The Irish Fair of Minnesota

The Minnesota Gaelic Get-Together

Which attendee had the spare fiddle? / photos by Margie Peterson

My husband and I were in the audience listening to the group, Reverie Road, when (Winifred Horan) the fiddler onstage made a strange request,

“Does anybody out there have a spare fiddle?”

Four people stood up, and the crowd cheered. Jody Dowell received thunderous applause as he walked to the stage to hand over his fiddle. (I asked his name at the end of the set). I‘m not sure I would volunteer. She played hard. She was shredding the strings on her bow. 🎻

The music was so lovely I bought the album.

Reverie Road released their much anticipated debut, self-titled album in early 2024, which immediately made waves in the Irish Traditional music genre. Even before they completed their 25-city album national launch tour across the United States, the album was awarded the coveted “Debut Album of the Year” title by Ireland Tonight.

I don’t know about other musicians, but those who love Irish music are incredibly generous. When they introduce a tune, they mention whoever taught them, what county it comes from, and the different titles it’s known under.

If the tune is something they composed, they’ll announce who influenced them, where they played it first (& who with), and whether it’s a jig…