| Born and raised
in northeast Ohio, Mike Mazur traveled extensively in the 1970s, when he was
able to visit relatives in Ireland. In county Mayo, he met his great-uncle,
who introduced him nightly to stories by the hearth. Upon returning to the
US, Mike was fortunate to have been adopted by the Cleveland Irish
Musicians’ Club, a group of older Irishmen, where he learned to enjoy the
music, wit and wisdom of Ireland in the diaspora. Mike also discovered local
storytellers - mostly teachers and librarians, who gathered monthly to swap
stories and share experiences. In the
early 1980s, along with Dermot Somerville and Jimmy Noonan, Mike founded
Celtic Ceol - an organization devoted to presenting Celtic music to
Cleveland audiences. With Dr. Olga Nelson and the staff of Kent State
University and the Cuyahoga County Library, he helped in the creation of the
“Once Upon A Time” Storytelling Festival at KSU.
Mike has played the role of MC at various
cultural events throughout a tri-state area, including no less than 19 years
at the Cleveland Irish Cultural Festival.
Today, Mike continues to enjoy lecturing
and entertaining various groups using many of the stories he has collected
over the years. |
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Born in Dublin,
Ireland, Dermot grew up in a musical family, where singing and music-making
were a part of everyday life. In 1974, Dermot moved to the US, where he has
traveled and entertained with his extensive repertoire of Irish songs ever
since.
For many years, he has been an avid folk music performer, researcher,
supporter and educator in Cleveland. He has appeared in performance with
national & international performers such as Séamus Connolly, Liz
Carroll, and with Early Music ensembles such as Cleveland-based
Apollo’s Fire and Pittsburgh-based Chatham Baroque, and
Washington DC's The Folger Consort. He is also Artistic Director and
Manager of the music ensemble SHANUA.
Presently he mixes his love of music with his interest and career in
technology, and that combination is reflected in Shanua’s music.
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