I am from a small townland near Fintown, Co. Donegal. I received my first fiddle at Christmas of 2008 and I started taking lessons about a year later when I was roughly five years old. My first fiddle teacher was Denise Boyle from Glenties. I was greatly influenced by the late Jimmy Campbell and his son Peter and also got to know the late Vincent Campbell. They told me many stories about the Dohertys, a family of travelling tinsmiths and musicians who frequented this area and passed their tunes on.

The area I live in is steeped in traditional music, especially fiddle music. Our local pub, The Glen Tavern or ‘Dinny’s’ is the epicentre of music and culture. Sessions happen regularly and it is here I got to know other local musicians such as the Campbells, Tara Connaghan, Denise Boyle and Rónán Galvin to name but a few. I started giving fiddle lessons recently and hope to help spread the music and stories.

Fiona Gavin, December 2023