The Johnny Quinn Macs
About The Johnny Quinn Macs
Availability: Generally on request
Entourage: 3 persons
Venues: Greenfield festivals, seated venues, arts centres, theatres
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From Belfast, The Johnny Quinn Macs are John McSherry, Brendán Quinn and Francis McIlduff, three phenomenal musicians who first got together as a trio at Belfast’s Féile Trad Trail in August 2022.
The trio released the album FÉILE LIVE, recorded in 16 hours at Donal O'Connor's Redbox Studio, as a "compilation" album under the individual musicians' names in November 2023 and toured as the John McSherry Trio until March 2024, when they adopted the name The Johnny Quinn Macs.
They have become firm favourites for gigs and festivals at home and abroad, with notable appearances at Fleadh 2026 Belfast, Lorient Festival, Celtic Connections, Hartlepool Folk Festival, Broadstairs, Birmingham Tradfest, Wickham Festival, and London Jazz Cafe.
BIOGRAPHIES
John McSherry has been a major figure in Irish music for over 20 years. He is a composer, producer, arranger, and established studio session musician of renown, having recorded and performed with artists including Sinéad O’Connor, Rod Stewart, Nanci Griffith, Gary Kemp, The Corrs and Clannad. A founder member of top traditional bands Lunasa, Tamalin, Donal Lunny's Coolfin, and Irish-American super-group the olllam, John has produced a string of critically acclaimed and innovative albums, both solo and collaborative.
Brendán Quinn has toured the world as a singer-songwriter and traditional accompanist for many years. Hugely influenced by his love of Irish music and the Irish language, his ability to convey the stories of strangers and his own experiences through song has created his distinctive, captivating style.
Francis McIlduff, a member of the legendary McPeake musical family from Belfast, was immersed in traditional Irish music from an early age. He debuted with the family band Clann McPeake in the 1980’s, and has gone on to play with leading outfits including Alias Ron Kavana, Afterhours, Sin É and more recently At First Light, the band in which Francis and John first created the “double pipes” sound that has become their trademark.