Brian Connolly, Jim Byrne and Tom Smith

At various times Brian, Jim and Tom have played together in Irish band Croabh Rua. Brian is still 'the main man' in the group. They are one of the most in-demand Irish groups in folk circles in America. They've been called "the ultimate seisun band."

Banjo, mandolin and bodhran player Brian Connolly described his musical background "My father played, both sides of the family played," he said. "My grandma played the mandolin, and that's where I got that." He cites an odd combination of Ry Cooder and the Dubliners' Barney McKenna as his musical heroes.

Vocalist and guitarist Jim Byrne related his background in song. "Three was always music 'round. My father was a very bad piano player, and his father was a classical violinist. On my mother's side, she was a kleptomaniac singer; her father was a fiddle player in a ceili band. Lots of music about the place, which was nice."

The same impeccable phrasing and wit that Jim brings to his songs and stage banter are present in his story of "how I joined the band... I got a phone call from Michael to say, 'Would you like to play with us at The Edinburgh Folk Festival, and play along for a few other gigs throughout Scotland?' So, I said, 'Yeah, fair enough, I'll phone you back tomorrow and let you know.' So, I phoned him back in ten minutes and said, 'Yes.' I remember afterwards, at the gig at The Edinburgh Festival, I was asked was I doing anything in July. I said, 'No, I don't think so.' 'Well, do you fancy going to France?' 'Yes, of course, I do.' Then a few days later, 'Are you doing anything in August? Do you fancy going to the Milwaukee Irish Fest?' 'Of course, I do.' So, that was my introduction to the band, and I stayed."

Being a 'Northern band,' the group likes to include as many tunes and songs indicative to the region as possible." Byrne explained, "We like to include as many of those as we can, because there's not too many people actually doing them at home. It's nice to keep it to the local area where we come from."

Even the band's name has a local association. "Craobh Rua means 'red branch,' and it's taken from the Red Branch Knights of Ulster," Connolly explained, "That is, back in the Celtic mythology, there's a name of a place in the area that's not too far from where Mark lives, in County Armagh. They were a band of warriors that travelled from place to place, and the tradition was that when they went to a place, they were fed and watered, and they had to stay for three days, and once they'd finished there, they moved on to the next castle and they'd have to stay there for three days."