Celebrated Irish Musicians to Perform on Campus

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The Brock McGuire Band

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The popular Irish music group, the Brock McGuire Band, will give a concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, in the Fine Arts Center’s Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall.

Paul Brock and Manus McGuire front the Brock McGuire Band, an Irish Folk group formed in 2004. Brock, a button accordionist and melodeonist, and McGuire, a fiddler, are two of Ireland’s most celebrated traditional musicians.

Before forming the Brock McGuire band, the two were known through their joint work with the popular Celtic group Moving Cloud.

Performing with the Brock McGuire Band are musicians Garry O’Meara, on banjo, mandolin and vocals and Denis Carey, on piano. Carey is also a composer and arranger.

The Brock McGuire Band’s latest album, Green Grass Blue Grass, melds Ireland’s traditional music with modern-day American bluegrass. The band collaborated with 14-time Grammy Award Winner Ricky Skaggs on parts of the album, recording at home in Ireland for six tracks and at Ricky Skaggs’ home studio in Nashville for the remaining nine.

The band’s performances have taken them to many locations, including the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, the World Music Fest in Chicago and the Return to Camden Town Festival in London.

In 2011, they won the “Instrumental Band of the Decade” award from Irish American News.

“Brock and McGuire formed the greatest instrumental group of all time back in the day, Moving Cloud, and only they could have followed up with something this good,” Irish American News wrote. “Brock McGuire is the best instrumental band in the business. If they are anywhere near, anywhere near you, go. See them.”

The concert is free and open to the public thanks to support from the department of music in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. The band will also teach a workshop at 2 p.m. in the same location.