Live Concerts

Traditional music icons Jim Payne and Fergus O’Byrne have worked together for the past 30 years promoting Newfoundland and Labrador musical culture. As dynamic performers whose traditional and original songs reflect our collective experience, they’ve toured every inch of the province; as educators, put thousands of students in touch with their cultural heritage; and as world-class touring artists, travelled hundreds of thousands of miles to bring our story to the globe. Multi-award winners with over a century of experience in the business between them, their latest CD, Wooden Boats, is an homage to our seafaring history.

The Groves of Gneeveguilla is a duet project by fiddle player Aidan Connolly and accordionist Bryan O’Leary centred on the traditional music of the Sliabh Luachra region in southwest Ireland. Their repertoire features polkas, slides, reels and jigs from musicians such as Denis Murphy, Julia Cli􏰀ord and Johnny O’Leary, alongside rare tunes drawn from archival sources including the manuscripts of Pádraig O’Kee􏰀e.

The duo perform regularly at concerts and festivals in Ireland and internationally, and are also active as teachers of traditional music through workshops, masterclasses and educational programmes. Their performances present the distinctive fiddle and accordion tradition of Sliabh Luachra, alongside stories and insights into the musicians who shaped the style.

Fiddle player Aidan Connolly and accordionist Bryan O’Leary are two leading performers of traditional Irish music.

Bryan O’Leary, a native of Tureencahill in County Kerry, is widely regarded as one of the leading accordion players of his generation and was named TG4 Young Musician of the

Year in 2015. He is the grandson of the legendary Sliabh Luachra accordion player Johnny O’Leary, and his playing continues a rich family tradition rooted in the distinctive repertoire of polkas and slides associated with the region.

Aidan Connolly, from Dublin, has received widespread acclaim for his distinctive fiddle playing and was nominated for Best Folk Instrumentalist at the RTÉ Folk Awards in 2022. He also performs the role of John Sheahan in the internationally touring stage showDubliners Encore. His recordings have received critical praise in publications such as The Irish Times and The Irish Echo.

Their album The Groves of Gneeveguilla, released on the Raelach Records label in late 2025, celebrates the music and musicians of Sliabh Luachra.

Both musicians are experienced educators and have been invited as guest teachers at institutions including the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance (University of Limerick) and University College Cork, and regularly teach at music festivals and workshops in Ireland and abroad.

Partners in life and song, Ted and Maureen have a long history of music behind them, going back to the folk and pop songs of the ‘60’s and ‘70’s.  They have performed in small venues all over Newfoundland & Labrador and in Western Canada. Join them for a lively show of memory music and the stories behind it, along with their take on some Newfoundland songs.