David Power, an uilleann piper resident in Dungarvan, County Waterford, Ireland, and Willie Kelly, a New Jersey-based fiddler, share deep roots in the Irish tradition and a great love for the music of the great old players. They began playing together in 2003, when Mr Power was living in New Jersey, and their musical friendship continued after he moved back to Ireland a few years later. In October 2015 they recorded Apples in Winter, a duet CD, which they released in April.The New Broom, an acclaimed duet CD, with Mr Rafferty. He has taught fiddle for more than twenty years, and is a popular instructor at the Catskills Irish Arts Week, held every July in East Durham, N.Y.shamrockirishmusic.org) or call 203-362-5912 for reservations or additional information.

On Friday, May 20, at 8 pm, The Shamrock Traditional Irish Music Society will bring them to Newtown Meeting House, 31 Main Street. The concert is part of the duo's East Coast tour launching the new album.

Mr Power is a noted player of the uilleann pipes. The indigenous Irish bagpipe, uilleans are played sitting down, with a bellows under the musician's elbow providing the air to keep the bag pressurized, rather than the mouthpiece found on the Highland pipes often seen in parades

He comes from a musical family in his native County Waterford. He played the tin whistle from a young age, and began playing the pipes under the tutelage of the well-known Waterford piper Tommy Kearney.

Mr Power won the Senior All-Ireland Piping Championship in 1992, and was a member of the Fairweather Band led by Liam Clancy of the legendary Clancy Brothers. He has toured with Martin Hayes' Masters of Tradition, and appeared on Broadway in the recent production of Eugene O'Neill's "A Touch of the Poet," starring Gabriel Byrne.

Willie Kelly, born in the Bronx, has familial and musical roots in Galway and Roscommon. Both his grandfathers played the fiddle, as did his father.

Mr Kelly was a student of the Limerick-born fiddler Martin Mulvihill, an important player and teacher on the New York scene, and was also mentored by the East Galway flute players Jack Coen and Mike Rafferty, both of whom played memorable concerts at the meeting house.

In 2009 he recorded

Mr Power kindly took a few minutes out of his preparations for the upcoming tour to chat about his duet with Mr Kelly.

"We've played a lot of music together, and we've enjoyed a lot of music together," he said. "Willie plays pipes, and I play fiddle, a bit. That gives us a preference for similar sorts of tunes and ornamentation. Our playing styles are very compatible."

This concert represents a rare opportunity to hear pipes and fiddle, played with the near-telepathic connection that always marks the great duos of any musical genre, in the lovely acoustics and intimate setting of a Newtown landmark.

"People sometimes come into a traditional concert expecting to learn something," Mr. Power said, "but what we'd really want would be for them to enjoy the music."

Traditional Irish concerts at the meeting house have a history of selling out, so early reservations are recommended. Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for ages 16 and under. Visit the Shamrock Traditional Irish Music Society website (

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