"...an outstanding young fiddle player"
– The Folk Diary Rowan grew up in the foothills of the Burren on the west coast of Ireland surrounded by traditional music. Both his father, Charlie (of De Dannan) and his mother, Frances (who taught him the fiddle) were key figures in his musical development.
The author of two successful tunebooks, he has also written articles for several magazines and led fiddle workshops at festivals all over the country. A familiar face in ceilidh bands across the UK and a constant of the Irish session scene, he first performed at folk clubs & festivals with the Georgia Lewis Band, with whom he recorded an EP and full-length studio album. Rowan now plays in a duo with BBC Young Folk Awards finalist Rosie Hodgson (with whom he released Rise Aurora) and in a trio, The Wilderness Yet, with guitarist & flautist Philippe Barnes. His solo album, Mountscribe, was released in 2018 to critical acclaim after winning the "Future of Young Folk Award" at Bromyard Folk Festival. In 2019, Rowan received a creative bursary from EFDSS for his SONGHIVE compilation album which he set up to raise awareness of the plight of the bees; he took over the running of Brighton Acoustic Club; and also started a research project on sean-nós singing in the Connemara Gaeltacht with an award from Help Musicians UK.
Recently, Rowan has mostly been performing and writing with his new trio, The Wilderness Yet. Their debut album was released in 2020 to critical acclaim; called a "timeless and heady mix of traditions" by Folk Radio; and featured regularly on BBC Radio 2's Folk Show. |
Rowan also runs Scribe Records – an independent record label and publishing house for folk & traditional music. He has had a hand in recording, mixing, producing & designing over 20 records in the past 5 years. |