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Ballyhooley
Ballyhooley
is the NSW South Coast's folk group. We
sing and play songs and tunes from the Irish,
English, Scottish, Australian and North American
traditions, solo and in up to 6-part harmony.
Our instruments include Irish flute, tenor banjo,
hammered dulcimer, fiddles, bouzouki, guitar,
tenor guitar, whistle, piano, concertina and
mandolin.
We're
available for weddings, parties, concerts and
dances, and can give musically illustrated talks on
aspects of folk music. Ballyhooley can provide dinner music and
entertainment either as the full band or in duos
and trios. Recently, we've been appearing at festivals
around New South Wales, including the National Folk
Festival in Canberra. We have our own sound equipment and
we're prepared to travel!
Ballyhooley - from L to R: Julie,
Melanie, Jesse, Pete, Terry & Sue.
Meet Ballyhooley....
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 Terry McGee
Terry
has been actively involved in traditional music for over
45 years. He inherited a love of Irish music from his
Irish parents - his father, from Co Louth, who sang and
played accordion, and his mother who was a keen Irish
dancer. Terry's day job is as a maker of
Irish flutes, mostly for the American
market.
Terry
has travelled extensively, researching flutes, folk music
and sound archiving on many continents. That has
brought him into contact with many leading
authorities on folk music and musical instrument
history, including Seamus Ennis, Maud Karpeles,
Bill Leader, A.L.Lloyd, Breandan Breathnach,
Hamish Henderson, Peter Kennedy, Philip Bate and
Anthony Baines. He has collections of recordings
lodged with the National Library of Australia and the
National Film & Sound Archive.
Terry
has played in a number of folk bands over the
years, including The Perfect Cure, Stringybark,
Colonial Experience and Dancerye. He
is a past President of the Monaro Folk Music
Society, has been involved in running a number
of folk clubs and folk festivals, and as a folk
broadcaster on community radio. He plays
flute, whistle, guitar, sings and calls dances.
He's particularly attracted to whimsical Irish songs and
sea shanties.
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Jesse Rowan
 Jesse
is one of Australia's finest singers of
traditional Irish songs. She has been singing
since her childhood - at festivals and venues
throughout the Eastern states of Australia, on
community and national radio, at major public
events, in support of some of the world's most
famous artists including Jethro Tull, James
Galway and the Chieftains, and on three
commercially released albums with the band
'Spindlewood'. Both Jesse and Terry performed
with the Canberra Ceilidh Band for many years in
Canberra. Her warm and heartfelt performances
continue to enchant audiences. Jesse also plays
hammered dulcimer, and particularly enjoys the tunes of
the blind Irish Harper, Turlough O'Carolan. Jesse loves
songs with complex lilting melodies, usually in a
melancholy minor key! She also loves the unusual modes
found in some of the trad American songs.
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Mel Turner
Mel
is a self-taught musician who cut her teeth and
gained a love of Irish music in the folk scene
of Canberra in the early ‘90s. A year long music
sabbatical to Ireland consolidated Mel’s love of
Irish session music. She has performed regularly
at Woodford folk festival as well as appearances
at Cobargo Folk Festival, Music at the Creek,
The Illawarra Folk festival and the National
Folk festival. She is also regular at the Irish
Session at Kelly’s Irish pub in Newtown. Mel is
known for her pumping banjo and traditional
style mandolin.
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Julie Kidd
Julie
is well known around Moruya as a piano teacher,
and brings her many years of keyboard experience
to Ballyhooley. But it's her wonderful low
harmonies that we love most. Liquid gold! Julie is
attracted to Scottish songs, but she has eclectic tastes
that embrace some contemporary compositions too.
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Pete Hobson
Pete
brings the Irish Bouzouki to Ballyhooley, but
also doubles on fiddle, guitar and mandolin when
the need arises. Pete has played with The
Larrikins, Ulick O'Boyle and the Settlers,
Franklyn B Paverty, The Canberra Mandolin
Orchestra, Snakes Alive, The Cornerhouse Ceili Band and
Free Selection. He was Musical Director of the
Canberra Ceili Band.
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Sue
Hobson
Sue
is Ballyhooley's main fiddle player, a role she
assumes with authority and panache. She
has also played with the Canberra Ceili Band,
the Cornerhouse Ceili Band, Horse's Leotard, and
The Porch Band.
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You
might wonder where the name Ballyhooley comes from.
It's a long story, so I've made it the subject of
another page!
On, to The Name
Ballyhooley
Or,
Find Ballyhooley on Facebook!
Or, Back to
McGee-Flutes Home Page
Contact Ballyhooley: Phone 02 4471 3837 or email:
terrymcgeeflutes@gmail.com
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