9 Castle Close at Dublin Irish Festival

9 Castle Close prides itself on adding a new dimension to the celtic rock scene. Kevin Maloney leads with a dexterous instrumental repertoire as well as excellent vocals and fresh originals. Ryan Gross on drums and Patrick Disney on lead guitar, bring years of experience, dedication, and talent to the mix. Mike Thomas, being our veteran wise man, has logged many decades on bass and provides a steady foundation. Stuart Brand on fiddle has a background of classical and traditional Irish, and Beth Hicks on flutes and whistles brings to the mix decades of performance experience in classical, jazz, Irish, Appalachian, and choral. With over a century of combined professional experience, 9 Castle Close delivers your favorite celtic rock tunes, electrifying instrumental sets, and innovative originals with a high level of musicianship as well as a joie de musique and harmonious camaraderie. Come enjoy a musical experience unparalleled, crafted with much love, many years’ dedication, and presented anew.

Ally Crowley-Duncan, known as Ally the Piper, is an American musician, bagpiper, and social media personality. She is known for playing songs from rock, pop, and metal music on the bagpipes. Her videos gained attention on social media, attracting millions of followers on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. She is touted as being "The World's Most Famous Bagpiper" due to her large online reach, and impacts in her field.

1) Scythian - Celtic/World/Folk - Washington, DC - US 2) Scythian - Death Metal - London, UK 3) Scythian - Black Metal - Perth, Western Australia 1) Washington DC's, Scythian (sith-ee-yin), belts out a high-energy, adrenaline-peddling, interactive brand of music with one goal in mind; to get people on their feet and dancing. These classically trained musicians are natural showmen who seamlessly blend kicked-up Celtic, folk and world music, and deliver it with a punk-rock sensibility. Combine this with the driving rhythm of a jazz percussionist, and you've got the ingredients for a show you won't soon forget. In a single song, they transport an audience across the globe with the alluring and dramatic strains of gypsy fiddles, the bounce of a Celtic reel, and then cross back over the border to pick up a klezmer hook and some good old-fashioned bluegrass licks. 2) Scythian are a blackened death metal band from London, UK heavily influenced by Bathory, Sodom, Sarcofago, Venom and early extreme metal of the 80s and 90s. They’re an upcoming, newly signed act and recorded their debut album ‘To Those Who Stand Against Us’ in early 2008 with producer Leon Macey (also of UK death metallers MITHRAS) then inking a deal with Greek label, Necroterror in the same year. Although compliant with heavy metal tradition, Scythian are isolated from the trend and pursue a musical path that fuses all everything from thrash, black death and doom with archaic atmospheres, pagan ideals and warrior culture. Not for the weak hearted. 3) Black metal band from Perth, Western Australia reminscent to the sounds of old Mayhem, Emperor and Darkthrone, combined with the occasional influences of death metal, thrash metal and doom metal. The band was active between the years of 1996 - 2001, under various names prior to 1998, such as; Aetharius, etc. Scythian (AU) released one EP, which was freely handed out at a local metal gig entitled ‘Scythe Domination’. They managed to play four locals gigs before their split in 2001.

The Dublin Silver Band is a traditional British brass band based out of Dublin, Ohio as one of the four Dublin Community Bands, a 501(c)(3) arts organization. It was created by former Ohio State University Marching Band director Dr. Paul Droste and tuba player Dr. Patrick Herak as the Ohio Brass Band in 2008 as a way for high-level non-professional musicians to preserve the British brass band style of music in central Ohio. The name was changed upon joining the Dublin Community Bands.

Dulahan are a folk band from Dayton, Ohio, specializing in original Irish/Celtic themed tunes. The band tours at Celtic and Irish festivals throughout Ohio and the Midwest. The band, led by Kyle Aughe, formed in 2001 and released their 6th CD in 2011. The band blends traditional and contemporary themes with Irish pride and Americana. Some of the band's songs reflect modern sentiments, while others recall historical Irish-American themes.

From Brigid's Cross Offical website: Brigid’s Cross is coming to a stage near you. That’s the goal if the band has its way. Already veteran world travelers, Paul, Peg and Richie continue to add to their list of places visited and venues played. Formed in 1996, Paul Baker, Peggy Goonan-Baker and Richie Reece bring an eclectic collection of music to the stage. From true-to-heritage traditional music to contemporary pieces, Brigid’s Cross is a never-ending show from start to finish. Audiences are pulled into a vortex of humor and pure musical sound that keeps fans coming back for more. The Faithful, as their hard-core fans are called, come to the shows wearing t-shirts with the latest hip tribute to a frothy pint and temporary tattoos sporting the BC logo. They even have Cross Coozies to keep their drinks cool, and they know all the words to all the songs. They’re global, stretching across the United States to Irish shores, and they all have something in common – their love of Brigid’s Cross. All have been indoctrinated into the BC world, providing the audience participation that is such an integral part of Irish music. The Faithful meet at shows and festivals and online in chat rooms, all because of one band. It has been a road of evolution for Brigid’s Cross since their first festival performance at the Riverfront Irish Festival in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, almost a dozen years ago. In that time, BC has performed at festivals all over America and in Ireland. On either side of the "pond," audiences have come to expect a high-energy performance and are given it without fail. It is an ensemble, featuring an array of voices and instruments that take center stage for a solid show of entertainment. A little bit of family politics can seep into the on-stage banter, too. You see, Peg and Paul are married, and Richie is their nephew. Add in Peg’s father, Dick “The Rooster” Goonan for a song or two, and the lineage of music comes full circle. The good news is that Brigid’s Cross shows no signs of slowing down in the near future. With a freshly released CD, “Shake The Tree”, listeners get the expected traditional tunes as well as several original songs. It is a different, introspective look into the creative side of Brigid’s Cross that is a departure from previous albums of more well-known Irish music. One honors an uncle’s partying ghost. Another gives a nod to a community that has overcome nature’s wrath and found the strength to rebuild. It is another example of the intimate relationship Brigid’s Cross has with its audience and family. The only bad news in all this is the wait until the next time they're in your town. Until then, raise a pint or two to keep your elbow greased. Look for Brigid’s Cross on a stage near you. Come ready to sing and clap and forget about life for a while. Join the legion of the Faithful and make a few hundred instant friends as you listen to the group that has thrilled thousands across the world. There are many ways to spend time in this world. Spending it with Brigid’s Cross is certainly time well spent.

Eileen Ivers is an Irish-American musician. Eileen Ivers was born in New York City of Irish-born parents on 13 July 1965 and grew up in The Bronx. She spent summers in Ireland and took up the fiddle at the age of nine. Her teacher was Irish fiddler Martin Mulvihill. She toured with Mick Moloney's band The Green Fields of America, founded in 1977. She has won nine All Ireland's to date in Fiddle, and one in banjo. She is currently signed to Sony records and has been hailed as the "Jimi Hendrix of the violin." In live performances Ivers is known to hook her violin up to distortion pedals creating a timbre that resembles an electric guitar.