Versatility is the calling card of wilLiam Irish, a musician, performer, entertainer, and instructor who not only plays a variety of instruments, but has a repertoire of entertaining styles from serious to silly.

Entertaining, teaching, and performing for over 30 years, Liam has delighted crowds throughout the world with his creative treatment of all kinds of music on all kinds of instruments. His experience from this gives him a wonderful insight and view of life, from many different cultures, which is reflected in his music and many different styles of performance.

He has returned to focusing on Irish, Scottish, and Celtic music, presenting a wide verity of music on a variety of instruments from around the world including:
Bagpipes- Uilleann Pipes, Irish War Pipes, Parlor Pipes, Scottish Highland Pipes, Tin Whistle, Irish Flute, Banjo, Melodeon, Bodhran, Guitars, Harp, Zither, Glute, Balalaika, Hammered Dulcimer, Appalachian Dulcimer, Didgerido, Flutes, including Native American flute, Musical Saw ... and others. He continues to teach these instruments, as well as most all brass & woodwinds.

His "enchanting, laid back, soothing, yet invigorating" performances include Irish, Scottish, Traditional, Old World, and Contemporary Celtic music combined with original music to create a "Magical and mystical performance to delight everyone of any age." With his refreshing Irish manner, Liam displays the art of true Irish Blarney, Humour, Wit, and Shenanigans, as he enlightens you about Ireland and the Irish people, keeping you "laughing out loud and asking for more!".

Along with a serious approach to conducting and arranging at UCLA, USC, and the California Institute of the Arts, and being a classically trained musician, playing tuba and bassoon with a number of symphonies and bands, Liam has made a study of every kind of musical instrument he could find, sometimes creating his own, and has even performed with the Kansas State Saw Orchestra. He had his own Dixieland band, "The Bourbon Street Chasers", highlighted by the likes of Al Hirt, and Pete Fountain, and Teddy Buckner.

He has enchanted hundreds of thousands, being featured at Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, Magic Mountain in Southern California, Opryland and the Grand Ol' Opry in Nashville, Libertyland, as well as numerous places around Memphis Tennessee, and throughout the world as a featured entertainer for Special Services. Liam has also played with other groups of different types including various banjo bands, polka bands, drum & bugle corps, "The Trade Winds," playing West Indies, Island, and South American music, "Slim Pickins", an old time music group, and others. Chinese, Japanese and Native American music and dance are also part of his musical studies. All of this gives him a well-rounded approach to creating arrangements and musical sounds of his own.

Liam's many talents have been seen on shows including Joey Bishop, Art Linkletter, and Johnny Carson. Roy Clark, Al Hirt, and Pete Fountain are among those who have invited William to perform with them. In the last few years, he has done many programs for a number of cable TV shows, and has been providing scores and music for a local Shakespeare theatre company since 1995. For more than 30 years, he has been doing shows, concerts, festivals, fairs & programs for many different venues and organizations, including school programs. He has MC'ed and hosted a variety of events as well.

His CD, "Myst on the Mountain - A Celtic Journey", has been featured on a number of radio programs including the BBC out of Northern Ireland, and can be heard throughout the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, England and the US. On this CD, Liam blends and layers all the instruments, (played by himself), to create a melodic roadmap that guides you through a mystical journey. It concludes with a story retold by Karen Rader.

The expressive eyes, quiet voice, and animated gestures of Karen Rader, who has been recounting tales and legends since she was a young girl, and the music of wilLiam Irish creates a mix that will capture and hold an audience of any age spellbound.
Karen also plays Bodhran, Tambourine, Spoons, other percussion and Autoharp, adding a wonderful percussive foundation to Liam's music.
Performing for both children and adults, Karen selects her stories from fables and cultural tales from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and all over Europe, Russia, Japan and the USA, including her own original stories, while wilLiam interacts with music on a variety of instruments from all over the world. With a degree in Theatre Arts, and a California Teaching Credential, Karen has been a classroom teacher; teaching drama, production stagecraft and lighting for collage, elementary, and secondary students for 25 years, and since 1998 has been teaching a special program of visual & performing arts at schools in Northern California, and does creative drama story telling workshops, school programs and performances of all kinds.

This husband & wife team have been weaving their magic together since 1994.