When I was growing up in Belfast, the McPeake family were neighbours down the road. We enjoyed sessions and concerts in St. Mary's Hall, but we never considered M' da and Francie and Kathleen and James stars. They were incredible musicians with non-musical day jobs who were part of the fabric of the community.They had super stage presence and humourous patter between songs and tunes. Even when they started getting gigs around the world and fame deservedly came to them, they were still our neighbours and friends who made great music. When I became a pro myself here in the States, I realized how truly magnificent the McPeakes were, and I could relate to the time, effort and practice they put into their instrumentation and harmonies. This made me practice harder, to hone my craft and become a better musician. When I hear my heroes such as Tommy Makem and the Clancy Bros, the Dubliners, Doc Watson, the Sons of The Pioneers, Chet Atkins, Merle Travis, I feel the same way. It's another push in the right direction.
All the best
Seamus