Burning Bridget Cleary – Celtic trad band

Burning Bridget Cleary are a Celtic trad band from SE Pennsylvania.

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They have been playing professionally and recording since 2006. They are known for their tightly woven fiddle and vocal harmonies, backed by driving guitar and djembe rhythms.

Burning Bridget Cleary
Burning Bridget Cleary

Their material is traditional – spiced up with distinctive interludes and some original tunes. They list Liz Carroll, John Doyle and Steeleye Span as influences on their music.

The band consists of Rose Baldino (fiddle/vocals), new member Deirdre Lockman (vocals/fiddle), Lou Baldino (guitar/vocals), and Peter Trezzi (djembe).

Four albums to date

They have independently produced four full-length CD’s: Catharsis (2006), Everything is Alright (2008), Totes for Goats (2011) and Pressed for Time (2013). Everything is Alright was awarded “Album of the Year 2009” by CelticRadio.net in Boston.

They released their first single, Store Mo Chroi in May 2012. The title ‘Store Mo Chroi’ translates to ‘Darling of My Heart’ and is a fairytale fantasy of young love.

Pressed for Time by Burning Bridget Cleary
Pressed for Time by Burning Bridget Cleary

It has been described as charming and beautiful by fans and music industry professionals. You can view the video of the song below.

Pressed for Time

The band enjoyed a highly successful year in 2013. Their fourth album, Pressed for Time, was a huge hit with critics and fans alike.

It received numerous five star reviews and reached number one on the Roots Music Folk and Roots chart.

Battlefield Band founder, Brian McNeill, commented, “The whole recording is pervaded by an overwhelming air of musicians who know how to let serious music speak, and when to let rip a bit and just have great fun.”

Visiting the real Bridget Cleary’s home

The band have done numerous tours along the East Coast of the US and they visited Ireland in 2011. They played at seven venues from Dublin to Galway. While they were in Ireland they paid a visit to the home of the band’s namesake, Bridget Cleary, the last witch burned in Ireland.

In 2007, during a prior trip to Ireland, the band members had dropped their first CD with a note behind a boarded up window of the cottage, which was up for sale. Months later, when the new owners of the property discovered the little package, they contacted the band with an invitation to visit if they ever came back.

Burning Bridget Cleary live shows

Burning Bridget Cleary performs at national and regional music festivals, Celtic festivals, folk music series, and many other music listening rooms.

Their music has been played on Celtic and folk music radio programmers across the US, Canada, and most recently, Northern Ireland.

In concert, they are known for an upbeat, personable, and engaging style that creates instant fans and brings them back again and again.

In December 2013, the band received an Irish Music Association nomination for the ‘Top Traditional Act in a Pub, Festival or Concert’ category.

Stor Mo Chroi (Darling of my Heart) performed by Burning Bridget Cleary.

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