John Doyle, Cathie Ryan and Mick McAuley: An Irish Christmas at the Historic Lyceum

John Doyle and Cathie Ryan return to the Lyceum with Mick McAuley in: 

 An Irish Christmas. 

Name many of the most notable recordings and/or performers in Irish music and it's a fair bet that John Doyle had something to do with them.  Liz Carroll; Eileen Ivers; Karan Casey; Solas; Michael Black; Mary Black; the trio of McCusker, McGoldrick and Doyle; The Teetotalers (Martin Hayes, Kevin Crawford, John Doyle); and now Usher's Island (Andy Irvine, Donal Lunny, Mike McGoldrick, Paddy Glackin and John Doyle) - a vertible who's who of the greatest names in Irish music. These are just a very few of the stellar artists for whom John Doyle's signature guitar sound, singing or songwriting is essential.   

From a musical family in Dublin, John’s influences include well known English folk singers Nic Jones, Martin Carthy, Richard Thompson, and The Watersons; Scottish singers Dick Gaughan and John Martin; and fellow Irishmen Paul Brady and Al O’Donnell as well as his father, Sean Doyle - probably the biggest influence of all. John went on the road as a pro at 16 with the group Chanting House which he formed with Susan McKeown and which eventually included such great players as Seamus Egan, Eileen Ivers, & Donogh Hennessy.  John went on to form the highly acclaimed super group, Solas, with Seamus Egan, John Williams, Karan Casey and Winifred Horan which took the folk and Celtic music worlds by storm, in no small part due to John’s powerhouse rhythmic guitar style and innovative arrangements. As a member of Solas, John performed to sold out audiences nationally and internationally as well as appearing on many national TV and radio programs: NBC’s The Today Show, various programs for National Public Radio and Public Radio International, A Prairie Home Companion, Mountain Stage, E-Town and World Cafe as part of that critically acclaimed group, he also received three NAIRD awards and a Grammy nomination for the band’s self-titled first recording.

After leaving Solas, John has gone on to perform and tour with other greats in the Folk, Celtic and Bluegrass worlds - as music director for folk icon Joan Baez, guitarist for Mary Chapin Carpenter, Eileen Ivers, Tim O’Brien (John was included on Tim’s 2006 Grammy-award winning CD, Fiddler’s Green), Linda Thompson, Kate Rusby, Cathie Ryan, Cherish the Ladies, and many others. He has appeared on soundtracks for the feature film, The Brothers McMullan, Soldier, PBS’s Out of Ireland and also composed the music for the film Uncle Robert’s Footsteps and the play Down the Flats as well as performing on countless recordings as guitarist and/or singer for other notable artists such as Kate Rusby, Linda Thompson, Tim O’Brien, Alison Brown, Seamus Egan, Eileen Ivers, Mick Moloney, Cathal McConnell, Karan Casey and so many others (check out the discography page for a full list). John is a featured regular for many years in the hugely popular BBC Scotland "Transatlantic Sessions" regularly broadcast in Ireland and at the Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow having performed there with Americana greats Jerry Douglas, Tim O'Brien, Rodney Crowell, Sara Watkins, Kathy Mattea, and many others.  

Renowned singer songwriter Cathie Ryan is an Irish American singer-songwriter celebrated for her crystalline vocals, insightful songwriting, and blending of traditional Irish and American folk music. Rising to prominence in 1987 as lead singer of Cherish the Ladies, she launched a solo career in 1995, releasing acclaimed albums including The Music of What Happens, Somewhere Along the Road, and Through Wind and Rain. Ryan has toured internationally, performed with symphonies, appeared on PBS, RTÉ, and BBC, and twice been named one of Irish America Magazine’s Top 100 Irish Americans. A passionate educator, she leads workshops on Irish myth, folklore, and traditional singing, and runs cultural tours through her company Mythic Journeys.

Mick McAuley is an Irish musician, composer and songwriter who has recorded and toured internationally for many years. While his music is rooted firmly in the Irish tradition, he has been part of a movement which continues to push the musical boundaries of that tradition to bring Irish music to a wider and more diverse audience around the world. As a long-time member of the Irish-American ensemble SOLAS, he has recorded and toured nine albums with them and received widespread international acclaim. The Boston Herald hailed SOLAS as "the best Irish traditional band in the world".

Mick grew up in Ireland in the embrace of a large musical family supported and nurtured by a community of older musicians who gave freely of their time, talent and music to ensure the passing down of that centuries-old cultural tradition. By his teens, he was also seeking out more contemporary singers and musicians. He played with Ron Kavana (Alias Band), Terry Woods (Sweeneys Men, The Pogues) and Paddy Keenan (The Bothy Band) while in London in the early '90's and began to tour at that time with the acclaimed Irish folk singer Niamh Parsons. Mick found the ideal balance of traditional and contemporary in the instrumentals and songs of the newly-formed Solas while in the bustling Irish music scene of New York in the mid-nineties. Having guested on Karan Casey's debut album Songlines in 1997, he soon found himself in the famous SIGMA studios in Philadelphia recording Solas' album The Words That Remain with Bela Fleck and Iris Dement as guests.

A multi-instrumentalist, Mick plays accordion, melodeon, concertina, whistles and guitar and has been a guest on many recordings and performances including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Patti Larkin, Paul Brennan (Clannad), Susan McKeown and Mick Hanly among many others. Since 2015, Mick plays melodeons for 17-time Grammy winner STING in his autobiographical theatre production "The Last Ship".

His debut solo album An Ocean's Breadth (Shanachie Records) was awarded Best Celtic Album of the year by Washington Post, and Spring 2016 saw the long-awaited release of his solo album HIGHS AND BELLOWS. It is an acoustic selection of traditional and original instrumentals and songs recorded in Ireland at the turn of that year.

His most recent release is a duet album with Celtic guitar wizard, John Doyle. The Irish Echo says: “There’s a ton of vibe to absorb on this album, and it’s worth every minute!!!”

"An Irish Christmas" promises to be a magical evening with three of Irish music’s most highly regarded artists sharing their memories of festive Christmas traditions of Ireland in song, story, and in the pure Joy of the Season!

Links:  

• John Doyle Music

• Cathie Ryan About

• Mick McAuley About

Video:

• John Doyle, Cathie Ryan and Seamus Egan

• John Doyle and Mick McAuley Live at Whelan's August 13th 2024 - Pt 2

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Tradtional Music Series at the Historic Lyceum in Alexandria is made possible by support from:

• The City of Alexandria

• The Folklore Society of Greater Washington (FSGW)

  • FSGW - Home

• Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann O’Neill Malcom Branch, Washington, DC

  • CCÉ O'Neill Malcom Branch

• The series is coindcuted under the auspices of the North American Morris Dance Organization a 501 (c) 3 Organization.