Album Notes

A quintet comprised of some of America’s most talented, young musicians, Bua have been described by Irish Music Magazine as “the essence of a superb band,” their sound “a throwback to the playing of the 1960s and 1970s, keeping the music down the path of tradition” and their 2006 release, Live at Martyrs’, “a work without gimmicks, where the musicianship is of the highest quality.” It is no surprise then that Bua, lending to its Irish Gaelic meaning of ‘innate gift,’ have quickly risen to the status of America’s premier traditional Irish music ensemble.


As a band, Bua have performed at numerous festivals including Boston’s prestigious Irish Connections Festival, The Milwaukee Irish Festival, Cleveland’s Irish Cultural Festival, Celtic Fest Chicago and The Saline Celtic Festival. As individuals they’ve shared the stage with a host of top Irish musicians including Martin Hayes, David Munnelly, Liz Carroll, Larry Nugent, Paddy Keenan, Aoife Clancy, Pat Broaders, Dennis Cahill, John Williams and more!

Bill Margeson of the Irish American News captures their essence concisely: “Clearly, this group is no locally-based collection of musicians trying to break out of Chicago. This is a group that has established itself [both] individually and as a group in the eyes and ears of the traditional community…As other bands change, disband or simply fade away, the tradition is blessed by what seems to be an inexhaustible pool of talent that comes to the front of the stage. It is Bua’s time. Here they come.”