The fiddle and guitar duo Karen Reshkin and Mike O’Regan love traditional Irish music—driving reels and jigs, haunting airs, the songs in Irish Gaelic and in English. They play and sing a wide variety of that music, old and new, sharing the power, flexibility, excitement, and sheer joy of Ireland’s music.
Karen
Karen discovered Irish music in college. When she moved to Chicago, Karen joined Baltiorum, a group built by the late Noel Rice. Noel encouraged her to take what she’d learned about accompaniment and rhythm from playing viola in orchestra and apply it to traditional Irish music.
Mike
Mike started playing guitar as a teenager, leaning toward rock. He became interested in Irish music from Chicago bands The Drovers and Baal Tinne. He joined Baltiorum with his brother Joe (on bodhrán), and that’s where Mike and Karen met.