My lifelong musical journey through folk, Irish traditional, bluegrass and old time, began when I bought my first guitar in Londonderry in 1965. After retiring from a career in civil engineering in 2009, I volunteered as Treasurer with BelfastTrad and embarked on a nine-month project building a guitar at Lagan Lutherie School. Meantime, mandolin and banjo were added to the line-up and I played for a couple of years in a local bluegrass band.
It was on a regular annual visit to the North Wales Bluegrass Festival (in Conway) in 2011 that I chanced upon the Bird Rock Dulcimer marquee and bought a McSpadden mountain dulcimer. However, not knowing any other players in Ireland, progress was sporadic until coincidence found me at Halsway in 2018 where I encountered the wonderful Nonsuch “tribe”.
Having been a member of the UK Friends of American Old Time Music and Dance (FOAOTMAD) and British Bluegrass Association (BBMA), given musical presentations at the Moniaive Bluegrass Festival, and been a regular at Belfast’s Sunflower Folk Club, I have the privilege of a diverse international musical network.
I completed my 4 year term as a trustee of National Museums NI in June 2024 which included particular focus on their annual Bluegrass Festival at the Ulster American Folk Park.
William was appointed as a trustee of Nonsuch Dulcimer Club on 30th October 2020.
Roles
- Committee MemberThe committee is the group that runs the club day to day, reporting to the trustees.
- TrusteeThe role of a charity trustee is to ensure the charity is carrying out its purposes for the public benefit, comply with the charity’s governing document and the law, act in the charity’s best interests, manage the charity’s resources responsibly, act with reasonable care and skill, ensure the charity is accountable ...