Cultural Ireland Tennessee

Background

Éilís Crean, co founder of Culture Ireland Tennessee (CIT) and Director of Music for the organization was born in Ballintubber, Co. Roscommon, Ireland and grew up in a house where traditional Irish music was cultivated, cherished and appreciated. She plays fiddle and was taught by the highly esteemed and legendary Eddie Kelly and her childhood years saw many hours with Eddie, teasing through the artful arrangement of his notes during the weekly lessons.

Through the years, Éilís has competed and won prizes at various events throughout Ireland and Great Britain. Éilís, whose profession is Healthcare Information Technology consultancy, brings fulfillment to her life these days by teaching traditional Irish music style and technique, specifically the East Galway style of fiddle playing, in Eddie's inimitable way. She is the sole proponent of this unique style and she derives great Joy from passing it along to those who want to learn it.

Currently Éilís is working on a CD, a duet with a flute player Brad Hurley with a tentative release date in March 2011, the launch to be hosted by O'More College of Design

Aoibheann O'Brien, CIT's Artistic Director and co founder was born and raised in Co. Meath, Ireland and has toured all over the world and performed to hundreds of thousands of people as a professional Irish dancer with Riverdance, Michael Flatley's Lord and the Dance and Feet of Flames. She loves to share her talent and spread the joy of Irish dance and culture through her very successful O'Brien Irish Dance Academy located in Franklin, TN. Here she teaches traditional Irish dancing. www.OBrienIDA.com.  She is thrilled to embrace the Irish culture with fellow Tennesseans through CIT.

The remaining board members of CIT are Jay Barbera, husband of Aoibheann O'Brien and President of the organization, Eileen Hogan-Fonde, a native of Co. Cork and responsible for all Public Relation matters and Dr. David Fonde, husband of Eileen and Director of Research. Dr. Mark Hilliard of O'More College of Design is CIT's Director of International Relations and is the primary resource for the Sister Cities International town-twinning with Portlaoise, Co, Laois, Ireland

Contact
E-mail eiliscrean@gmail.com
Phone 617.283.8478