I am very sad to hear of the passing of Mike Rafferty. Mike was a national treasure,having moved to the United States in 1949.   The Rafferty home in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey was the scene of many great sessions over the years.   He was gifted teacher who shared the music that he was born into in Ballinakill, East Galway where he was born in 1926.

I will always remember his visit to my radio show with his daughter Mary (of Cherish the Ladies) and his future son-in-law Donal Clancy (son of Liam Clancy). I will remember his warm smile and friendly greeting whenever I ran into him at concerts or gatherings. Mike made a number of recordings in his lifetime, but the gift he shared with his students and the inspiration he gave to artists like Joanie Madden, Billy McComiskey, Jerry O'Sullivan and others.

My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Teresa and the Rafferty family.   

Here is a link to his obituary: Mike Rafferty obituary