Tim O'Shea at The Robin (Irish folk music)

8PM show, 7:30 doors

BYOB from Sleepwalker

$20 adv, $25 doors ($15 students)

Limited seating!

Guitarist, bodhrán player (Irish drum) and singer Tim O’Shea, of Killarney, Kerry, Ireland, will perform a wide variety of songs and tunes of his homeland in a one-night only show. He will be accompanied by multi-instrumentalist, Joe Nielsen (Flute & Whistles) based in Chicago. “This is the real deal,” says Robin Theatre owner Dylan Rogers “This is the music that is played in pubs, festivals and homes on the west coast of Ireland. And, Tim and Joe are real dealers of their craft, whether singing a tender ballad by Robert Burns or playing a high energy jig or reel on the bodhrán, pennywhistle or flute.” Part of a US tour that also includes New York and Illinois, the Robin Theatre show will be one of only three Michigan stops, and the only one in mid-Michigan.

O’Shea’s repertoire draws from the singing of Irish and Scottish performers like Jimmy McCarthy, Paul Brady, Dick Gaughan and Andy M. Stewart as well as from the many styles of instrumental Irish music he has heard while growing up in County Kerry. His clever, fresh arrangements of traditional Irish tunes and self-composed songs have made him very popular not only in Ireland, but Germany as well, where he has toured extensively.  This year he celebrates 30 years of touring the world, with stops that have included the USA, India, Australia, New Zealand, and most parts of Europe. 

Joining Tim is Joe Nielson. A young player from Lombard, IL. He learned Irish Flute and Whistle from Sean Ryan Darien, IL and ex–Solas Irish Folk star John Williams, Chicago. Joe’s Biggest influences on the Irish Black Wood Flute are giants; Matt Molloy, Kevin Crawford and Isaac Alderson. Recent, notable gigs are the “Shamrock Shindig” at the Rialto Theater in Joliet, “Naperville Irish Fest” and “Irish Fest New York”. He has some radio appearances and TV slots in Chicago. Joe qualified for All-Irelands nine times, (Irish music Super Bowl). A combination of youth and experience is waiting at the Robin.