The Donegal fiddle tradition is the way of playing the fiddle that is traditional in County Donegal, Ireland. It is one of the distinct fiddle traditions within Irish traditional music.
A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, the style of the music played may determine specific construction differences between fiddles and classical violins. For example, fiddles may optionally be set up with a bridge with a flatter arch to reduce the range of bow-arm motion needed for techniques such as the double shuffle, a form of bariolage involving rapid alternation between pairs of adjacent strings. To produce a "brighter" tone than the deep tones of gut or synthetic core strings, fiddlers often use steel strings. The fiddle is part of many traditional (folk) styles, which are typically aural traditions—taught "by ear" rather than via written music.
Michael Coleman was a virtuoso Irish fiddler from County Sligo, and a major exponent of the Sligo fiddle style.
Mark O'Connor is an American fiddle player and composer whose music combines bluegrass, country, jazz and classical. A three-time Grammy Award winner, he has won six Country Music Association Musician Of The Year awards and, was a member of three influential musical ensembles; the David Grisman Quintet, The Dregs, and Strength in Numbers.
Eileen Ivers is an American fiddler.
The fiddle is one of the most important instruments in the traditional repertoire of Irish traditional music. The fiddle itself is identical to the violin, however it is played differently in widely varying regional styles. In the era of sound recording some regional styles have been transmitted more widely while others have become more uncommon.
Kevin Burke is an Irish master fiddler considered one of the finest living Irish fiddlers. For nearly five decades he has been at the forefront of Irish traditional music and Celtic music, performing and recording with the groups The Bothy Band, Patrick Street, and the Celtic Fiddle Festival. He is a 2002 recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Martin Hayes is an Irish fiddler from County Clare. He is a member of the Irish-American supergroup The Gloaming.
John Doherty was an Irish folk fiddler.
Tommy Peoples was an Irish fiddler who played in the Donegal fiddle tradition.
James or Jim Morrison, known as "The Professor", was a notable South Sligo-style Irish fiddler.
Jana Jae is an American country and bluegrass fiddler.
James Byrne was an Irish farmer and fiddle playing icon from Donegal. He has been called one of Ireland's leading fiddle players.
Liz Carroll is an American fiddler and composer. She is a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts' National Heritage Fellowship Award. Carroll and collaborator Irish guitarist John Doyle were nominated for a Grammy Award in 2010. She is considered one of the greatest contemporary Irish fiddlers.
Winifred Horan is an American violinist/fiddler of Irish descent. After classical training, she played with the all-female Celtic music ensemble Cherish the Ladies before becoming an original member of the Irish traditional music group Solas.
Martin Mulvihill was an Irish traditional musician, composer, teacher, and author. He composed roughly 25 tunes in the Irish traditional style.
The Kilfenora Céilí Band is one of the oldest céilí bands in Ireland. It was founded in 1909 in Kilfenora, a village in County Clare.
Dennis Cahill was an American guitarist who specialized in Irish traditional music. He was born in Chicago of parents from County Kerry, Ireland. He began playing guitar at the age of nine and studied the instrument at the Chicago Musical College. He was active in the Irish traditional music scene in Chicago in the 1980s and 1990s.
Oisín Mac Diarmada is an Irish fiddler.
Aidan Connolly is an Irish fiddler and teacher from Dublin. Connolly is known for his unique style of fiddle playing and is a highly sought-after performer both in Ireland and abroad. He has been described by musician Cormac Begley as "one of the best musicians in his generation" and by others as "a leading fiddle player of the current wave of great Irish Traditional music".
