Brendan Begley

The younger brother of influential accordion player Seamus Begley, Brendan Begley is as much a master of traditional Irish accordion playing. Begley showcased his talents on the albums Seana Choirce, released in 1987, and We Won't Go Home 'Til Morning, released in 1997, performing traditional Irish dance tunes solo and with accompaniment by piper Liam O'Flynn, pianist Brid Cranitch, or guitarists Stephen Cooney and Frankie Lane. Begley, who has guested on albums by the Chieftains and the Boys of the Lough, hosts a traditional music program on Irish-language television. Together with flute player Paul McGrattan, fiddler Paul O'Shaughnessy, and bouzouki player Noel O'Grady, Begley is a member of Beginish, an Irish superband formed in 1996. In a review of a performance by Beginish, the Belfast Telegram wrote, "The peerless singing of Brendan Begley literally breathed new life into that well-worn Donegal standard, "The Rose of Arranmore." Irish music doesn't get much better than this."