Máirtín O’Connor has been synonymous with the accordion for decades as a performer, composer and arranger. In 1976, he joined Thom Moore’s band Midnight Well, launching a professional career that has seen him tour and record with leading groups such as De Danann, Reel Union and Skylark, as well as performing as a soloist in the original Riverdance orchestra.

His debut solo album The Connachtman’s Rambles
received critical acclaim and enjoyed a lengthy run in the British folk charts. His second release Perpetual Motion was nominated for a Bank of Ireland Arts Award and his following three albums of original compositions - Chatterbox, The Road West and Rain of Light are widely regarded as innovative and groundbreaking.

Máirtín has also composed for television and theatre. His 2013 commission, The Mighty Ocean, with string arrangements added by Garry O’Briain for a special performance during Galway’s 2020 European City of Culture celebrations, was presented at Celtic Connections in January 2026.

He has contributed to recordings by renowned artists including The Chieftains, Christy Moore, Mark Knopfler, Elvis Costello and Rod Stewart.

Cathal Hayden is widely recognised for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, playing a pivotal role in the evolution of traditional Irish music.

He recorded his first solo album, Handed Down (1980) with close friend and mentor Arty Mc Glynn and has released a further three highly acclaimed solo recordings, Cathal Hayden (1999), Live in Belfast (2006) and Hooked on Banjo (2016). Cathal joined the renowned band Arcady in 1988, and after leaving them in 1991 he formed the group Four Men and a Dog, one of the most successful Irish traditional groups of the decade.

He has collaborated with many exceptional musicians, including the renowned Irish singer and songwriter Christy Moore and Bothy band piper Paddy Keenan. His career to date has seen him perform internationally with artists including the O’Domhnaill family, the Donal Lunny band and for former President of Ireland, Mary McAleese.

He performs extensively at home and aboard with his brother Stephen Hayden and Niall Murphy as Bow Brothers.

All-Ireland winning multi-instrumentalist Patrick Doocey has become one of the most in demand accompanists on the Irish music scene. Predominately self-taught on guitar, Patrick’s exciting style on both nylon and steel string guitar blends influences from a wide range of genres.

Born in Worcester, Massachusetts and raised in Foxford, county Mayo, he grew up immersed in Irish music and culture. His talents have brought him all over Europe, Asia, Australia, America and Africa. Patrick has shared the stage with some of the most respected names in Irish and international music, including Sharon Shannon, Lúnasa, TéadaSeán Keane, The Chieftians and Mary Chapin Carpenter.

He has featured on several recordings including Changing Time recorded with his brother David Doocey, and The Drunken Gaugers
in collaboration with Kevin Crawford and Dylan Foley. For Music and Mischief he reunited with Kevin Crawford alongside fiddle player Colin Farrell, and recently The Yew and The Orchard with uilleann piper Cillian Vallely and David Doocey.

Kathleen MacInnes has an arresting voice that stays with the listener long after the last note has been sung. The Guardian described her as “a brilliantly unfussy singer” with an “earthy charm that makes her such a stage natural”. Brought up on South Uist, Western Isles, in a Gaelic speaking home, she has enjoyed an impressive career primarily performing songs in her native language.

Kathleen’s album Cille Bhrìde was released to widespread critical acclaim and received a Best Album award at the Scots Trad Music Awards. She is a regular performer at the prestigious Celtic Connections festival and featured in series five of the excellent Transatlantic Sessions, where she was accompanied by a stellar line-up of musicians including contemporary bluegrass singer Sarah Jarosz on guitar, Michael McGoldrick on flute, Donald Shaw on accordion and Nollaig Casey on fiddle. She also featured on the soundtrack of Ridley Scott’s incredibly successful film Robin Hood which brought her singing to the attention of a worldwide audience and won her an additional legion of fans. More recently, Kathleen was featured as a vocalist in Max Webster's Macbeth on London's West End, starring David Tennant and Cush Jumbo.