Fionnuala comes from the well-known Collis family of County Sligo, and is an accomplished performer on both whistle and piano. Her father Tom Collis was a highly regarded flute player in the area and the musical legacy continues through the present generation with Fionnuals’s son and daughter Cian & Caoimhe Kearins also teaching at the South Sligo Summer School in recent years.

Aoife Johnston
From Muckelty, just outside Tubbercurry, Aoife, a former pupil of the South Sligo Summer School, is an accomplished young concertina player with a lovely, natural style, rooted in the rich local tradition she is steeped in. Over the winter months Aoife has been teaching concertina at the Coleman Centre in Gurteen and over the past few years of the summer school she has been instrumental, along with her cousin Sinead, in leading the practice sessions for children and young people in Tubbercurry Community Library as part of the week’s activities. We are delighted to have her on board this year to teach beginner whistle.

Marian Egan (née Flannery) is a tin whistle player from County Sligo. Marian moved to Manchester as a teenager to train in social work and soon became a key figure in the Irish music scene, playing in the Manchester Céilí Band and touring with Sullivan’s Private Stock. Now living in County Mayo, Marian's teaching legacy with Comhaltas in Manchester continues to be celebrated.

John Dwyer comes from Mullaghroe, about 2 miles from Gurteen Village. From a very early age John’s interest in traditional music was influenced, encouraged and nurtured by his late grandmother ‘Babs’ Dwyer. During his informative years he attended music classes for tinwhistle in Gurteen with teachers Paddy Ryan & PJ Hernon. Later he progressed to the concert flute and piano. In teenage years he was introduced to the late ‘Ted McGowan’ academy…The Róisín Dubh in Gurteen. Here John had the opportunity to meet with, listen to, learn from and play with some of the all time greats…Peter Horan, Tom McGowan, Kevin O’Brien, Andy Davey, to name but a few. Over the years John has played with and accompanied many trad groups, notably Shebeen & Céilí bands for fleadhanna. Besides playing music John is actively involved in carrying on the tradition in his tutoring role at the South Sligo Summer School here in Tubbercurry and promoting the best of traditional music, song and dance as events manager at the Coleman Music Centre in Gurteen.

Deirdre Collis

A native of Collooney, Co. Sligo, Deirdre comes from a great musical family well-known in traditional music circles throughout the country. From a very early age Deirdre's talent for music became obvious as she played at Fleadhanna and Feiseanna with her father Tom, and sisters Patricia and Fionnuala. Before long, her distinctive traditional style led to her achievement of winning All-Ireland titles at all levels on three different instruments, the button accordion, flute and tinwhistle. Over the years Deirdre has toured extensively with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Eireann, including America, Canada and England where she captivated audiences with her performances. With her family she was also part of the highly acclaimed Owenmore Ceili Band who played throughout Ireland at concerts and céilithe and they featured at many musical events in those years, including the Inter Celtic Festival in Lorient, Brittany. In more recent times, Deirdre and members of the Collis/Kearins Family, including her husband Sylvie Golden, niece and nephew Caoimhe & Cian Kearins and her sisters Patricia and Fionnuala, have put together a full concert performance which audiences are enjoying thoroughly, given the depth and breadth of musicality being shared onstage at these events.