96 years in the business, the Kilfenora will soon be celebrating their centenary! From village parties in the early 1900s right down to their current international profile in the new millennium, each new generation slots seamlessly into the groove of their forebears.The group can follow its roots back into the late 1800s. At the time, Music was an important feature of life inrural Ireland. Kilfenora boasted a fine brass band, which gradually evolved into a dance band. Its story is the story of Irish music itself.

From village parties in the early 1900s to bigger dances in the '30s, broadcasts in the '40s, commercial recordings in the '50s, foreign tours in the '60s right down to their current international profile in the new millennium, each new generation slotting seamlessly into the groove of their forebears.

In 1909, the first formal engagement of the group was a fund-raiser for the renovation of the local church. They continued with similar work over the following couple of decades, gradually developing an identity and a profile. As early as the '30s, the band was regularly venturing far beyond the county boundaries for dances. They did several broadcasts on Irish radio during the '30s and '40s.

Kitty Linnane, the matriarch who steered the group through four decades was sneaked out of a convent as a teenager for her first appearance with them in 1939. She became leader in 1954 and was the figurehead till her death in 1992. Her first two decades of her stewardship were the golden age of céilí bands. During that era, her Kilfenora band dominated the competition circuit. They were All-Ireland champions three times in a row ('54-'56) and again in '61. They performed in almost every county in the Republic and toured Britain on several occasions. A woman of caution, Kitty resisted all efforts to lure the band to the States. Under her stewardship, they issued three albums, now collectors' items.

Kitty Linnane's mantle passed in the '90s to John Lynch and under his leadership, the Kilfenora consolidated their position as one of the world's greatest and longest running Irish céilí bands. They won another three All-Irelands in a row, recorded two top class albums and visited Britain, Northern Ireland, Europe and the U.S. Internationally, they've cornered the prestige Irish dance gigs.

The Kilfenora features fiddles, flutes, banjo, and squeezeboxes, with what "Folk Roots" magazine called "one of the tightest rhythm sections in the world". They brewed up an open-air storm in Dublin on the eve of the Millennium. Their huge gig on Stephen's Green in the Irish Capital on St. Patrick's Day has become an annual event. The visual impact of ten musicians exuberantly driving the dancers on is what sets them apart and makes them unique.

The Picture below shows the Band together with Christy Moore, Donal Lunny
and Declan Sinott at the RDS Dublin for the Lisdoonvarna Festival 2003. You'll find more pictures of that event in our Picture Gallery