{"id":73,"date":"2021-09-22T15:42:04","date_gmt":"2021-09-22T15:42:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seamusgrantweekend.com\/festival\/?page_id=73"},"modified":"2026-09-11T11:46:43","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T11:46:43","slug":"performers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/test3.seamusgrantweekend.com\/festival2026\/performers\/","title":{"rendered":"Performers"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Background material on this years performers<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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La Famille LeBlanc<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The band, La famille LeBlanc, consists of Robin & Rebecca LeBlanc along with their three daughters, Rosalie, M\u00e9lodie and Charlotte.\u00a0 La Famille LeBlanc is an Acadian group known for its engaging energy and contemporary approach to traditional music. Blending fiddle, guitar, vocals, and foot percussion, the group revives the spirit of traditional gatherings while offering a modern sound. Driven by a deep connection to their heritage and a desire to evolve it, they reach audiences of all generations both locally and internationally, having represented Canada at festivals abroad, including performances in South Korea, United States, Ireland and a tour in France.
La Famille LeBlanc have produced three albums \u201cTrois Jolies Demoiselles\u201d, \u201cPerdrais-je Mon Temps\u201dand their latest album \u201cAmourette\u201d, all receiving glowing reviews.\u00a0 The band has received nominations for both the Canadian Folk Music Awards and East Coast Music Awards, being awarded the Francophone Artist of the Year 2026 at this year\u2019s East Coast Music Awards.\u00a0With deep respect for heritage and a joyful spirit of discovery, La famille LeBlanc continues to bring traditional music to life, together as a family.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Toland Family<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Dermie Toland<\/strong> was a self-taught musician and has been playing guitar since his teenage years. He was highly respected for his sensitive and distinctive accompaniment to singers and instrumentalists\u2013 particularly his long career with musical partner Seamus Gibson. They were dynamic duo for the last 20 years, featuring on gigs across Donegal and concerts as far off as Scotland. Dermot was diagnosed with Alzheimer\u2019s over 6 years ago and gradually left us and his music until he passed away in February 2026.\u00a0
His wife, Mary, will speak at the concert on Friday night.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Grace & Colm Toland<\/strong> are both immersed in the song tradition of Inishowen and are key members of the Inishowen Traditional Singers Circle and Inishowen Trad Choir. Colm & Grace have been instrumental in the collection, archiving & performance of the songs of Clonmany and Inishowen.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Patsy Toland<\/strong> has performed banjo, mandolin, fiddle and tenor guitar in many genres of music from traditional to rock. He has performed in various collaborations and appeared at festivals across Europe with Sirreel. Now back living in Clonmany, Patsy devotes much of his time to the development of the Seamus Grant Weekend and website.<\/p>

Patsy and Shane Devlin released an EP on Spotify in August 2026 called Mandolin Bridge<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Shane Devlin<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Shane Devlin<\/strong>, now living in Galway, grew up in Clonmany and has been immersed in music all his life. He is an accomplished banjo and mandolin player. Shane has also composed many tunes. He is very active in the Galway music scene and has worked on many collaborations and projects there.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Seamus Gibson<\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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S\u00e9amus Gibson<\/strong>\u00a0stands as one of Ireland\u2019s most distinctive voices in traditional music\u2014a master fiddler and composer whose work is both deeply rooted in heritage and daringly original in spirit. Based in the musically rich townland of St. Johnston in East Donegal, he is immersed in the powerful Donegal fiddle tradition. Music runs deep through his family: his father, Eddie Gibson, was an accomplished mandolin and fiddle player; his uncle, the legendary Tommy Peoples, was a towering figure in Irish traditional music; and his cousin Joe Cassidy also carried on the family\u2019s musical legacy. S\u00e9amus began composing as a teenager, and his early works quickly drew attention for their lyrical beauty, rhythmic inventiveness, and structural complexity. Today, his catalogue includes over a hundred compositions, many of which are now played by traditional musicians around the world. Tunes such as \u201cGeorge Peoples,\u201d \u201cThe Humours of Codeine,\u201d and \u201cDermot\u2019s Hornpipe\u201d have become known for their originality and emotional depth. While S\u00e9amus\u2019s music is firmly grounded in tradition, his voice as an artist is anything but static. His long-standing musical partnership with guitarist Dermot Toland produced performances known for their intensity, subtlety, and deep musical connection. Since 2024, he has been exploring new territory in collaboration with acclaimed jazz pianist and composer So-Young Yoon, blending Irish traditional music with jazz in bold and unexpected ways. His 2023 albums The Dropper Bell and Fly By Night received widespread acclaim, showcasing not only his technical brilliance and compositional flair, but also a rare ability to bridge genres and generations.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Harkin Family<\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Harkin family<\/strong><\/a> (Bronach, Eimear, and Aodhan) are renowned local tradition-bearers and performers from the Inishowen Peninsula, celebrated for preserving and sharing the local song and ballad traditions of the area.
Bredgeen\u00a0Harkin, their mother, is particularly well-known for her poignant traditional singing of The Sweet Isle of Doagh<\/a>, a local classic celebrating the landscape, heritage, and memories of Lagacurry, Ballynaboe, and Pollan Strand on the Isle of Doagh.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Le Ch\u00e9ile Inishowen<\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Le Ch\u00e9ile Inishowen are a group of young talented trad musicians under the guidance of Roisin McGrory. Their performance will include music from Inishowen.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Valerie Harkin School of Irish Dancing<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Valerie Harkin School of Irish dancing<\/strong> is an Irish dancing school based in Illies Community Centre and The Sliabh Sneacht Centre, Drumfries. Irish Dancing classes for fun, fitness, Grading Examinations, Competitions. Suitable for Boys and Girls of all ages
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Clonmany Genealogy & Heritage Group <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Clonmany Genealogy & Heritage Group is an Inishowen based voluntary group with an interest in family and local heritage.   The group has gathered numerous photos, documents, artifacts, records etc. for their archive and share this information with the community through their informative exhibitions.  They are also a very helpful resource in assisting anyone from near or far who are trying to trace their family tree\/roots in the Inishowen area.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Background material on this years performers La Famille LeBlanc The band, La famille LeBlanc, consists of Robin & Rebecca LeBlanc along with their three daughters, Rosalie, M\u00e9lodie and Charlotte.\u00a0 La […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"page-builder","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-73","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test3.seamusgrantweekend.com\/festival2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/73","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test3.seamusgrantweekend.com\/festival2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test3.seamusgrantweekend.com\/festival2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test3.seamusgrantweekend.com\/festival2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test3.seamusgrantweekend.com\/festival2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73"}],"version-history":[{"count":241,"href":"https:\/\/test3.seamusgrantweekend.com\/festival2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/73\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1375,"href":"https:\/\/test3.seamusgrantweekend.com\/festival2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/73\/revisions\/1375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test3.seamusgrantweekend.com\/festival2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}