Niall and Cillian Vallely learned their music the old-fashioned way - from their parents Brian and Eithne, who founded the Armagh Pipers' Club, a group that for over three decades has fostered the revival of traditional music in Ireland's north.
Cillian is now the uilleann pipes and low whistle player with the renowned Irish band Lunasa, described as "The hottest Celtic band on the planet" (Irish Voice). In recent years, he has played and toured with Natalie Merchant, Mary Chapin-Carpenter, Riverdance in addition to recording as a guest on over 40 albums. With Lunasa, he has played at The Hollywood Bowl, Glastonbury Festival, Womad Aledaide, Edmonton Folk Festival in addition to multiple tours of Asia, Australia, US and Europe.
Niall Vallely has established himself as one of the most original and distinctive voices in Irish traditional music. A former member of Cork-based band Nomos, he has been acclaimed throughout the world as one of Ireland's greatest concertina players. In 1990, while studying for a B.mus degree in University College Cork, Niall formed the group Nomos. Over the past few years Niall has also been spending a lot of time writing new music. In 2007 he was commissioned by the BBC to compose music for a major TV series on the Flight of the Earls.
