MCTA Presents “An Irish Christmas With John Doyle and Mick McAuley”

Frostburg State University’s Mountain City Traditional Arts will present “An Irish Christmas With John Doyle and Mick McAuley” on Monday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m. at 25 E. Main St. in Frostburg. Join them for an evening of traditional Irish music, songs and stories that will transport you to the villages of rural Ireland. The live entertainment is open to the public through general admission with a suggested donation of $15.

Doyle and McAuley’s musical connection began in the groundbreaking Irish-American band, Solas. Now, both have flourishing high-profile solo careers and periodically come together to brush off some Solas standards and lots of their individual material. Both natives of Ireland and from musical families, Doyle and McAuley are powerhouses in traditional Irish music.

Having started his professional career at the age of 16, Doyle went on to form the highly acclaimed supergroup, Solas, which took the folk and Celtic music worlds by storm. Since then, his flourishing solo career, highly regarded solo albums and in-demand studio prowess as producer have made him one of the busiest artists in traditional music. Doyle’s original rhythmic and percussive guitar style has been emulated by guitarists all over the world. Widely considered the finest Celtic guitarist performing today, he is also a powerful singer and highly regarded songwriter.

McAuley is an Irish musician, composer and songwriter who has recorded and toured internationally for many years. While his music is rooted firmly in the Irish tradition, he has been part of a movement that continues to push the musical boundaries of that tradition to bring Irish music to a wider and more diverse audience. A multi-instrumentalist, McAuley plays accordion, melodeon, concertina, whistles and guitar and has been a guest on many recordings and performances. Most recently, he spent many months as accordionist for Sting in his Broadway production, “The Last Ship.” McAuley’s debut solo album, “An Ocean’s Breadth,” was awarded Best Celtic Album of the Year by The Washington Post.

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.

For more information, call 301-687-8040.