BIOGRAPHY
MUSIC IS PLAYED TO CREATE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC AND TO PERFORM WITH SINCERE PASSION FROM THE HEART
Andi Leahy: Originally from New York City, Andi began playing the fiddle at the age of about 9, learning from local NJ fiddler, Tommy Kagan. She then pursued instruction with New York Irish fiddler and first American born All-Ireland Fleadh Champion, Kathleen Collins. Andi traveled in Ireland several times as a youngster, honing her craft through the aural tradition of music among great Irish musicians there, and also at home amongst New York-based Irish musicians.
Her early influences include Kathleen Collins, Tommy Peoples, Kevin Burke, Paddy Glackin, and old recordings of Michael Coleman, as well as the many brilliant musicians of County Clare and Galway and parts of the north of Ireland.
At the age of 13, she took first place in the Bronx Fleadh Ceol, but soon abandoned the philosophy behind competition in music for various reasons. However, while respecting the tradition, she holds that “music is played, not to win medals, but to individually and collectively create beautiful music and to perform with sincere passion which comes from the heart.”
As a teenager in the mid-1980s, Andi co-founded the New York Irish trad/fusion band Ground Plan with her sister Fionnghuala Leahy. The band’s core members consisted of Andi, Fionnghuala and friend, Eileen Ivers. The band became managed by Phelim Lunny, brother of Donal Lunny, and Andi Leahy. After a couple of years playing the circuit, they performed at the renowned venue The Bottom Line in NYC, opening for The Moving Hearts at the age of 17. Early recordings of the band were recorded live at WBAI radio in NYC. The tune The Ground Plan (also known as The Destitution) has been named after them (https://www.facebook.com/groundplan/). She has also played in various traditional Irish duos and trios, led sessions at the former Yaffa Café in the East Village, NYC, and has played and recorded with various local rock/alternative bands (such as Copernicus, recording on the Ski Record Label on the albums Nothing Exists, Victim of the Sky, and Deeper). She also briefly performed with The Ken McIntyre Jazz Orchestra. Andi later went on to study music production and engineering at The Institute of Audio Research, NYC, and then went on to university, studying Biology.
In 2017, she had teamed up with guitarist Peter Gallagher from Sligo Ireland and they recorded a single called The Lighthouse Keeper’s Waltz (Cal Scott, Swithsongs, BMI). The duo were later joined by Fionnghuala Leahy and were known as West of Connacht, recording two more singles between 2018 and 2019. Andi produced and performed in West of Connacht’s latest multinational single The Girl That Broke My Heart, and it was broadcasted internationally in Ireland, US and Africa (see Mentions Page). She continues to play locally at Irish music sessions in and around NYC and Ireland and is currently playing with her sister, Fionnghuala Leahy (flute, clavinet) and in a local NJ Irish folk/rock/trad band with John Kelly, Dave Beck, and Jeff Jirout. More info to come.
MUSIC IS PLAYED TO CREATE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC AND TO PERFORM WITH SINCERE PASSION FROM THE HEART
Andi Leahy: Originally from New York City, Andi began playing the fiddle at the age of about 9, learning from local NJ fiddler, Tommy Kagan. She then pursued instruction with New York Irish fiddler and first American born All-Ireland Fleadh Champion, Kathleen Collins. Andi traveled in Ireland several times as a youngster, honing her craft through the aural tradition of music among great Irish musicians there, and also at home amongst New York-based Irish musicians.
Her early influences include Kathleen Collins, Tommy Peoples, Kevin Burke, Paddy Glackin, and old recordings of Michael Coleman, as well as the many brilliant musicians of County Clare and Galway and parts of the north of Ireland.
At the age of 13, she took first place in the Bronx Fleadh Ceol, but soon abandoned the philosophy behind competition in music for various reasons. However, while respecting the tradition, she holds that “music is played, not to win medals, but to individually and collectively create beautiful music and to perform with sincere passion which comes from the heart.”
As a teenager in the mid-1980s, Andi co-founded the New York Irish trad/fusion band Ground Plan with her sister Fionnghuala Leahy. The band’s core members consisted of Andi, Fionnghuala and friend, Eileen Ivers. The band became managed by Phelim Lunny, brother of Donal Lunny, and Andi Leahy. After a couple of years playing the circuit, they performed at the renowned venue The Bottom Line in NYC, opening for The Moving Hearts at the age of 17. Early recordings of the band were recorded live at WBAI radio in NYC. The tune The Ground Plan (also known as The Destitution) has been named after them (https://www.facebook.com/groundplan/). She has also played in various traditional Irish duos and trios, led sessions at the former Yaffa Café in the East Village, NYC, and has played and recorded with various local rock/alternative bands (such as Copernicus, recording on the Ski Record Label on the albums Nothing Exists, Victim of the Sky, and Deeper). She also briefly performed with The Ken McIntyre Jazz Orchestra. Andi later went on to study music production and engineering at The Institute of Audio Research, NYC, and then went on to university, studying Biology.
In 2017, she had teamed up with guitarist Peter Gallagher from Sligo Ireland and they recorded a single called The Lighthouse Keeper’s Waltz (Cal Scott, Swithsongs, BMI). The duo were later joined by Fionnghuala Leahy and were known as West of Connacht, recording two more singles between 2018 and 2019. Andi produced and performed in West of Connacht’s latest multinational single The Girl That Broke My Heart, and it was broadcasted internationally in Ireland, US and Africa (see Mentions Page). She continues to play locally at Irish music sessions in and around NYC and Ireland and is currently playing with sister, Fionnghuala Leahy (flute, clavinet) and in a local NJ Irish folk/rock/trad band with John Kelly, Dave Beck, and Jeff Jirout. More info to come.