Seán was born in London; his parents emigrating from Longford and Leitrim in the late ’70s. A pupil of the renowned traditional music teacher Brendan Mulkere from a young age, Seán grew up within the vibrant Irish music scene in London.

‍At 18, Seán began studying classical mandolin at Trinity College of Music under the tuition of the late Alison Stephens. While at Trinity, Seán met with Lamond Gillespie, another former student of Mulkere, and began performing regularly with him in various sessions, events and music venues around the capital. It was during this period that Seán recorded Lamond, John Blake and Mick Leahy for their critically acclaimed début album Traditional Irish Music from London.

‍After graduating from Trinity, Seán moved to Ireland and began his Masters in the Centre for Computational Musicology and Computer Music (CCMCM), University of Limerick (UL). That same year Seán recorded Gillespie, Blake and Leahy’s follow-up album, Humours of Highgate, in the CCMCM studio, UL.

‍Following his graduation, Seán lectured within the CCMCM on the Masters in Music Technology, Masters in Interactive Media and BSc in Music, Media and Performance Technology. He also lectured in the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, UL, giving individual tuition and master classes on mandolin and banjo, as well as constructing and delivering various elective modules for a number of courses within the IWAMD, including the BA & MA in Irish Traditional Music, MA in Ethnomusicology, MA in Community Music and PhD in Arts Practice.

For more than two decades, Seán has worked as a sound engineer and/or producer on a number of commercial albums of Traditional Irish music and song – many of them highly critically acclaimed. These have ranged from location recordings of solo and duets, large scale studio-based ensemble recordings, to digital re-mastering of analogue recordings (vinyl, tape etc.)

As a performer, Seán has given recitals in many of the most prestigious venues in the UK and abroad including the Barbican, Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall and the Shakespeare’s New Globe Theatre. He has also been a soloist under Sir Colin Davis for Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’ and performed at Teatro Comunale Di Bologna, Italy, as part of The European Guitar & Mandolin Youth Orchestra. In 2015 Seán performed as part of the RTÉ All Star Céilí Band at the annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration concert in the National Concert Hall, Dublin, alongside Liam O’Connor (fiddle), Seán McKeon (uilleann pipes), Paudie O’Connor (accordion), Aoife Ní Chaoimh (fiddle), Conal O’Gráda (flute) and John Blake (piano/guitar).

Seán released his debut solo album, ‘A Bird Never Flew on One Wing‘ in July 2022. The album was formally launched by Seán Potts at Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy. Seán is also featured on University College Cork centenary album, showcasing 100 years of Traditional Irish Music at UCC.

One of the prominent voices of the mandolin in Irish music, Marla brings a deep and distinctive sensibility to the tradition on one of its lesser-heard instruments. Marla also plays mandola and tenor guitar, and dabbles at the button accordion. She sings and composes music as well — musical settings of works from a variety of poets, as well as original tunes written in traditional forms. This work is featured in the duo Noctambule, her longtime collaboration with guitarist and husband Bruce Victor. Together they have released 4 albums, most recently Every Migrant is My Fellowin 2021.

Her discography also includes a 2025 duo recording with fiddler Rebecca Richman entitled Playdate, her 2020 solo album The Bright Hollow Fog, The Morning Star, a duo CD with legendary Irish singer and bouzouki player Jimmy Crowley, as well as the 2010 Three Mile Stone recording. 

An experienced and sought-after teacher, Marla teaches private students and classes, online at Peghead Nation, and has been on the faculty of many music camps including The Swannanoa Gathering, The Mandolin Symposium, Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat, Portal Irish Music Week, Lark Camp and others. Her instructional DVD has been a popular self-learning tool, focused on acquiring the foundational technique for playing Irish music on the mandolin.

Some of the best mandolin playing in Irish music.”

—Dennis Cahill, Guitarist

“Marla is a wonder on the mandolin; rhythmic beyond imagination, clear as a bell tone, great invention, lovely ornaments at just the right times and places, and a sureness and ease that allows the listener to relax and be carried away.”

—Kevin Carr, Folkworks‍

Macdara Ó Faoláin is a bouzouki, mandolin, mandola and fiddle player & singer from An Rinn, Co Waterford, renowned for his innovative approach to traditional Irish music. He is currently focused on composing solo bouzouki pieces that seamlessly blend his deep knowledge of harmony with his traditional roots, drawing inspiration from a wide array of genres. As a native Irish speaker, he is also writing new songs in Irish, contributing to both the preservation and evolution of the language through his music.

Macdara performs regularly with collaborators such as Victoria Adiiye and Cormac McCarthy, and frequently accompanies various musicians within the traditional music scene, having developed a distinctive approach to the Irish bouzouki. He is also a member of a trio with Páraic Mac Donnchadha and Pádraic Keane. Their debut album, Beo, a compilation of live recordings from performances across the country, was hailed by the Irish Echo as "one of the best albums of the past few years."

After years of building an impressive discography as an accompanist, Macdara released a solo EP titled Do Shamhlaigh Mé Tír Nua… in 2024, serving as a prelude to his debut album Ar Thaobh Chill an Fhuarthainn which was launched in early January with a sold-out release show. Both releases were produced by composer and pianist Cormac McCarthy and showcase Macdara both as a solo musician and as a collaborator with McCarthy, Victoria Adiiye, Conor O’Sullivan, Áine Whelan and more. Do Shamhlaigh Mé Tír Nua… was recently nominated for album of the year by Nós as well as Macdara being nominated for Best Folk Instrumentalist by the RTÉ FolkAwards. Named the Young Musician of the Year by TG4 in 2024, Macdara is solidifying his place as a significant figure in the world of traditional Irish music.