Previously known as
the Leahy Family, this Celtic pop group from Lakefield, Ontario, features nine
Leahy siblings -- from oldest to youngest: singer/songwriter
Julie, bassist Siobheann, fiddler
Donnell, guitarist
Maria, drummer
Frank, pianist Agnes, fiddler
Doug, pianist
Erin, and fiddler Angus. The siblings, along with their parents (
Frank and
Julie) and two other siblings who declined to pursue music professionally, began performing during the 1970s, developing a distinctive style informed not only by Celtic traditions but also Canadian folk and French-Canadian step dancing. The family's popularity soared when the musicians were the subject of the Academy Award-winning 1985 student film The Leahy's: Music Most of All, but real world concerns like school, careers, and marriage eventually relegated
the Leahy Family's performances to special occasions. By the mid-'90s, however, the children had grown up and decided to turn professional. Dubbing themselves simply
Leahy, they issued their eponymous debut LP on Narada in 1997. They toured with
Shania Twain the following year and continued releasing albums into the early 2000s. ~ Jason Ankeny