Billy Teare & Kathleen O'Sullivan
aka The Two Billy's

We are really looking forward to a great Irish Night with the David Munnelly Band and we think you are going to love the stories and songs of Billy Teare and Kathleen O'Sullivan - Two Billy's

Billy and Kathleen met five years ago, while working as solo artists at Sidmouth folk festival. Together, their reputation as a formidable story and song combination has increased ever since.

Appearances have included; Whitby folk festival, Ards: Festival of the Peninsula, (featuring on Colum Sands BBC Northern Ireland radio show). Walthamstow folk club, Tullycarnet Yarnspinners, Crawley folk festival (June 2008), Shammick Acoustic Sessions (July 2008), BBC Proms folk day (July 2008), The Irish Cultural Centre, Hammersmith: Storytelling festival (Oct 2008) Lisburn Yarn tellers (2009)

Originally from Ballycarry, now based in Larne, (County Antrim, Northern Ireland) Billy Teare has become one of the most popular and successful storytelling/folk artists around.

Billy has appeared on stage, TV, the big screen and radio in a wise range of guises. From his teens he honed his audience skills in a career on the tough Belfast comedy circuit.

In the past twenty years, he has used his humour and stage presence to tell stories in early years settings, schools, libraries, community groups, council and cultural venues, as well as being a featured artist at ALL the major folk and storytelling festivals around the world. (Including the far reaches of the Yukon).

Billy incorporates songs, music, magic, juggling and a whole host of theatre skills, to enliven his world wide feast of modern and traditional tales, monologues, rhymes, chants and audience participation.

Along with his numerous stage appearances as a storyteller, Billy's work in schools, or with learners of any age or ability, utilises the sequential thread of narrative, as an accelerated learning tool. In his storytelling role, he is unique in the educational area of critical thinking and recall and it has proved highly effective for students and teachers alike.

Billy is currently working on a book, containing his ’Tell a Tale Toolkit’© ® ™ techniques. He has also worked collaboratively with various other artists and groups, including BBC Northern Ireland and the Verbal Arts Centre, Derry.

Billy was the international teller in residence 2008, at the National Storytelling Centre, Jonesborough, Tennessee and continues adding to over three hundred appearances at global folk, storytelling, literary, arts and library festivals.

Kathleen O'Sullivanis a published poet and was raised on lyrics, in a London Irish family of nine, who were full of wit and humour (often caustic). She compliments Billy’s unpredictable antics with charm and a voice straight from the pure drop Sean Nos tradition, having learned to sing from her mother, Laois woman, Norah Coss.

“Growing up in a family soaked in music and song it was inevitable something would rub off and Kathleen's involvement in the London Irish community has stood her in good stead. Learning songs from Dolores Keane, Kevin Mitchell and Roisin White, among others, she displays a discerning ear and sharp eye for subtle lyrical ballads. Her clear sweet voice sails effortlessly through The Maid from Maraclune and My Generous Lover. Guitarist Simon Wroe provides the sole accompaniment on The Broom of Cowdenewes . A fine debut effort and Kathleen O'Sullivan's name is one worth remembering “
John O'Regan. fROOTS. Review of Born on St Patrick's Day