BROOKEBOROUGH-born musician Brian McGrath returns to the Ardhowen Theatre this month with De Dannan on tour to mark the band’s 40th anniversary.

A piano bought from Ivan Kee’s furniture shop in Enniskillen decades ago helped set Brian on track for a life long traditional Irish music career.

He has played with De Dannan since the mid 1990’s.

He has also toured with the likes of Dervish, Sean Keane, and Four Men and a Dog.

In Brookeborough Brian’s parents Attracta and the late Bernard McGrath ran Healy’s pub where visiting musicians became an inspiration.

“I started playing piano, accordion, and progressed to the banjo in my early teens.These days it’s mostly recording work with piano and the live work is with the banjo.” Brian was also inspired by traditional musical trailblazers such as Sligo fiddlers Michael Coleman, James Morrison, Paddy Killoran, flautists John McKenna from Leitrim, John-Joe Maguire from Swanlinbar-Kinawley and locally Jim McGrath from Monea and many other talented musicians.

East Belfast Presbyterian Rector Rev Gary Hastings who plays flute and has recorded traditional music with Fermanagh fiddle player Rev Fr. Seamus Quinn have also inspired Brian.

“There is a huge appreciation in a very small world and not everyone listens to traditional music, but you always see those people who appreciate it, at our concerts.” Speaking about the diversity of traditional music he explained that a wealth of tunes abound in our culture with blends of inspiration from all over Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Canada and from the Ulster Scots traditions snd regions like Cape Breton populated by Scots following the Highland clearances.

“There is a huge number of influences. I used to listen to music and learn the tunes and then I found out they were Scottish and we are still playing these tunes today. “There were influences from Scottish Shetland born fiddle player Aly Bain who performed with The Boys Of The Lough and and the late Sir Jimmy Shand MBE accordion player who gave us Scottish ceilidh dance music, and all those BBC Hogmanay programmes we listened to and there are many pipes and fiddle players still influencing us today.” “My first lesson was with my mother who used to hum and sing the song Lovely Leitrim by Larry Cunningham and I would try to figure out the notes. I was aged only five or six years at the time,” he said.

Brian later had music lessons from John James McDermott from Garrison. Growing up he played Irish music alongside his sister, the late Collette McGovern (nee McGrath). As a St Michael’s College pupil he was taught music by Rev Fr Connolly and had lessons with musician Pat McCabe.

Back in those days if you heard a good tune, you had to remember it, there was no way to record it, no mobile phones and no Internet, he said.

“A good musician has to know the history and background of the music and listen to different styles of playing and listen to different musical Instruments. It is a tradition and you have to hand down that tradition and keep passing the music on, otherwise it dies out,” he said.

Today, on world tour with the legendary De Dannan, Brian thoroughly enjoys that creative chemistry and mix of harmonies which evolves between musicians who know and appreciate each other’s skill and contribution.

The line up for the gig includes Alec Finn founding member (bouzouki), Eleanor Shanley (vocals), Derek Hickey (accordion), Ronan O’Flaherty (fiddle), Neil Lyons (bodhran) and Brian McGrath (banjo and piano).

BROOKEBOROUGH-born musician Brian McGrath returns to the Ardhowen Theatre this month with De Dannan on tour to mark the band’s 40th anniversary.

A piano bought from Ivan Kee’s furniture shop in Enniskillen decades ago helped set Brian on track for a life long traditional Irish music career.

He has played with De Dannan since the mid 1990’s.

He has also toured with the likes of Dervish, Sean Keane, and Four Men and a Dog.

In Brookeborough Brian’s parents Attracta and the late Bernard McGrath ran Healy’s pub where visiting musicians became an inspiration.

“I started playing piano, accordion, and progressed to the banjo in my early teens.These days it’s mostly recording work with piano and the live work is with the banjo.” Brian was also inspired by traditional musical trailblazers such as Sligo fiddlers Michael Coleman, James Morrison, Paddy Killoran, flautists John McKenna from Leitrim, John-Joe Maguire from Swanlinbar-Kinawley and locally Jim McGrath from Monea and many other talented musicians.

East Belfast Presbyterian Rector Rev Gary Hastings who plays flute and has recorded traditional music with Fermanagh fiddle player Rev Fr. Seamus Quinn have also inspired Brian.

“There is a huge appreciation in a very small world and not everyone listens to traditional music, but you always see those people who appreciate it, at our concerts.” Speaking about the diversity of traditional music he explained that a wealth of tunes abound in our culture with blends of inspiration from all over Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Canada and from the Ulster Scots traditions snd regions like Cape Breton populated by Scots following the Highland clearances.

“There is a huge number of influences. I used to listen to music and learn the tunes and then I found out they were Scottish and we are still playing these tunes today. “There were influences from Scottish Shetland born fiddle player Aly Bain who performed with The Boys Of The Lough and and the late Sir Jimmy Shand MBE accordion player who gave us Scottish ceilidh dance music, and all those BBC Hogmanay programmes we listened to and there are many pipes and fiddle players still influencing us today.” “My first lesson was with my mother who used to hum and sing the song Lovely Leitrim by Larry Cunningham and I would try to figure out the notes. I was aged only five or six years at the time,” he said.

Brian later had music lessons from John James McDermott from Garrison. Growing up he played Irish music alongside his sister, the late Collette McGovern (nee McGrath). As a St Michael’s College pupil he was taught music by Rev Fr Connolly and had lessons with musician Pat McCabe.

Back in those days if you heard a good tune, you had to remember it, there was no way to record it, no mobile phones and no Internet, he said.

“A good musician has to know the history and background of the music and listen to different styles of playing and listen to different musical Instruments. It is a tradition and you have to hand down that tradition and keep passing the music on, otherwise it dies out,” he said.

Today, on world tour with the legendary De Dannan, Brian thoroughly enjoys that creative chemistry and mix of harmonies which evolves between musicians who know and appreciate each other’s skill and contribution.

The line up for the gig includes Alec Finn founding member (bouzouki), Eleanor Shanley (vocals), Derek Hickey (accordion), Ronan O’Flaherty (fiddle), Neil Lyons (bodhran) and Brian McGrath (banjo and piano).