Blackthorn (American band)

History

Blackthorn came together in 1990 around Philadelphia, drawing early inspiration from The Clancy Brothers and The Dubliners. Founding members Paul Moore and John McGroary were part of the original lineup, with Moore acting as the band’s frontman until 2005. The group’s core includes brothers Mike and John Boyce, whose father Barney Boyce was an Irish immigrant from County Donegal and a U.S. Army veteran. Drummer Mike “Casba” O’Callaghan, born in Tralee, County Kerry, is the only band member actually born in Ireland. Their debut album, It’s an Irish Thing, and its track Celtic Symphony became a local hit in the Philadelphia area in 1994. The follow-up, Here We Go Again, took on a harder rock sound thanks to guitarist Gerry Mcwilliams, a noted Philadelphia musician and educator who handled all electric guitar, mandolin, and most of the bass on the record; he played with the band from April 1995 to February 1996. After Mcwilliams left, Seamus Kelleher joined on guitar in 1996 for live shows and made his recorded debut on the band’s third album, The Other Side, in 1998. That record was their first made up entirely of original songs and got heavy airplay up and down the East Coast. Mike Boyce, John’s younger brother, came on as singer in 1999. Kelleher departed in 2011 to go solo, following health issues from a fall at a King of Prussia bar, though he still occasionally sits in with the band. Rob Dunleavy took over on lead guitar. Blackthorn headlined the 2012 Haverford Music Festival, has been a regular at the Rose Tree Park festival, and played the first Cheesesteak Fest in 2015.