Leahy Comes to the Pollak Theatre

Though America has produced arguably some of the greatest musicians of all time, our neighbors to the north have given the United States some of music’s most popular artists in recent memory as well.

These Canadian musicians include massive stars like Celine Dion, Rush, and perhaps the biggest star on the planet right now, Justin Bieber.

One popular group from Canada that has flown a bit under the radar in the United States, but will soon be performing all across the nation, is Leahy. Leahy is an eight-piece brother and sister musical group, and they will be bringing their unique style of music to Monmouth University when they perform at the Pollak Theatre on Friday, Feb. 25 at 8 p.m.

The group is made up of Donnell Leahy on the fiddle, Siobheann Donohue (née Leahy) on bass, Frank Leahy on drums, Agnes Leahy on the keyboards, Doug Leahy on the fiddle, Erin Leahy on the piano and guitar, Angus Leahy on the fiddle and Maria Leahy on the banjo and vocals.

Leahy is a very popular act throughout the world, and the band’s three CDs - Leahy, Lakefield, and In All Things - have world-wide sales of over half a million copies. In 1998, the group actually won several Juno awards, the Canadian equivalent of the American Grammy Awards. The group has won awards for Best New Group, Best Country Group and Best Instrumental Album.

One very interesting thing about this group is that they have actually been around since 1980, where they were originally known as the Leahy Family. In 1985, a documentary about the group, The Leahys: Music Most of All, won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Student Film.

The group hit another milestone in 1998, when they were selected to be the opening act on Shania Twain’s first ever world tour, performing before 175 various audiences worldwide.

This performance by the group at Monmouth University will be their final performance on the east coast for quite some time, as in the months ahead, the group has shows planned in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and even Saskatchewan. 

For more information on this popular Canadian octet, please visit their web site at www.leahymusic.com. 

Tickets for the show are $42 for orchestra seats and $35 for seats in the loge section. They can be purchased at the Monmouth University Box Office in person, online at www.monmouth.edu/arts, or by calling 732-263-6889.