Two fine Feekers hit the road

THE FEEKERS, a traditional and folk music duo from Ballyfermot, are preparing for a busy summer of fun festivals.

Darren Lynch (vocals/octave mandolin) and John Keenan (banjo/whistles) have known each other since teenagers when they hung around as friends in nearby Bluebell.

After meeting up again about five years ago they decided to form a band after realising each other’s interest in folk and trad music.

They have since played together for a number of years around numerous pub sessions, gigs and festivals, and plan to release an album in the near future.

Darren started off playing music after finishing a successful amateur boxing career with Crumlin Boxing Club. It was then in his late teens that he picked up the banjo and later the octave mandolin and mandola.

He learned from some of the great folk and trad musicians in the area including Tom Moran, Liam O’Neill, Darach de Brun and John Lane.

He then went on to play and record with the bands The Broadside Merchants, So-Ranna and Tam-Lin before forming The Feekers with John in 2007.

Darren plays a mixture of folk songs from Ireland, Scotland, England and America, and is influenced by The Dubliners, Planxty, The Fureys and Sweeney’s Men.

John plays Irish tunes on the tenor banjo that he learned from his grandfather John Keenan Snr. He has been playing banjo since the age of 10 and has also learned from his uncles who he has played with over the years. John’s uncle Paddy Keenan plays the uileann pipes and performed with the Bothy Band, while his other uncle Johnny is known today for his banjo playing and for the festival set up in his honor ‘The Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival’.

Their first album ‘Tarbolten’ is due to be released on June 1. The album will initially be available from Claddagh Records in Temple Bar and from Monastery Music in Clondalkin.

This year, The Feekers are due to play the Ballinamore Fringe Festival in Leitrim, the Prosperous Trad Festival in Kildare, and the Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival in Tullamore.

The Feekers can be followed on Facebook at www.facebook.com/the-feekers and on their website at www.thefeekers.weebly.com