29th Guinness Irish Christmas

LAOISE KELLY (IE)

THE McGOLDRICK FAMILY (IE/GB)

CASSIE & MAGGIE MacDONALD (CAN)
This year's highly varied program is titled "Diaspora" and is dominated by female power.

One of the very first artists to tour with me in this format with her then-band "The Bumblebees" was the wonderful harpist LAOISE KELLY.

It was Laoise who revolutionized the Irish harp as a solo instrument!

She worked closely with Kate Bush, the Chieftains, and others, and was honored as TG4 Musician Of The Year in 2020!

“She fires out tunes with a fluidity, creativity and clarity that has revolutionised the harp as a solo instrument.”

Niall Keegan, Irish World Academy

Flute superstar MIKE McGOLDRICK, one of the absolute cult figures of contemporary traditional Irish folk, who grew up in the Irish diaspora of Manchester, will be traveling with his nieces and will bring a very traditional accent with THE McGOLDRICK FAMILY, introducing us to the backbone of Irish music, namely the music within families.

Mike founded bands like Lunasa and Flook and played for 14 years in Mark Knopfler's band. In 2006, he was awarded Musician Of The Year at the BBC Folk Awards!

There is hardly a more powerful, spectacular duo than the sensational sisters CASSIE & MAGGIE MacDONALD from Canada.

Deeply rooted in the fiddle-dominated folk tradition of Nova Scotia, they draw from the rich heritage of their Scottish ancestors and combine fiddle sounds with guitar/piano, two-part harmonies, and step dancing.

So far, the two have achieved 17 awards and nominations in various Canadian competitions such as JUNO, East Coast Music Award, or Canadian Folk Music Awards, along with Female Singers of the Year (Live Ireland Radio), Female Vocal Album of the Year (Chicago Irish American News), and Album of the Year (NPR Celtic Connection).