Brian Conway – Wallace Avenue (self-release, 2025)
Irish-American fiddler Brian Conway released his grand third solo album, Wallace Avenue, last summer. Named for the Bronx street where he was raised, the album reflects Conway’s deep connection to his Irish musical upbringing and his role in sustaining the New York–Sligo fiddle tradition.
Conway, a leading exponent of the highly ornamented Sligo style, descends musically from figures such as Martin Mulvihill, Martin Wynne, and Andy McGann. The front cover of Wallace Avenue features a photo of his parents, Jim and Rose Conway, both from County Tyrone, standing on the porch of the family home. That home was a gathering place for talented Irish musicians, especially during the family’s Friday night sessions, where Conway first absorbed the music under the guidance of his father.
Born and raised in New York, Conway emerged as a prodigious talent within the city’s Irish trad scene, eventually earning multiple All-Ireland titles and induction into the Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Mid-Atlantic Region Hall of Fame. He has appeared on nearly 20 albums and recently published The Brian Conway Fiddle Method, a teaching manual rooted in his decades of pedagogical experience.
The superb new album features long-time collaborator Brendan Dolan on piano and includes guest appearances by gifted members of Conway’s family: niece Maeve Flanagan on fiddle, sister Rose on fiddle, and nephew Kieran Flanagan on piano. In a gesture that highlights his teaching legacy, the final track includes over 20 of his past and present students, many making their recording debuts. Several, including Dylan Foley, Joanna Clare, Patrick Mangan, Haley Richardson, and Maeve Flanagan, have gone on to perform with Riverdance or release their own recordings.
The stylistic foundation remains firmly rooted in the Sligo tradition, though Conway notes influences from neighboring regional styles in Clare and Galway. He also emphasizes the western classical precision inherited from Andy McGann, a pivotal mentor.
Conway’s early tutelage came from his father and from Martin Mulvihill, but it was Martin Wynne who most deeply shaped his Sligo phrasing. His friendship with Andy McGann, a direct musical descendant of Michael Coleman, further refined his technique and expressive range. In 1979, he recorded The Apple in Winter with Tony DeMarco for Green Linnet, followed by a series of acclaimed albums including First Through the Gate (Smithsonian Folkways, 2002), Consider the Source (Cló Iar-Chonnachta, 2008), and Pride of New York.
Track list
- Reels: Good Morning to Your Night Cap / Tailor’s Thimble / Kitty Sheerins [4:23]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano) - Jigs: Frog in the Well / Tell Her I Am / Pet of the Piper [3:37]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano) - Hornpipes: The Castle / Slievenamon / Showman’s Fancy [4:24]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano) - Slow Air: Dear Irish Boy [4:02]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano) - O’Carolan: Loftus Jones [3:30]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano) - Jigs: The Galway Jig / Both Meat and Drink / Rambles of Kitty [3:45]
Feat. Kieran Flanagan (piano), Rose Flanagan (fiddle) - Reels: Lord MacDonald’s / Jolly Tinker [2:43]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano) - Slow Air: Red Rose Proud Rose [3:50]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano), Cate Sandstrom (fiddle) - Reels: Martin Wynne’s No. 5 / Achonry Lasses / High Road to Glin [3:35]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano), Rose Flanagan (fiddle), Maeve Flanagan (fiddle) - Strathspeys / Reel: The Miller of Hirn / Sterling Castle / Duncan Davidson / The
Laird O’Drumblair / The Contradiction [5:10]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano) - Waltzes: Ned of the Hill / The Diamond [5:05]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano) - Barn Dances: Mrs. Kenny / Peach Blossom [4:17]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano) - Jigs: Jack Farrell’s / Rakes of Cashel [4:17]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano) - Reels: Irish American / Sean Maguire’s / Glen Road to Carrick [5:04]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano) - O’Carolan: Lord Inchiquin [2:55]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano) - Reels: My Love Is in America / Lads of Laois / McFadden’s Handsome Daughter [5:27]
Feat. Brendan Dolan (piano) with Haley Richardson, Pat Mangan, Maeve Flanagan, Cate Sandstrom, Alice Bradley, Brian Lindsey, Colin Lindsey, Dylan Foley, Eugene Bender, Ty Kelliher, Aiden Keeney, Hazel Keeney, Iris Keeney, Joanna Clare, Lindsey Céitinn, Andrew Caden, Arjun Ramachandran, Jessica Zito, Liam Jaehnigen, and Cadyn O’Halloran (fiddles)
Author: Ryan Emmert
