Biography

My name is Brendan. I grew up in north-central New Jersey and was raised by two Irish immigrant parents. My father is from Cloontia, Mayo, and my mother is from Rathmullen, Donegal. I always said, “I grew up with one foot in America and one foot in Ireland”! I’ve been over to Ireland 21 times, and I even had the opportunity to go to school in Mayo for a window of time.

Even though I grew up in the States, I was always surrounded by Irish culture. My parents were very active in many Irish organizations & clubs. They chaired dances and céilís, and they served on the Newark St. Patrick’s parade committee for a few decades. My dad was the Grand Marshall of the parade in 1986, and my mom was the Deputy Grand Marshall in 1982. My father also chaired the New Jersey State Irish Festival in 1998.

I stepped-danced for 5 years (yes, kilt and all), and won many trophies for my efforts. I was heavily exposed to traditional Irish music as my father’s side of the family was very active in keeping the tradition alive in America. My 1st cousin won the World Cup on violin at Fleadh Cheoil (a worldwide Traditional Irish Music competition). He was the first American to win such an honor. My Uncle was the North American chairman of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, the largest group involved in preserving and promoting Irish traditional music for many years.

I always sang and started playing guitar at age 14. Having one foot in America - rock music heavily influenced me, especially The Beatles and U2. Other influences are Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, R.E.M., Crowded House, and Tom Petty.  Rock music was unfortunately counteractive to my parents raising me as a true Irishman, but being a rebellious teenager, I wanted to be an American and play the music that I liked and was exposed to in my everyday life! 

As I got older and never forgetting that I still had the other foot in Ireland, I started to play more and more of the Irish ballads and waltzes that had so influenced me growing up. I generally play a Luna Trinity 12-string acoustic guitar which for me both visually and audibly shows my Irish and American sides.

Besides traveling to Ireland, my family regularly went up to an Irish town in the Catskills Mountains of Upstate New York named East Durham. There I socialized with many other first-generation Irish/American Narrowbacks (slang term for an Irish person born in the United States) such as myself. Most hailed from all over the U.S. Northeast. The great thing was they all brought a different flavor and influence from the 32 counties of Ireland to the Irish/American culture we were all growing up in!

The Irish songs I play are from a wide variety of Irish times. Some of the older songs were written from the immigration caused by the Irish Potato Famine, some are from the early Irish settlers to Amerikay, some are rebel songs that stemmed from “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland, some are old folk songs, others are songs that my parents, friends, extended family, and friends exposed me too, and the rest of the rock and country songs are songs that I like to sing and play.

My parents, immediate family, and friends have kept the Irish traditions alive in me, and I am so grateful to have had all the "Craic" (fun, enjoyment, good conversations, and great company) experiences, laughs, pride, tradition, culture, love, and a feeling of always being home. It’s a wonderful culture to have grown up in and to have been a part of it!