The Band

Celtic heirs

 Eileen Reilly Campbell  became interested in Irish music when her youngest daughter started Irish Dance Lessons. After some time, Eileen and her husband, Tom started taking Celtic dance classes. There was no end to the good times that the music and dance provided. The next step was to learn to play an instrument. The hammer dulcimer was a beautiful option and lends itself nicely to many Celtic tunes. Eileen joined a couple music groups and met Donna, Beth and Rich. The rest, as they say “is history."

Beth Slating  has been playing the mountain dulcimer for about a dozen years after a chance encounter with a performer at a friend’s house concert. While a member of the Indian Valley Dulcimer Society, she was loaned a hammered dulcimer to assist in choosing music appropriate for both instruments. After three days she was hooked, and a year later Beth’s retirement gift to herself was a hammered dulcimer. Much of the music the dulcimer club plays is from fiddle tunes, so she added that instrument to her collection. When Eileen wanted to put a group together, Beth was ready to take on the challenge to learn and perform music from the Celtic tradition. 

 Donna Henry  learned to love Celtic music as a child. She is of Scottish and Irish heritage, so her parents had a collection of records which included many albums of Celtic music. She learned to play the flute in junior high school but did not continue playing after school years. When her granddaughter started the flute in elementary school, Donna found that while helping her with lessons, her ability to play the flute came back. She and her husband, Bill, discovered the mountain dulcimer and joined dulcimer groups which play many Appalachian songs with Celtic roots. That is where she met Beth, Eileen and Rich.

 Rich Hartman started his journey playing guitar when he was in his 30s but it was a Bass guitar and singing Rock, Country and Gospel.  Then he started playing guitar and singing in this church music group and with different Dulcimer groups. That’s when Celtic music became his favorite music. When Eileen ask Rich to join her, Beth and Donna to play at a gig he said " he would love to " now, he plays the guitar, bodhran and a singer of the Celtic Heirs. ☘