Danny O'Flaherty for the Children of Lafayette. La.

Danny O’Flaherty’s success as an entertainer is driven by his dedication to preserving and passing on his Celtic heritage. As the last of a generation reared in the isolation of a pure Gaelic culture, Danny’s youth recalled the simple tradition kept alive on the rugged and desolate islands.

His first language is Gaelic, and his first love – the ancient music played and sung around the peat fires in the evenings. Danny evokes the often-indistinguishable link between history and myth. Whether singing the timeless songs of Galway fishermen or performing his own contemporary ballads, Danny O’Flaherty keeps a unique heritage alive.

Danny O’Flaherty has traveled far from his boyhood home in the farthest reaches of the Irish west, to the steps of the United States Capitol where he performed before a crowd of a half a million on Solidarity Day. There have been numerous other stops along the way - each a momentous occasion: a tour of Israel culminating in a private command performance with then President Herzog; a performance at the National Cathedral for Pope John Paul II’s visit to the U.S.; featured performer for President Ronald Reagan’s Inaugural Ball; the opening concert for the Pan Celtic Festival in Ireland; an invitation only concert for the alumnae of the University of Notre Dame, and headliner for the Tulsa Philharmonic and The National Theatre in Washington, D.C. - just to list a few.

Danny O’Flaherty leads an audience through the mists of legends as each soaring note gently tugs at the heart transporting the listener to a world beyond time. This talented musician is equally adept with six and twelve string guitar, button accordion, tin whistle, and harmonica. From songs of the sea and glen to aching calls for tolerance and peace, Danny O’Flaherty’s appeal is universal spanning all ages.