Frostburg State University’s Mountain City Traditional Arts will host a new Irish Music Trio with superstar members Cillian Vallely, David Doocey and Alan Murray on Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. at 25 E. Main St. in Frostburg. The live entertainment is open to the public through general admission with a suggested donation of $15.
The trio features a unique collaboration between three of the best- known names in traditional Irish music – Vallely on uilleann pipes, Doocey on fiddle and vocalist Murray on guitar. The trio released their debut album “The Yew and the Orchard” in November 2023 to great critical acclaim, including a four-star review from The Irish Times.
All three musicians have stellar reputations in the traditional Irish music scene. Vallely is a key member of the supergroup Lunasa. Doocey was the 2005 winner of the World Fleadh fiddle championship and has toured all over the world. And Murray is a current member of Irish group Solas.
Armagh native Vallely has played for many years with award-winning, traditional Irish supergroup Lunasa. Influenced by the rhythmic, flowing style of Paddy Keenan and Johnny Doran, Vallely’s mastery of chanter, drones and regulators has earned him a reputation as one of the top players in the tradition. He has performed with acts as diverse as Bruce Springsteen, Riverdance, Natalie Merchant, Mary Chapin-Carpenter and Tim O’Brien and at venues like the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, Paris Bercy and the Royal Albert Hall in London. He has also appeared on more than 70 albums, including seven with Lunasa, his acclaimed solo debut “The Raven’s Rock,” “Callan Bridge” with his brother Niall and “On Common Ground” with Kevin Crawford.
Doocey, from County Mayo, is at the forefront of a younger generation of Irish musicians. He has won several awards for his outstanding fiddle playing, including the All-Ireland Fleadh, the first ever World Fleadh fiddle championship in 2005 and the much-coveted Feile Oriel trophy. He has toured throughout Asia, Europe, America, Australia and New Zealand, performing on stage with Grada, Michael McGoldrick, Tim O’Brien, Martin Hayes, Dougie MacLean, Dermot Byrne and Sharon Shannon, as well as a regular guest with the Dave Munnelly Band and Sean and Dolores Keane. Late 2013 saw the release of Doocey’s critically acclaimed first solo album, “Changing Time.”
Guitarist, bouzouki player and singer Murray hails from Glasgow, Scotland, where he grew up playing the whistle and later guitar. Eventually moving to the United States, he has established himself as an in-demand performer and teacher on the Irish music scene. He has recorded and performed around the world with many of the finest traditional musicians and acts today, including Lunasa, Eileen Ivers, Scotland’s Battlefield Band and Four Winds.
MCTA is a program of FSU and a founding member of Maryland’s Folklife Network. It receives support from the Maryland Traditions Program of the State Arts Council.