#NATALIE MACMASTER AND FAMILY TV#

They certainly couldn’t have imagined capping off what they jokingly refer to as their combined 83 years as performers with milestones including another hotly anticipated Christmas tour, an accompanying TV special, a pending third instalment of their Greenbridge Celtic Folk Fest, a recent Road Gold Award from the Canadian Independent Music Association, and last but certainly not least, the arrival of Maria, newest sib to Mary Frances, Michael, Clare, Julia, Alec and Sadie. Or that they would produce a large family and ensure their mantelpiece was jammed with JUNO and East Coast Music Awards while creating an inventory of achievements spanning the globe. Indeed, when MacMaster and Leahy married in 2002 - both were already stars in their own right - they could not have predicted their merger would recast what contemporary musical success looks like. Hearing Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy speak reverentially about the fiddle, which has propelled their dazzling careers since childhood while cementing their status as Canada’s reigning couple of Celtic music, is almost as electrifying as hearing them play it. Refunds available at point of purchase for a limited time. These self-titled releases were privately pressed and usually sold at their concerts, although Christmas with the Leahy Family was carried by retailers such as A&B Sound.The Natalie MacMaster & Donnelly Leahy show has been rescheduled to November 4, 2023. In addition, the group released several vinyl LPs and cassettes in the 1980s as The Leahy Family. Chrissie Quigley (née Leahy) - Keyboardsĭiscography Albums Year.Agnes Enright (née Leahy) - Keyboards, Step dancer, Vocals.These three sisters are not currently active in the band's touring schedule. Siobheann Donohue (née Leahy) - Bass, Vocals, Fiddle.Erin Leahy - Piano, Guitar, Fiddle, Mandolin, Vocals, Bass.In 2008, Donnell Leahy and Natalie MacMaster were awarded honorary doctorate degrees by Trent University. Donnell Leahy is married to Cape Breton fiddler Natalie MacMaster and Frank is married to champion step dancer Chanda Gibson. Each member has a main role to play in the band although most play more than one instrument and all step dance. Leahy in concert at the Fergus Scottish Festival in 2009Īll members of the band are siblings. The female members of the band often perform step-dancing-style routines and do most of the singing. The group's members are both instrumentalists and dancers, with several members skilled in fiddle-playing (most notably the band's most famous member, Donnell). Also in 1998, Leahy were added as the opening act for Canadian country singer Shania Twain's 1998 Come on Over Tour and were featured in two television specials from the tour, Live and The Specials, performing with Twain on the song ' Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)'. The following year, Leahy took a third Juno Award, for Best Country Group or Duo. Leahy was an instrumental album, but the band also includes vocal performances in their live performances and subsequent albums have included both vocals and instrumentals.ĭespite their established history, they were awarded two Juno awards in 1998, for Best New Group and Best Instrumental Artist. In 1997, the band resumed recording with their 'relaunch' album, Leahy which also introduced the group's new branding. During the 1980s and early 1990s, the band recorded a number of privately released LPs and cassettes (most of which used the same title, The Leahy Family) which were sold at their concerts and they were frequent guests at the Big Valley Jamboree concerts in Saskatchewan and Alberta. The line-up of the group varies depending upon the availability of its members, who are present or absent due to marriage, childrearing and other obligations. The members of Leahy take significant pride in their Irish roots and Canadian upbringing. In 1985, they were the subject of a short film entitled Leahy: Music Most of All which received an Academy Award in the category of 'Best Foreign Student Film.' The eight band members, all from the Leahy family of 11 siblings, are from Lakefield, Ontario and have been touring Canada and internationally since the early 1980s, when they were known as The Leahy Family.

Natalie macmaster and family