David Sheridan

David Sheridan hails from the village of Tubber, Co.Offaly. He began playing the tin whistle and moved on to the fiddle when fellow Offaly man, Dan Cleary started teaching. As a young player, he won provincial and national titles both as a solo musician and in duets, bands etc. He was successful in All-Ireland competitions such as Fleadhanna, Scór and Oireachtas. David has toured Ireland, Britain and USA with Comhaltas groups and has since represented Ireland in festivals in Japan, China and Mozambique among countless European events.

In 1986, David moved to Carlow, where he now resides. He is a fixture on the local traditional music scene, playing in sessions and performing on stage. He met many great musicians in Carlow and Kilkenny and with these heroes has helped to put traditional Irish music on the Carlow music scene.

He spends a lot of his time teaching Carlow youngsters to play and some years ago helped to form RíRá, a teenage traditional performing group. Students of his have gone on to win All-Ireland titles for themselves. He also runs the Carlow Fleadh Cheoils. He, along with wife Michelle ran a successful folk club in Carlow for 10 years, bringing the best musicians and singers to the town. He has recorded some notable CDs over the years and has been a tour-de-force in keeping the trad fiddle alive and thriving in Leinster.

Feile Oriel is delighted to recognise David for his lifetime dedication to traditional Irish music and specifically as a gatekeeper of the Irish fiddle tradition.