The critically acclaimed musician, composer and actor,  Floriane Blancke joined the exciting traditional and folk music scene of Ireland almost 16 years ago after studying Classical music on piano, harp and luth in the National Conservatoire of Bordeaux, and in the C.I.A.M Jazz and World Music school. She has performed, recorded and toured with Irish luminaries such as Sharon Shannon, Shane Mc Gowan of the Pogues, Mundy, John Sheehan, Liam O'Maonlai, Frankie Gavin, Steve Cooney, The RTE Concert Orchestra, Contempo Quartet, X-Factor singer Janet Devlin, New Airs, Dermot Byrne (Altan) who she has being touring with since 2012, and with whom she released a duet cd with in 2012  "Dermot Byrne & Floriane Blancke”. Floriane also collaborated  with Irish singer-songwriter Declan O'Rourke whom she toured and recorded with for his “Chronicles of the Great Irish Famine”. 


 In 2006, she was invited by the world acclaimed artist Patti Smith to open her show in Vicar Street, Dublin with musicien friends and has recently recorded with international artists such as Joe Henry, Aoife O'Donovan and Beth Nielson Chapman. 

Her own album 'Kaleidoscope', featuring a host of musical friends, was released in 2017 of which the track "Creg Na Vagabones" was chosen by Irish designer Diarmuid Neillan (EKOTREE) for his advertising brand. 

As a film score composer, Floriane composed, recorded and arranged the sound track for film-maker Baz Black's short film "Reflection" in 2019. She also composed the music for two theatre productions, "The Harp silenced" and "the government Inspector".

I was born and raised in Co. Cavan, Ireland. I moved to Los Angeles in the spring of 1987 and began working as a session musician. Many of these sessions included world-renowned artists including, Chet McCracken (Doobie Brothers), Albert Lee, Stuart Smith (Sweet), and Howard Leese (Heart). Working with musicians of this caliber, all of whom had toured the world, inspired me to find a band that I could tour with. In 1994 I joined world-beat band World Color, a multi-racial, multi-cultural band led by Pamela Whitman, great-granddaughter of Walt Whitman. The experience of working with musicians from all over the world combined with my upbringing, rooted in Irish traditional music, transported me to a new place, musically. I began to write music that would lead to the unique sound that is, Finn MacCool. I left World Color in 1999 to form the band Finn MacCool.

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Finn MacCool is a Celtic Fusion band based in Los Angeles. The band takes its name from the legendary figure in Irish lore, the warrior Finn MacCool. The music and songs are rooted in the Celtic culture from all seven Celtic nations**. The lyrics take the listener back in time and celebrate the history of the Celtic people, while the music combines traditional Irish scales and rhythms with elements of folk, blues, gypsy, world-beat, and funk. The music and stories help keep the spirit of this great culture alive and relevant in these modern times. "You will feel their presence and you will know their stories through the music of Finn MacCool".
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Fans often describe the music as reminiscent of Traffic or early Led Zeppelin, with a strong spiritual presence that sets it apart from other bands of this genre.
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Other popular fan comments include:

"This music is suitable for all ages"
"There is something for everyone"
"I felt a very positive vibe coming from the music and lyrics"

Jim McDonough, editor of the Irish News & Entertainment wrote the following after hearing the band for the first time:

..."Finn MacCool will take you on a journey from Ancient Ireland to Modern America"...

Jim Fowler of the Los Angeles Times wrote:

..."I was blown away by their live performance. They blended the instrumentation of Celtic folk music with rock music intensity"...

Orange County Register wrote:

..."Like NOTHING you have ever heard. You will feel the presence and you will know the stories of the Celtic people through the music of Finn MacCool"...
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I am in the process of writing and recording two musicals under the title Ancestral Voices* (the Famine Years) and Ancestral Voices (Voices Lost)

*Ancestral Voices (the Famine Years)

The Famine, also known as, an Gorta Mor, all but decimated the entire population of Ireland. During the years 1845 to 1852 five-sixths of the people died or emigrated. Ancestral Voices (the Famine Years) uncovers the true reasons behind why an event of such magnitude is seldom spoken of in Ireland.

Ancestral Voices (Voices Lost)

There was a time when women had an equal voice in society. What happened?  How did they lose their equal standing? Was it survival of the fittest, or did man wander from the path of equality, fairness, respect, and understanding? 

From Eve to Mary Magdalene, Joan of Arc to Lillian Hellman, there is one common thread, they were all vilified. Whether it was labeling them a witch, a whore, or a communist, the tactic was the same, dehumanize the target, turning them into symbols for lust evil and hatred. Buy why?
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**The Seven Celtic nations are: Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, Wales, Cornwall, Isle of Man and Galicia.
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Peter McGowan performs weekly in and around Los Angeles with his partner Suman Elizabeth Kirby (percussion - vocals) and longtime friend Marta Collier (pennywhistle - bodhran). He also performs with his six-piece band, Finn MacCool. depending on the size of the venue.

The second you hear the ebb and flow of the music that emanates from David Munnelly’s accordion, you will be instantly convinced that this man was born with a button box in his hands. Hailing from Belmullet, a small town by the sea in Co. Mayo, Ireland, David has carried the strong musical tradition from his home and family across the world.

David is known for his colourful style which inhales bold bass fingerings, complex arrangements and modern compositions; and exhales hints of the Roaring 20′s and the energy of a box of dynamite coupled with a masterful knack for letting a tune take its own time for a completely unmistakeable and brilliant sound.

This unique style led David into the world of professional musicianship where early in his career he became a full-time member of Niamh Parsons’ band the Loose Connections. As his reputation grew in Irish trad circles, David quickly found himself recording and touring with some of the greatest Irish bands and musicians of the last century including The Chieftains, De Danann, Gerry O Connor, Arty McGlynn and Sharon Shannon.

After gaining ample experience and knowledge from his exceptional peers, David formed the David Munnelly Band in1999 and began a thirteen year journey with his own band touring Europe, America and Japan and recording four critically acclaimed CD’s.

Recently David has expanded his repertoire to mainland Europe where he is currently working on several new projects. Along with the most respected accordion players in Europe, David currently performs with the Accordion Samurai, who’s debut CD has won numerous high-profile awards. Additionally, David released  " t'is what it is"  a successful duo CD with fiddler Mick Conneely in 2012.

Formed by two founding members of The Stunning - brothers Steve and Joe Wall – the band’s debut album Hi-Lo was released in 2000. U2 offered them a support at their second show in Slane Castle in 2002 after the band sent them copies. In 2002 the single ‘To the Bright and Shining Sun’ was used on a TV commercial and became a top ten hit in Ireland. Their second album ‘New Dawn Breaking’ (2005) hit number 5 in the Irish charts. The movie Begin Again starring Keira Knightley & Mark Ruffalo features the track ‘Drowning Pool’ over the opening credits. The song ‘Open Road‘ proved a favourite with Nic Harcourt on his KCRW show ‘Morning Becomes Eclectic’ and in 2006 he invited the band to Santa Monica to play in studio. Their third album ‘Stop the Lights’ came out in 2012, with the first single ‘Bird in a Cage’ becoming a firm favourite with Irish radio. The bands fourth album Stray Sparks is released in March 2023, a collection of rarities and previously unreleased material.

Drummer Rory Doyle records and tours with Hozier. Steve developed a career as an actor, appearing in the TV series The English; The Witcher (Netflix); Raised by Wolves (HBO/Ridley Scott); Vikings (MGM); Tin Star (Sky Atlantic); Dune: Part Two. He also played the Jazz musician Chet Baker in a Dutch feature film My Foolish Heart, about the trumpeter’s last day in Amsterdam where he died in 1988. Joe Wall teaches in BIMM Music College, Dublin and bassist Jon O’Connell is an in-demand musician/producer in Co. Clare in the west of Ireland.

Mick Blake is following