones to John Coltrane. Booth and Clancy's set list includes traditional and modern Celtic music as well as original instrumentals combined with jigs and reels inspired by Brian Finnegan and Michael McGoldrick.
In recent years, Abbots Cross have been featured at The 3 Rivers Arts Festival, The Westmoreland Arts and Heritage Festival, The Pittsburgh Irish Festival, and the Christmas In the Woods Festival in Ohio.
Their influences range from The Wolfe Tones to John Coltrane. Booth and Clancy's set list includes traditional and modern Celtic music as well as original instrumentals combined with jigs and reels inspired by Brian Finnegan and Michael McGoldrick.
In recent years, Abbots Cross have been featured at The 3 Rivers Arts Festival, The Westmoreland Arts and Heritage Festival, The Pittsburgh Irish Festival, and the Christmas In the Woods Festival in Ohio.
WATERHORSE
Sue Tillotson and Jim Cunningham are WaterHorse. Sue and Jim hail from Lakewood in western New York and have played music together for many years bringing a love of Celtic music and exciting instrumentation to their audiences. You will hear Sue on fiddle, whistle and vocals and Jim on guitar, bouzouki, cittern, Celtic harp and vocals. Their repertoire includes Scottish, Irish, Originals, Scandinavian, Breton, Contra Dance, Square Dance, and Celtic Christmas.
Hailed as the "Celtic standard bearers of Chautauqua County" Sue and Jim have had many fun experiences over 10 years which includes Celtic weddings, Breton and Scandinavian music, contra dance, and Celtic Christmas.
Sue and Jim are regular performers at the Jamestown Regional Celtic Festival, The Ligonier Highland games and the Fredonia Free For All. They have played house concerts, wineries, museums, and a Celtic church service. A highlight experience was their performance at the Fredonia Opera House as part of the Folk in Fredonia Music Series. THey also performed at The Reg Lenna Civic Center for the 1st Annual Holiday Family Christmas concert. Sue and Jim have been featured guests at the local WRFA Back Room Radio Hour and a local TV show called Chautauqua Sunrise.
They also perform regularly with Sue's youth fiddle band, the Bonnie Loch Fiddlers.
Hailed as the "Celtic standard bearers of Chautauqua County" Sue and Jim have had many fun experiences over 10 years which includes Celtic weddings, Breton and Scandinavian music, contra dance, and Celtic Christmas.
Sue and Jim are regular performers at the Jamestown Regional Celtic Festival, The Ligonier Highland games and the Fredonia Free For All. They have played house concerts, wineries, museums, and a Celtic church service. A highlight experience was their performance at the Fredonia Opera House as part of the Folk in Fredonia Music Series. THey also performed at The Reg Lenna Civic Center for the 1st Annual Holiday Family Christmas concert. Sue and Jim have been featured guests at the local WRFA Back Room Radio Hour and a local TV show called Chautauqua Sunrise.
They also perform regularly with Sue's youth fiddle band, the Bonnie Loch Fiddlers.
MIKE FLAHERTY
Mike Flaherty is a local Celtic folk singer and balladeer. Mike plays an acoustic guitar and has been performing at venues around Pittsburgh for years! His music is upbeat, heartfelt with a bit of edge and spirit. His balladeer style continues to win the favor of audiences all over
DRUIDSONG
Bruce Golightly is a well-known Celtic artist based in Pittsburgh, PA. Bruce appears as DruidSong performing Celticfolk music. The songs he sings are drawn primarily from the Irish and Scottish traditions and from a variety of sources. He also performs original songs in an acoustic format.
SOUND SYSTEM SUPPORT PROVIDED BY LARCH AUDIO
PERFORMING AT PAVILION E1:
BARRA THE BARD
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Barra the Bard returns for her 30th Year of Scottish Storytelling
Barra has been our seannachie for 30 years! A seannachie is the Scots Gaelic word for “storyteller,” and Barra the Bard has been telling Scottish tales with us for the last quarter-century. She’s only ever repeated one tale one time, and that was a request! Barra learned many Hebridean and Scottish tales from her great-great grandmother, who emigrated from the Isle of Barra (yes, Barra was named for it) in the 1820s with her a small bardic harp that had been handed down for almost 200 years.
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She tells stories in the ancient manner as a traditional teller, not reading a book aloud but working from memory, the heart. A professional storyteller for many years, she’s told in churches, classrooms, private and holiday parties, concerts, fraternal groups, museums and other festivals for almost thirty years.
She’s an active member of StorySwap, Pittsburgh’s Storytelling Guild, which sponsors Tellabration concerts in November and the Three Rivers Storytelling Festival in August; most recently, doing “harptellings,” there in which she’s combined playing her harp, singing and telling. Barra told at the scholarship awards banquet at Pittsburgh’s St. Andrew’s Society and has been a part of Pittsburgh Tartan Day celebrations here since they began twenty years ago.
Barra estimates her repertoire is well over 5,000 folktales, myths and legends from around the world. Besides those genres, she delights in telling folk- and fairytales, ghost stories, historical tales, and a few of her own. Other aspects of her work include research, blogging, writing, and leading workshops on storytelling and public speaking topics and “songtellings,” combining telling and music. In the past she has taught at CMU’s Academy of Life-long Learning (ALL) and was a guest lecturer at Pitt’s School of Library & Information Sciences’ graduate storytelling classes. She’s been the fiction editor and has written a column of Scottish folktales and folklore for the Scottish Harp Society of America’s (SHSA) journal, Kilt & Harp for more than 17 years.
She’s an active member of StorySwap, Pittsburgh’s Storytelling Guild, which sponsors Tellabration concerts in November and the Three Rivers Storytelling Festival in August; most recently, doing “harptellings,” there in which she’s combined playing her harp, singing and telling. Barra told at the scholarship awards banquet at Pittsburgh’s St. Andrew’s Society and has been a part of Pittsburgh Tartan Day celebrations here since they began twenty years ago.
Barra estimates her repertoire is well over 5,000 folktales, myths and legends from around the world. Besides those genres, she delights in telling folk- and fairytales, ghost stories, historical tales, and a few of her own. Other aspects of her work include research, blogging, writing, and leading workshops on storytelling and public speaking topics and “songtellings,” combining telling and music. In the past she has taught at CMU’s Academy of Life-long Learning (ALL) and was a guest lecturer at Pitt’s School of Library & Information Sciences’ graduate storytelling classes. She’s been the fiction editor and has written a column of Scottish folktales and folklore for the Scottish Harp Society of America’s (SHSA) journal, Kilt & Harp for more than 17 years.
Become a sponsor of the Ligonier Highland Games and help us continue the tradition of preserving and promoting Scottish arts and heritage. Your donation will be recognized on our website and in the souvenir program book. Other benefits can include V.I.P. seating, hotel accommodation and becoming an honorary chieftain. Click link above to find out more.
