Leahy is a

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folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

group. The eight band members, all from the Leahy family of 11 siblings, are from Lakefield, Ontario and have been touring Canada and internationally since the early 1980s, when they were known as The Leahy Family. In 1985, they were the subject of a short film entitled ''Leahy: Music Most of All'' which received an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

in the category of "Best Foreign Student Film." The members of Leahy take significant pride in their Irish roots and Canadian upbringing. The line-up of the group varies depending upon the availability of its members, who are present or absent due to marriage, childrearing and other obligations. During the 1980s and early 1990s, the band recorded a number of privately released LPs and cassettes (most of which used the same title, ''The Leahy Family'') which were sold at their concerts and they were frequent guests at the

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concerts in

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and

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. In 1997, the band resumed recording with their "relaunch" album, '' Leahy'' which also introduced the group's new branding. ''Leahy'' was an instrumental album, but the band also includes vocal performances in their live performances and subsequent albums have included both vocals and instrumentals. Despite their established history, they were awarded two Juno awards in 1998, for Best New Group and Best Instrumental Artist. The following year, Leahy took a third Juno Award, for Best Country Group or Duo. Also in 1998, Leahy were added as the opening act for Canadian country singer

Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( ; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time and the best-sel ...

's 1998 Come on Over Tour and were featured in two television specials from the tour, ''

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'' and ''

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'', performing with Twain on the song "

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". The group's members are both instrumentalists and dancers, with several members skilled in fiddle-playing (most notably the band's most famous member, Donnell). The female members of the band often perform step-dancing-style routines and do most of the singing.

Members

All members of the band are siblings. Each member has a main role to play in the band; although most play more than one instrument and all step dance. Donnell Leahy is married to Cape Breton fiddler

Natalie MacMaster Natalie MacMaster (born June 13, 1972) is a Canadian fiddler from Troy, Inverness County, Nova Scotia, who plays Cape Breton fiddle music. She has toured with the Chieftains, Faith Hill, Carlos Santana and Alison Krauss, and has recorded with ...

and Frank is married to champion step dancer Chanda Gibson. In 2008, Donnell Leahy and Natalie MacMaster were awarded honorary doctorate degrees by Trent University. *Donnell Leahy — Fiddle *Erin Leahy — Piano, Guitar, Fiddle, Mandolin, Vocals, Bass *Angus Leahy — Fiddle *Maria Leahy — Guitar, Banjo, Vocals *Siobheann Donohue (née Leahy) — Bass, Vocals, Fiddle *Doug Leahy — Fiddle *Denise Flack (née Leahy) — Vocals *Frank Leahy — Drums These three sisters are not currently active in the band's touring schedule. *Agnes Enright (née Leahy) — Keyboards, Step dancer, Vocals *Chrissie Quigley (née Leahy) — Keyboards *Julie Leahy — Vocals

Discography

Albums

In addition, the group released several vinyl LPs and cassettes in the 1980s as The Leahy Family. These self-titled releases were privately pressed and usually sold at their concerts, although ''Christmas with the Leahy Family'' was carried by retailers such as A&B Sound.

Singles

Music videos

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Canadian country music groups Canadian folk music groups Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year winners Canadian people of Irish descent Musical groups from Ontario Canadian Celtic music groups Juno Award for Instrumental Album of the Year winners Canadian Country Music Association Group or Duo of the Year winners Sibling musical groups