The Musicians

Fay Baird,  Lee Staley,  Tom Staley 

Lee Staley (fiddle) has accompanied Inisheer's dancers since 2003 along with his parents Fay Baird (banjo) and Tom Staley (guitar). He began playing American and British Isles dance music at the age of seven and started to focus on Irish music at the age of eleven. Lee has placed first in the junior and youth divisions of the Florida State Fiddle Contest for the last several years and was a judge in 2006. His teachers have included his father and other Florida fiddle players, as well as nationally known Irish fiddlers at traditional music camps and workshops. In 2006 he completed an apprenticeship with master Irish fiddler James Kelly of Miami, sponsored by the State of Florida's Folklife Program.

Vic Call

Penny whistle

Vic Call is a multi-talented musician who plays Irish penny whistle, guitar and piano. Vic plays in two bands – Irrational Exuberance (Appalachian, New England, French Canadian, Galician, etc!) and Fear No Weevil (Southern Appalachian). In addition to being an accomplished musician, Vic is also a traditional Appalachian clogger, as well as dancing some Sean nos Irish step dance, English Country Dance, Morris Dance and Contra Dance. Vic believes that “making music and dancing are among the very few things that make us truly human, and that communal participation in music and dance is a vibrant way to bring happiness and connectedness back into our lives. I make music and shuffle out a few dance steps every day.”

Robin Hendrickson

Highland pipes

Virginia Boone

Flute / Bodhran

In addition to being an exceptionally talented dancer and singer, Virginia Boone is also well-respected for her beautiful and lively renditions of traditional Irish music on flute and bodhran.

John Maze

Uilleann pipes
© 2006 Inisheer Irish Dance Company

Inisheer Irish Dance Company

Robin grew up in NYC listening to the skirl of the pipes in parades on 5th Avenue. As a boy, he unsuccessfully tried guitar, clarinet, and harmonica. Once he grew up, he had the time, money, opportunity, inclination and attitude to take years of private instruction and learn pipes. While Robin plays a large repertoire of standard pipe tunes, his first love is playing folk music on small pipes along with other musicians. Robin pipes the opening salute at the Florida Folk Festival every year, he has played and marched down Broadway in NYC, he is the Florida Fire Chiefs’ “Pipeline” coordinator and was asked to introduce the famous “Black Watch Pipe & Drums” when they performed in Gainesville.

Robin also plays "Father Mulligan" - who admonishes us that "dancin' is the devil's design . . . ."

Mack Barham photo

  

  

John Maze is one of the leading American proponents of the uilleann pipes. He has studied, performed, and taught the instrument across the US. He founded and directed the Florida Tionól, one of the largest sets of workshops and concerts focusing on Irish Traditional Music in the country. John has performed solo and with ensembles on piano, guitar, flute, great highland bagpipes, small pipes, uilleann pipes, and bodhrán.