PORT TOWNSEND — Button accordion player John Whelan and fiddler Dylan Foley, both All-Ireland champions on their respective instruments, will bring Irish traditional music to the Quaker Meetinghouse at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
The concert will be at 1841 Sheridan St.
Tickets are available in advance online at Brown Paper Tickets for $18 or at the door for $20.
The duo is performing a series of intimate concerts in the Pacific Northwest, which Whelan now calls home, organizers said.
Raised in England by Irish parents, Whelan became active in the lively London Irish music scene in the 1970s and recorded his first album at the age of 14.
Throughout the years he has won various Irish music competitions and performed and recorded numerous albums and for television shows.
He moved to the U.S. in 1980 where he performed and recorded with Brian Conway and Eileen Ivers and later formed The John Whelan band and the group Gailfean.
A chance meeting at a New York session led to Whelan’s teaming up with Foley.
Foley is one of the few Americans to have won the senior All Ireland fiddle championship, and although he is still in his early 20s, he has recorded numerous CDs, including several with his band, The Yanks.
Whelan and Foley share a passion for the spirited jigs and reels at the heart of Irish dance music and a commitment to passing on the tradition.
For additional information, call 360-302-1658.
