Paudie O'Connor hails from Ballyhar, Co. Kerry. His music is heavily influenced by the fiddle music of Sliabh Luachra with his style of accordion playing inspired by three great accordion players of the region - Johnny O’Leary, Jimmy Doyle and John Brosnan. In 2005 he released a critically acclaimed album “Different State”, featuring dance music and airs from his native Sliabh Luachra.

John O'Brien comes from a musical family in Artane, Dublin. As a teenager he began playing uilleann pipes learning from his older brother Mick O’ Brien. His influences include Seamus Ennis and Tommy Reck. John has several All-Ireland titles to his name, has performed in major venues including Radio City Music Hall and has toured extensively in the US, Europe, China and Japan with both Riverdance and Celtic Woman.

Paudie and John have been playing together regularly since their early twenties and it has always been an ambition of theirs to record an album with the unusual combination of box and pipes, celebrating the repertoire of the Sliabh Luachra region. Wind and Reeds is the realisation of this long held ambition – bain taitneamh as!

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