Kevin Michael Parnell comes naturally to his gift for Irish music Growing up in New York, the house was always filled with the songs of Ireland. Whenever there was a gathering of friends and neighbors his father would call for his three sons to “get the guitars out!”. In the seventies, they took their music to the pubs of New York and the popular trio, The Parnell Brothers was born. The brothers eventually parted ways due to various careers, but Kevin never gave up his passion for Irish music. In 1984, Kevin put together a dynamic group of musicians called Parnell & Boru. For eighteen years, Parnell & Boru played for audiences from New York to California and across Canada.  The groups recorded two popular albums, “Raise a Glass” and “Here be Dragons.” These recordings blend a wide variety of Irish music with all the common themes: drinking, death, rebellion, the sea, and occasionally love. Kevin’s strong baritone voice and his passion for the music create a unique listening experience. After a recent move to Raleigh, Kevin teamed with Ed Lavoie to form the current duo, Eire Lingus

Edmund (Fitzgerald) Lavoie hails from Boston, MA where he has been playing guitar since the 70's. Ed’s professional music career started on the other side of the microphone as a sound engineer touring the northeast from New York to Canada. A good ear and solid technical skills earned him a position at the renowned New England Conservatory of Music. He left in search of a little more fun and better beers. Ed adds a little sizzle to the Irish set with his flatpicking style of guitar work that reminds us that bluegrass and "American" music as we know it has its roots in Celtic music. He has been know to put down the Ovation acoustic and turn to one of his electric guitars to get his "Irish" up. Ed’s strong vocal harmony provides the perfect compliment to Kevin’s solid musical performance as well the occasional humorous Irish toast.