Fellowship Calendar

Gerry O'Connor w/Don Penzien 
 
Admission: $20 in advance, $25 at the door.
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https://givebutter.com/FUFMay2026Concert

 
"... one of the great fiddle players of his generation."
 
Irish fiddle master, Gerry O'Connor will be at Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship on Saturday, May 30th at 4:00pm.
 
From an early age, Gerry O'Connor was involved in Irish music and dance, winning numerous All Ireland titles between 1967 and 1973 in a range of formations including duet, trio and four Céili Band titles. Playing with Michael Coleman’s contemporary John Joe Gardiner in the 1970’s informed Gerry’s style of music, focusing on the fluid and ornamented lyrical fiddle playing of the great Sligo masters. His own background in step dancing translates into vibrant pulsating dance music for which he is noted; today he is regarded as one of the great fiddle players of his generation.
 
Gerry has performed with all of the leading performers of the Irish music world including members of the Chieftains, Boys of the Lough, Planxty, De Dannan and Bothy Band. He has also played and recorded with such highly-regarded groups as Lá Lúgh (Eithne Ní Uallacháin, Sony Music) and Skylark (Len Graham, Gary O’Briain & Mairtin O’Connor), recording four CDs on the Claddagh label. He is currently touring and has recorded 6 albums with much celebrated Irish-Canadian group The Irish Rovers. His first solo album "Journeyman" hailed as a landmark album of Irish fiddle music, was counted in the top five Albums of the year 2004 by the Irish Times.
 
A four time winner of The Fiddler of Oriel competition, Gerry has lately adjudicated both it and the Gael Linn’s Siansa and RAAP /RTE sponsored Breakthrough competitions. He was co-founder and first Artistic Director of Ceol Chairlinn, an annual teaching festival in Carlingford , Co Louth. He is also the Traditional Arts coordinator at the newly established Creative-Connexions Irish/ Catalan Arts festival in Sitges, teaches fiddle at the Willie Clancy Summer School and at master-classes throughout Europe. He has been working and playing with Tiarnán Ó Duinnchin and Fintan Vallely in the Compánach project since 2013.
 
Don Penzien has long been a top-flight performer of Irish traditional music. He frequently is on the road playing concerts and festivals with Gailfean, The Máirtín de Cógáin Project, and Haley Richardsonand he has served as accompanist for numerous other well-known performers (e.g., Gerry O’Connor, Randal Bays, Tim Britton, John Williams, Pat Broaders, Gabe Donohue, Ben Jaber, Tony DeMarco, Billy McComiskey, Sean Clohessy, Bridget Fitzgerald, Kevin Doyle). Widely recognized for his reserved backing style, Don’s dexterous work on DADGAD-tuned guitar provides solid, driving rhythms to traditional tunes as well as perceptive and sensitive accompaniments to songs and airs