Thursday's show with Annbjørg Lien with Bjørn Ole Rasch and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh with Manus Lunny was more than amazing. Mairéad and Manus rocked the house with tunes from a new album on which they are still collaborating and about which Mairéad said nervously, "We've been working on it a year already and we might never finish it!" which makes our hearing it live that much more special.

Annbjørg and Bjørn Ole swept us away with the haunting hardanger tunes from their native Norway. Their magical music captured every soul in the room.

On Friday the amazement continued with Bríd Harper, Marty Meehan, and PJ McDonald spinning the trad tunes like gold in the West Cork Hotel.

One measurement of how good every night has been so far have been the number of world class musicians in the auidence!

The engaging, masterful, and quirky set by Darol Anger's Republic of Strings was attended by nearly every performer of this year's Fiddle Fair including Cathal Hayden and fiddle newcomer Jeremy Irons.

There are still two days left with gorgeous music and weather for you to enjoy so make sure and book soon.

The Baltimore Fiddle Fair bringing world-class music to West Cork since 1992 By Niall O' Driscoll Saturday May 3rd, 2008

I'm still finding it hard to believe. Sixteen years ago. The very same year that I did my Leaving Cert. According to the official website, the first Baltimore Fiddle Fair was held in 1992 - sixteen years ago. I must be getting old.

While you could hardly say that the Fiddle Fair came about by accident, it is indeed true to say that all those years ago, no one, and probably least of all Declan McCarthy, the founder and face of the Fair, could have predicted what he was giving life to. You see, having heard that one Nigel Kennedy was in the locality, Declan figured that an intimate classical recital would be quite the coup for his family's pub in Baltimore. Kennedy was then, and most likely still is, one of the most famous and certainly one of the most controversial 'fiddlers' in the world, having brought classical music kicking and screaming into the realm of popular 20th Century culture with amongst other things, his interpretation of Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

Now, it was Declan's modus operandi in trying to secure this ambitious booking that's the important bit in all of this. Not content to just try charming Kennedy or his management, and bearing in mind a lack of any major funding, Declan knew he'd need bait - superstar fiddler bait. So, a series of intimate gigs with a common theme - the fiddle, obviously enough, was organised for the pub. Posters went up, acts were booked. A festival no less. Now he had a carrot with which to entice the famous musician. The Baltimore Fiddle Fair was born.

Twelve years down the line in 2004, the by-now well-established Fiddle Fair was heading for a period of change. Not so surprising I suppose - after all it would soon be a teenager. The recent sale of the pub was forcing Declan to make some decisions about what had become a favourite fixture on the local, national and international music calendar. Without a 'home', the Fair would have to risk relocation or die. Never one to give up easily, Declan soon overcame this problem by recruiting the local hostelries, a medieval castle, an open-air amphitheatre, and a country manor as replacement venues. Overkill you might say, but no. Following the sale of the pub, which had been the sole venue all along, many others would have succumbed to adversity. However, Declan only saw opportunity, and the Fiddle Fair thrived on the change. The whole village had now become 'home' to the Fair. In fact it's probably reasonable to say that given the burgeoning popularity of the event, this expansion was long overdue.

2008 now sees further change. Due to uncertainty about the future of one of this number of venues, a short trip up the road to the recently refurbished West Cork Hotel in Skibbereen will be on the cards for those wishing to attend the larger night-time concerts. Realising that the village of Baltimore is vital to the success of the festival - it is the Baltimore Fiddle Fair after all, Declan is quick to point out that this partial move to Skibbereen, while an exciting prospect, is borne purely out of necessity. To maintain cohesion in the four day event, specially-organised transport between the two locations will ensure that fans of the music, or even those who are just fans of the 'craic' are well catered for.

While trying to avoid references to small seeds and mighty trees, it's difficult to ignore the remarkable growth of this festival over the years. Back in '92, despite the fact that the Kennedy campaign had ultimately failed, Declan still found himself with a fledgling Fiddle Fair to run. After all, the posters were up. In hindsight, it's probably a good thing that the big name didn't turn up that first year - might well have been too much too soon. No, rather than flaring up and burning out as quickly, the Fiddle Fair took a little time to evolve - adopting self-perpetuating, almost organic characteristics that were evident not only by the annual increase in its popularity with punters, but also by the way that its reputation spread on the musical grapevine. Musicians were telling other musicians that this was a great gig. And this chatter was nothing to do with big exposure or big money either. No, the musos were talking about the same stuff as the punters - the quality of the music, the relaxed atmosphere, the hospitality of the hosts, and oh yeah...those sunsets over the harbour. The Baltimore Fiddle Fair was quickly becoming a sort of musical retreat for players and fans alike.

OK, now that you've read this far, you've probably noticed that I've dodged discussing what kind of music we're talking about here. Good reason too - I'd most likely need to write a small book to get it all in. Is it trad? Well, yes, and no. Is it folk?...er, yes and no. I mentioned classical music - or maybe jazz? Could be. Is it all played on fiddles? Well, to be honest, no, not necessarily. There might even be a bit of rock 'n' roll chucked in. Having started out as an attempt to capture the attention of a celebrity classical maverick using what was essentially traditional music - a factor probably governed by the availability of musicians more than anything else, today's Fiddle Fair has become such a diverse offering of sounds and styles that it can be described as nothing other than eclectic.

Artistes from Africa, Scandinavia, U.S.A., U.K. and Europe, not to mention acts such as Altan, Steve Wickham and even non-fiddlers such as Mairtin O'Connor, Liam O'Maonlai and Paul Brady have graced the various stages of the Baltimore Fiddle Fair over the years. Dirk Powell and Grammy-winner Tim O'Brien are both long-time familiar faces at the Fair. Christy Moore arrived as a punter once, and a day later he was on the phone to ask if he could come by and sing a few songs himself later in the week. Not too often that Christy goes looking for gigs I reckon. He just wanted to be there. Having opened the Fair ten years ago, Martin Hayes and Denis Cahill make a welcome return this year to round off proceedings on the closing night. Declan is particularly excited to have Darol Anger's Republic of Strings as another of the large number of acts making up this year's bill. A veteran session musician and described by the Los Angeles Times as being "a pioneer of a continually diversifying string-band movement", not only is this year's performance by Anger a first for the Fair, it's also a first for Ireland. Berroguetto, offering a blend of traditional Galician music and contemporary experimentation will be the first Spanish group to appear at the festival. Donegal's Brid Harper - rated as one of the most outstanding fiddle players of her generation, will also give a rare but much-anticipated performance in The West Cork Hotel on the Friday night.

As a rule, Declan McCarthy doesn't allow himself the privilege of choosing the line-up for the Fiddle Fair based on his own personal preferences. Obviously availability of the acts has to be a consideration, but after that it's the 'insider' information that he gets from artistes that often informs his choices. It's a pretty safe bet that if one musician recommends another, then they're worth checking out. On the other hand, such is the buzz amongst players on the circuit regarding the virtues of the Fair, Declan has occasionally been in the rather odd position of having to turn down acts who've offered to make the trip, quite simply due to lack of space on the bill.

Having toured nationally and internationally with Altan as a merchandising manager, Declan continues to work extensively as an artiste liaison at other festivals throughout Ireland and the UK. Hardly surprising then that he's got a great sense of the 'hots' and the 'nots' when it comes to bringing fresh new music to the ears of West Cork. A combination of this experience and the long-standing success of the Fiddle Fair has seen Declan take the whole concept one step further in recent years - developing Baltimore Fiddle Fair as a brand in its own right for the purposes of promoting acts and events nationwide. One such act is the group Moonlighting. Comprising of firm Fiddle Fair favourites Ciaran Tourish, Dermot Byrne, Michael McGoldrick, John Doyle, and John Joe Kelly, Moonlighting is, to all intents and purposes a traditional supergroup, having come together following last year's Fair and in conjunction with an Arts Council initiative.

Workshops are a big feature of the Fiddle Fair timetable, and judging by some of the local talent that's shown up at these over the years, Declan is just waiting for the day when he can add a Baltimore prodigy to the list of headliners. Also run in conjunction with the Fair is a special concert for local primary schools. Always a big hit, this concert is a great introduction to the possibilities of the music and the thrill of live performance. This year will also present an interesting twist in one man's quest to master the instrument when as part of the making of an upcoming series for TG4, West Cork based movie actor and Oscar winner Jeremy Irons will give his first public performance on the fiddle. His debut will be captured on film when he features as a guest of Brendan Begley and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh. A man who's no stranger to patrons of the Fiddle Fair, Ó Raghallaigh is working as Irons' mentor for the making of this programme.

Given that Declan McCarthy's name is synonomous with fiddle music in 2008, it might seem surprising that he admits to not always having been a fan. As a teenager, and into his early twenties, Declan says he listened to all the 'usual stuff' - having little exposure to this whole other world. However, the relationship between the man and the music flourished with each instalment of the Baltimore Fiddle Fair, and just about five years ago, the inevitable happened when Declan took this relationship to the next level. He became a fiddler himself.

Featured artists include Ireland's own Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill and Altan's fantastic and lovely Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh; the richness of world music with Annbjørg Lien, Berroguetto, and Tim Kliphuis Trio; the world debut of Academy Award winning actor turned fiddle player Jeremy Irons with Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh and Breanndán Begley; an American Maestro in Darol Anger; John Doyle, Jerry Holland, Michelle O'Brien .. the list goes on and on!

Please check out our schedule and book today!

Tickets for all Fiddle Fair concerts are now on sale.

After the tremendous success of last year our biggest worry was "how on earth are we going to match that for 2008?" But we're absolutely delighted to have secured an amazing line-up for this year and we have no doubts that Fiddle Fair 2008 will be better than ever.

Some old favourites return and some new acts who haven't been here before and a few who are making their first ever visit to Ireland

We will present a dozen top class acts from Ireland and around the world in a series of concerts at our beautiful intimate venues, The West Cork Hotel in Skibbereen, the Glebe Gardens Amphitheatre, and the ancient Dún na Séad Castle in Baltimore

We will also be hosting workshops and sessions all weekend at the many picturesque settings in and around our beautiful village.

Concert Series:

Thursday 8th West Cork Hotel 9pm:
Annbjørg Lien with Bjørn Ole Rasch & Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh with Manus Lunny

We've never had a Norwegian musician at the Fiddle Fair before and Annbjørg Lien is considered to be their finest exponent of the Hardanger fiddle so we are delighted that she's going to open this year's festival, she will be accompanied by Bjørn Ole Rasch for what promises to be a truly magical concert

The beautiful Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh from Donegal has been down to the Fiddle Fair many times with her legendary band Altan. She's currently working on a solo album with Manus Lunny of Capercaille fame and we're thrilled that they'll be performing some of this new material for us on the opening night

Friday 9th West Cork Hotel 9pm:
Bríd Harper with Marty Meehan & PJ McDonald & Darol Anger's Republic of Strings

Bríd Harper is a mythical figure in the traditional world and is regarded by many musicians as being Ireland's finest fiddler. She will be making a rare live appearance on the Friday night and will be joined by flautist Marty Meehan and guitarist PJ McDonald

Darol Anger has long been recognised as one of America's most influential fiddlers and one of his many current projects is the wonderful Republic of Strings - an amazing quintet featuring Darol, and Brittany Hass on fiddle, Scott Nygard on guitar, Tristan Claridge on Cello, and Crooked Still's Aoife O' Donavon on vocals. Unbelievably this will be Darol's first ever show in Ireland

Saturday 10th Dún na Séad Castle 12.30pm:
Aoife and Deirdre Granville

Aoife Granville is a multi instrumentalist from Dingle in Co. Kerry. She's been down at the fiddle fair many times but this is her first concert. She plays fiddle and flute and will be accompanied by her sister Deirdre on the harp

Saturday 10th Glebe Gardens Amphitheatre 3pm:
The Polskadots

The Polskadots are a 5-piece Cork based band led by the amazing Finnish fiddler Marja Tuhkannen. When they appeared at Fiddle Fair 06 they charmed everybody with their magical mix of tunes from Finland to Argentina and beyond. We're delighted to have them back again

* Please note that the Amphitheatre concerts are weather dependant and will be relocated if necessary but the sun always shines at the Fiddle Fair

Saturday 10th West Cork Hotel 9pm:
Jerry Holland with John Doyle & Berroguetto

Two amazing acts for the Saturday night concert this year

The legendary Jerry Holland is widely recognised as being Cape Breton's greatest fiddler and is famous amongst fiddlers everywhere for his wonderful compositions and electrifying playing.

He'll be joined by guitar genius John Doyle who is making a concerted effort to beat the Fiddle Fair record for most successive appearances at the festival

We've always wanted to have a Galician band at the Fiddle Fair and as usual we went after the very best.

Berroguetto have been playing to rave reviews around the world for the past 10 years yet have never been to Ireland. This 7-piece band will rock the house with their heady mix of beautiful tunes and breathtaking vocals

Sunday 11th Dún na Séad Castle 1pm:
Michelle O'Brien and Leonard Barry

Michelle O'Brien from County Clare makes her 2nd Fiddle Fair appearance and this time she will be joined by Kerryman Leonard Barry.

This dynamic young fiddle and uileann pipes duo make wonderful music and should get the last day of the festival off to a rousing start

Sunday 11th Glebe Gardens Amphitheatre 3pm:
Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh & Breanndán Begley With special guest Jeremy Irons

Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh is rapidly becoming one of Ireland's favourite fiddlers with a wonderful style and understanding of the tradition. Himself and another Kerryman, (what are we doing?), Breannd´n Begley have recently recorded an album together and play magical music which might have come from the fairies.

Caoimhín has been involved in a new television series, to be broadcast later this year, for TG4 where 8 celebrities have been learning to play traditional music. He has been teaching our neighbour Jeremy Irons to play the fiddle and Jeremy will be joining the lads on stage to make his fiddle-playing debut. Long accustomed to the strains of Opening Nights in his illustrious acting career, he claims never to have been more nervous

* Please note that the Amphitheatre concerts are weather dependant and will be relocated if necessary but the sun always shines at the Fiddle Fair

Sunday 11th West Cork Hotel 9pm:
Tim Kliphuis Trio & Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill

Tim Klipuis from Holland plays fiddle in the style of Stefan Grapelli and this will be another Fiddle Fair first because we've never featured jazz on the fiddle before. This trio are sure to get the finale concert off to a great start.

To bring down the curtain on Fiddle Fair 2008 we are delighted to welcome back Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill.

Even though they're regular visitors to West Cork, it's 10 years since they opened Fiddle Fair 98 and in that time they've gone on to establish themselves as arguably the most sought after traditional act on the planet.

The programme of Fiddle Fair Workshops featuring Annbjørg Lien, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Darol Anger, Jerry Holland, Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, John Doyle, Brendan Begley and more will be posted next week.

I hope you agree that this is a very exciting line-up and I'm sure there'll be a large demand for tickets so to avoid disappointment book them now and hopefully we'll see you down here in a few short weeks.

All the best,

Declan

If you have not already done so ,you may wish to join our email notification list to make sure you get the announcement.

Thank you for your enthusiastic support of the Fiddle Fair and your patience.

Moonlighting, the group that came together as part of the Baltimore Fiddle Fair's participation in the Arts Council's Touring Experiment last August, are playing their first ever Dublin show on Monday 31st March.

Comprising of firm Fiddle Fair favourites Ciaran Tourish, Dermot Byrne, Michael McGoldrick, John Doyle, and John Joe Kelly, this is probably the most exciting traditional group to appear for 30 years.

If you live in Dublin be sure to come along on Monday night and check them out.

They are also appearing at 'Ar Ais Arís Fetival' in Buncrana Co. Donegal on Sunday night.

Mike and John are also doing a few shows as a duo and you can catch them at the following venues:

Thurs 27th - Matt Molloy's, Westport Co. Mayo
Fri 28th - The Glens Centre, Manorhamilton Co. Leitrim
Tue 1st - The Local, Dungarvan Co, Waterford
Wed 2nd - The Whisky - Cork
Thurs 3rd - The Crane Bar - Galway

Thursday 8th
West Cork Hotel
Annbjørg Lien with Bjørn Ole Rasch
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh with Manus Lunny

Friday 9th
West Cork Hotel
Bríd Harper with Marty Meehan
Darol Anger's Republic of Strings

Saturday 10th
Dún na Séad Castle
TO BE CONFIRMED

Glebe Gardens Amphitheatre
Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh with Brendan Begley plus Special Guest Jeremy Irons

West Cork Hotel
Jerry Holland with John Doyle
Berrogüetto

Sunday 11th
Dún na Séad Castle
Michelle O'Brien with Leonard Barry

Glebe Gardens Amphitheatre
TO BE CONFIRMED

West Cork Hotel
Tim Kliphuis Trio
Martin Hayes with Dennis Cahill

Declan is still tinkering a bit so times or days could change slightly, and he'll be along soon with more to say about all the exciting happenings on for Fiddle Fair '08. Stay tuned and make your plans on being in Baltimore May 8 - 11 for the Fiddle Fair as there's much more to come!

West Cork Hotel, Skibbereen

I'm writing this from Celtic Connections in Glasgow where I'm working incredibly hard and where sleep is a very rare thing and also trying to finalise the line-up for Fiddle Fair 2008.

Firstly I have to tell you that Fiddle Fair is on the move again. We were blown away by how the Fiddle Fair not only survived, but thrived when we moved from the bar a couple of years ago to the Balitimore Harbour Hotel, our "home" for our main evening shows. Well, this time we're going even further as a result of the shut down of the hotel.

We're moving the nightly shows to The West Cork Hotel in Skibbereen, only 15 minutes up the road where there'll also be rooms available. This is a very friendly hotel and the room where we'll stage the gigs is going to be rocking with our amazing line-up so we are confident that Fiddle Fair '08 will be better than ever and maybe even better than that.

This is still the Baltimore Fiddle Fair and the bulk of the festival will still take place in lovely Baltimore including the lunchtime and afternoon shows and all of the workshops, master classes, and sessions.

We'll provide transport every day to take people to and from Baltimore, so if you're coming for the weekend you can still stay in the village where most of the action will be, and get a lift to and from the main concerts every night. We may provide kayaks if you fancy travelling up the river.

If you're signed up to our website mailing list, or if you're just about to, we'd really appreciate your comments and will always consider any suggestions you may have regarding our festival and what you think of the changes and so forth.

Another change you've probably noted if you're reading this is that we've a brand new very chic website. Michael's been working away for the past few months (or so he claims) and I think he's done a great job. We hope you like it and again all comments are appreciated.

Finally and most importantly we have almost finalised the programme for this year. By the end of this marathon event in Glasgow we should have everything sorted so we'll post it here in about two weeks time (If you don't see it then it's probably Michael's fault).

So there you go folks, you're up to date on Fiddle Fair '08 and hopefully the proverb will mean a wonderful early May for you in our beautiful little corner of Ireland.

Hope to see you then,

Declan

Some of you have probably been wondering if we were EVER going to get around to putting something about this year's festival on the site but it did take us quite a while to recover fully from an amazing 4 days of some of the best music on the planet.

I'd like to start by thanking all of you who attended Fiddle Fair 07 and who helped to make it without doubt, the best yet. Every year we seem to say "How on earth will we top that next year?" but somehow it does manage to get better and better.

Highlights

There were so many highlights this year, right from Bruce Molsky's beautiful opening concert, which set the tone for a great weekend of music, through to Crooked Still's electrifying finale with all their special guests. Cathal Hayden, Máirtín O'Connor and Seamie O'Dowd *rocked* the place on Thursday night with their magical blend of high-octane traditional music. They played a version of Rory Gallagher's Barley & Grape Rag, which would have had the great man smiling in appreciation.

The Schools Concert on Friday morning was a special treat - the children of Rath National School and the Gaelscoil in Skibbereen were treated to a great show, featuring Bruce Molsky, Gilles Apap and Myriam Lafar, and Cathal Hayden and Máirtín O'Connor. The kids had a great time singing along. Bruce had them all singing a cowboy song. Gilles and Myriam took the kids on a round-the-world tour of music, asking them to guess what country the music came from. All the musicians thoroughly enjoyed the experience, even though Cathal reckoned they were the toughest audience they had played to in a long time.

The tribute to Arty McGlynn on Friday night was a fiddle fair first as the amazing Arty became the first member of the Fiddle Fair Hall of Fame. Some great fiddlers, Sean Regan, Nollaig Casey, Cathal Hayden, and Shane McAleer, and some great old photos of the great man in his Showband days - when he looked like the coolest rock 'n roller on the planet - helped to make this a very memorable occasion. Already musicians are scrambling to follow in Arty's footsteps.

There were two special concerts in Dún na Séad Castle over the weekend - both were brilliant and there really is something magical taking place when you hear great music in that ancient site. Connie O'Connor, Eibhlín de Paor, Caoimhín O'Raghallaigh and Mick O'Brien all played blinders and everyone who attended thoroughly enjoyed their shows. On Saturday afternoon there was a great gig by Stephanie Coleman and Mick Daly at the hotel. Mick was very offended when someone asked if he was Stephanie's grandfather.

Saturday night was also very special when the Fiddle Fair hosted an African band for the first time.

Afel Bocoum and Alkibar treated us to an amazing spectacle awash in a kaleidoscope of colour and I can honestly say that the whole room was smiling during their show, especially their njarka player who should be advertising toothpaste. And another Fiddle Fair first on Saturday night saw a group of musicians, including Giles, Myriam, Arty and Nollaig Casey, boarding the ferry to Cape Clear for a concert on the Gaelic-speaking island, spreading the Fiddle Fair literally over the sea.

They were followed by the very special Cork talent that is Mick Flannery who played a great gig with his band and instantly won a lot of new fans who will spread the gospel.

The Fiddle Fair closed with two great shows and, for many people, the favourite gig of the weekend, Mike and the 3 Johns - McKusker, Doyle and John (Joe) Kelley. I'm listening to it as I write this and it rocks. One guy left after their spot saying "You couldn't get better than that".

There were a few glitches this year for which I'd like to apologise. Next year we will have our volunteer organization, Friends Of the Fiddle Fair (FOFF), looking after all our artists and guests, especially the classes and students. We never stop learning at Fiddle Fair Central and we will put into practice for Fiddle Fair '08 what we gleaned in '07. The fair is growing and evolving and gaining new fans all the time, but the intimacy shall always be an integral part of our event.

Apart from the concerts there were lots of other special highlights during the weekend;

The Australian Super Model who was part of The Céilí All Stars on Friday evening outside Bushes was definitely a highlight.

The lunchtime session at Rolf's was great considering that 90% of the musicians were dying from the previous all-night session. I hear the smell of drink at Marty's workshop on Saturday morning was brutal - both master and students suffered on though for the cause.

The by now traditional late night gig on the last night of the festival by the Suzy McGoldrick Big Band went on around 3 a.m. to an enthusiastic crowd.

For the select few who witnessed it though, I think the undoubted highlight of the Fiddle Fair was the 7.30am "Doo Wop" performance on Monday morning by the 2 As - Arty and Archie will soon be world famous if the reaction of those who saw it is anything to go by - Legends!

All in all I think it definitely was the best Fiddle Fair yet and thanks to all of you who supported it.

The line up is almost complete for next year - mark your calendars for what will be on Thursday 8th to Sunday 11th May 2008. Make sure to check in often at www.fiddlefair.com or subscribe to our email newsletter for the latest news and information about our Summer and Special programs.

Until then, keep the tunes rolling.

Slán for now.

Declan

THANK YOU!

The Fiddle Fair could not take place without the help of many people and organisations, so a very big thank you to all the Fiddle Fair Committee, Catherine Roantree, Brendan McCarthy, Caoimhín Vallely, Liam Cotter, Clíodhna McCarthy, Christy Leahy, Pete Perry, and Michael Morris.

Thanks to our main funders: The Arts Council, Fáilte Ireland, Cork County Council, Údarás na Gaeltachta and Ballyburden Meats.

Special Thanks to Willie Buckley and everyone at The Baltimore Harbour Hotel, Patrick and Bernie McCarthy at Dún na Séad, Peter and Jean Perry at Glebe Gardens, Inish Beg Estates, The Algiers Inn, Bushes Bar, Casey's Hotel, The Síbín, Rolf's Hostel, The Customs House, The Mews, Chez Youen, and Glenans Sailing School.

Thanks also to Thornhills Electrical, West Cork Arts Centre, Damian Long, Dermot O'Reagan, Neil Bohane for the Poster, The Skibbereen School of Traditional Music, Tess Leek, Sarah Baker, Suzy McCarthy, Jo Perry, Fintan O'Connell, Una McCarthy, Marie Keane, Ian McDonagh, Eibhlín de Paor, Méabh O'Hare, Jim O'Donnell, Shane O'Neill, Naomi McCarthy, Kieran Gilmore, Gerry Godley & Improvised Music Company, Tom Sherlock, Eithne McCarthy, Mike Coleman, Rodger Colohan and Barbara Ward, Tom and Carol Henry, Aoife Granville, All at Club Cléire, Paul Dromey, Brian McCarthy at 103 FM, Eoin Brady at Lyric FM, Michael John Collins, Deirdre Townes, Ronan Sheehy, The Baltimore Beginners, and everyone who helped in any way at all to make this happen - Go Raibh Míle Maith Agaibh go Léir.

We would like to dedicate the 2007 Fiddle Fair to the memory of Mícheál Ó Domhnaill.