Growing up in Dungiven, an area of North Derry permeated with traditional music and exceptional local talent, it was no surprise when a young teenage Cara Dillon won the All-Ireland Singing Trophy at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. After singing with Óige, De Danann and Equation, she teamed up with Sam Lakeman, who she would go on to marry. The combination of his harmonious piano chords with her sensitive, emotive vocals proved to be a powerful one, and the pair have been recording since. Today with three hugely successful albums, several tours and numerous accolades under their belts, Cara Dillon and Sam Lakeman continue to captivate and beguile audiences worldwide with their music.

One fifth of the band Four Men and a Dog, Magherafelt man Gino Lupari has been used to being in the spotlight for some time now so appearing on Blas Ceoil caused the bodhrán extraordinaire no problem. Providing the comedy as well as the beats for Four Men and a Dog, this witty musician is as quick with his tongue as he is with his tipper. Gino also possesses a very soulful singing voice, and delights in singing humorous folk songs. He has performed with Sinéad O’Connor and the Liz Doherty band, and his superior bodhrán-playing has influenced many talented young players.
Blas Ceoil band line-up:
Ciarán Maynes – flute
Gino Lupari – bodhran + vocals
Damian Walls – guitar/banjo/ bouzouki
Brian Lavery – fiddle

Banjo maestro Damien O’Kane most definitely has music in his blood, coming from a Coleraine family where music was central to daily life. At the age of ten he became Ulster champion whistle-player, but a visit to the Ulster Fleadh in 1988 awoke in him a passion for tenor banjo.
After graduating with a degree in Folk and Traditional Music from Newcastle University, he started gigging with Shona Kipling from Co. Durham, England, an accomplished piano accordionist, after a chance meeting in Sweden. Shona took up the accordion at age eleven as physiotherapy to help strengthen a badly broken arm, but it quickly turned into a fascination as she showed genuine natural talent, notching up two UK Comhaltas championships in rapid succession. She now is an undergraduate on the same course that Damien completed.

Former guitarist and vocalist with Derry band Little Hooks, and former bassist with the acclaimed Cuckoo, Ruairí O’Doherty has many strings to his bow. After studying music at the Nerve Centre in Derry, Ruarí joined local Cuckoo, who were subsequently signed to Geffen Records. Ruairí is currently working on his solo material and his influences include Carol King, Pavement and Elliot Smith.

This Bellaghy man is a regular feature on the BBC radio programme Blas, where he provides animated coverage of GAA events. Sport is not the only string to Fearghal’s bow, however, as he has long been a keen musician and supporter of local traditional music. Involved with the Bellaghy branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann from a young age, Fearghal still plays tin whistle and flute, often providing music for his brother and sister, both enthusiastic set dancers, to perform.