Seamus Egan

Biography

Seamus Egan was born in Hatboro, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, in 1969. His parents returned to Foxford, Co. Mayo five years later and it was here that Seamus - on hearing Matt Molloy - became interested in traditional music. Martin Donoghue from Ballindine was his teacher during those formative years. On returning to America he was fortunate to meet Mick Moloney, the folklorist and banjo player. Mick acted as a mentor, guiding Seamus in both style and repertoire. Seamus won four All Ireland...

Seamus Egan was born in Hatboro, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, in 1969. His parents returned to Foxford, Co. Mayo five years later and it was here that Seamus - on hearing Matt Molloy - became interested in traditional music. Martin Donoghue from Ballindine was his teacher during those formative years. On returning to America he was fortunate to meet Mick Moloney, the folklorist and banjo player. Mick acted as a mentor, guiding Seamus in both style and repertoire.

Seamus won four All Ireland titles at 16 years of age in flute, whistle, banjo and mandolin. He recorded his first solo album 'Traditional Music of Ireland' the same year, (further demonstrating his multi-instrumentalist abilities) with uilleann pipes and tres being added to the already stunning array of instruments.

Seamus' early professional experience in The Green Fields of America was invaluable to his music and career. Besides Mick Moloney the band also included Jimmy Keane, Robbie O'Connell and Eileen Ivers. Seamus and Eileen began to gig together after leaving the group and soon formed Chanting House with John Doyle and Susan McKeown.

His second solo CD was released in 1990 and his third, 'When Juniper Sleeps', in 1996. Tracks from 'A Week in January' formed the nucleus of the soundtrack to the award-winning film ‘The Brothers McMullen’. Seamus also plays on the soundtrack to the Oscar-winning movie ‘Dead Man Walking’ which features the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Seamus formed Solas in 1995. The group's meteoric rise has been phenomenal: their first three albums were voted Best Celtic Album of the Year by the Association for Independent Music, and their touring schedule has been exhaustive. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.