Wrapping up BAG for Christmas! - the Niall Toner Band, Mon. 3 Dec. 2018

The Niall Toner Band: (l-r) Dick Gladney, Richie Foley, Niall Toner, Paddy Kiernan, Johnny Gleeson

Ballymore Acoustic Gigs (BAG) announce:

The Niall Toner Band play BAG at Mick Murphy's Bar, Ballymore Eustace, Co. Kildare, on Monday, Dec 3rd. This is the last BAG gig of 2018, and it'll be a special one! Doors open at 8.30 p.m. Admission is €15.

The Niall Toner Band is perhaps the foremost band on the Irish bluegrass scene, and Niall Toner has been performing American traditional music, old-time songs and bluegrass since the very early 1970s. With various bands and collaborations to his credit - Lee Valley String Band, Sackville String Band, Hank Halfhead & the Rambling Turkeys - he formed the Niall Toner Band in the early 2000s. A hard-working outfit, with several lineup changes over the years, the current five-piece outfit have recently signed to Pinecastle Records in the US, making Niall, in his own words, 'an overnight sensation, after 40-plus years!'

Those of us familiar with his impact on the roots/ country scene in Ireland, consider it his just reward for a lifetime dedicated to the truth and honesty of the music.

Full five piece band!
Niall Toner (vocals, guitar, mandolin), Richie Foley (mandolin), Dick Gladney (upright bass (bull fiddle!), Paddy Kiernan (banjo), Johnny Gleeson (dobro, guitar, vocals)

Press quotes:

'Toner writes bluegrass and country songs that ring true, and would not be out of place on any bluegrass master's albums. This Irishman knows his stuff.' 5-star review, Maverick magazine

'I admire the way Niall's deep affinity for bluegrass and American country music blends seamlessly with his Irish sensibilities. It makes him a uniquely appealing artist, and Pinecastle Records are lucky to have him.' Pete Wernick (Doctor Banjo)

'Great original bluegrass songs and instrumentals. We are delighted to play Niall Toner anytime.' Brian McNeal, Prescription Bluegrass

'Niall makes great open-hearted music and his tributes to Bill Monroe and Jimmie Rodgers are just superb. His "Ocean of teardrops", composed in the style of the Blue Sky Boys and the Monroe Brothers, is a duet song that just kills me.' Paul Williams, songwriter and president of ASCAP

BIB editor's note: The blurb above sells Niall slightly short - his founding of the Lee Valley String Band took place, we believe, in the late 1960s.