John Whelan and Friends

Saturday,   February 9^th, 2008,   at 7:30pm.

We are honored to have John Whelan in concert at the IACC in East Haven, CT.  John will be bringing two fabulous musicians that have toured with him, Jim Eagan and Flynn Cohen. They will be accompanied by the outstanding traditional voice of Liz Simmons.  These are all renowned artists, and their biographies appear below.  

John Whelan  A seven-time All-Ireland Champion, this world-renown button accordionist was already a seasoned virtuoso, and had recorded his first album at the age of 14.  He has performed with Riverdance fiddler Eileen Ivers in one of the most celebrated Irish duos of the decade. His solo album From the Heart became a 1991 finalist for the National Association of Independent Record Distributors and Manufacturers (NAIRD) awards.  Named Traditionalist of the Year by Irish Echo magazine in 1998, John won high praise from Celtic music authority Earle Hitchner "as an instrumentalist, composer, producer, and arranger who brings both passion and playfulness to his music while respecting the tradition it's rooted in. 

Jim Eagan  Jim learned to play traditional fiddle from the legendary Brendan Mulvihill.  He has played with Mick Moloney in The Greenfields of America, performed with the Chieftains, and has also toured with The John Whelan Band in Europe.  Jim's roots in Irish tradition truly sprouted from Irish step dancing, which he began studying from that same early age, and in 1991 qualified for the World Championships in Dublin. This exposure to the jigs, reels, and hornpipes while learning his steps was instrumental in developing his desire and ability to play Irish traditional fiddle. Even now, Jim will occasionally get up and perform a step at a concert or session

Flynn Cohen  Flynn is one of the country's premier guitar accompanists. He began playing guitar at the age of eleven, and subsequently studied under such luminaries as John Renbourne (Pentangle), Scott Nygaard and Paul Brinkley (Modern Mandolin Quartet).  Flynn has degrees in music from Dartington College of the Arts in England and Mills College in California. He's worked with great artists such as Cathie Ryan, Aoife Clancy, Skip Healy, Adrienne Young & Little Sadie, John McGann, Joe Derrane & Frank Farrell, Laura Cortese, and Mark Simos to name a few, and has accompanied John Whelan on his highly successful and critically acclaimed European tour.. 

Liz Simmons  Liz has always had a love for traditional ballads and folk songs. She has performed with The John Whelan Band often, as well as North Cregg, The Sevens, Karan Casey, Aoife Clancy, and The Chagrin River Band. She is currently part of the N. Mass./S. New Hampshire based band Annalivia. She released her first solo album in 2006, entitled The Whole World Round, and songs from this album have been played on radio shows such as "Thistle and Shamrock" and "A Celtic Sojourn".  She has performed and has been interviewed live with Annalivia on NPR's "The Folk Show".

For information or to order tickets, call: