Paddy O'Brien

A product of County Offaly in the midlands of Ireland, Paddy O'Brien is regarded by serious players and collectors of Irish traditional music as one of the tradition's most important repositories; in a musical career that spans nearly forty years, he has collected more than 3,000 compositions—jigs, reels, hornpipes, airs, and marches, including many rare and unusual tunes. His mastery of the two-row button accordion was also acknowledged through prestigious awards: he was named Oireachtas champion four times, and All-Ireland senior accordion champion in 1975. In Ireland, he played and recorded with the famed Castle Ceili Band and Ceoltoiri Laighean.

In 1978, Paddy began playing regularly in the United States, in Washington D.C., Saint Louis, Saint Paul, San Francisco, Boston, New York, and many places between. He has been featured on three recordings with Shanachie Records since 1978, and in 1988 released his first solo album, "Stranger at the Gate," on the Green Linnet label. Paddy has taught at the prestigious Willie Clancy Summer School held in Milltown Malbay, County Clare, and has served as a master artist in the Minnesota State Arts Board Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program.

In 1994, Paddy received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to record and document 500 reels and jigs from his vast repertoire of traditional tunes. The result of that effort, The Paddy OBrien Tune Collection: A Personal Treasury of Irish Traditional Music, Volume One, was released in 1995 and has received accolades from players of Irish music around the world. In 2011, Paddy released Volume Two of his ground-breaking work, containing another 500 tunes. In 2013, the Paddy O'Brien Tune Collection was digitized, making 1,000 tunes available to students of Irish music.

The Irish Music & Dance Association of Minnesota honored Paddy in 2010 for his contributions to the local Irish music scene. In 2012, the Irish language television network TG4 named Paddy the Irish Music Awards / Gradam Ceoil Traditional Composer of the Year. This prestigious award (commonly referred to as the 'Oscars' of Irish music) recognizes a lifetime of achievement.

Paddy currently tours internationally as a solo musician. He also plays concerts and dances with his traditional music chamber orchestra, O'Rourke's Feast.