Barry Mc Cabe

Barry Mc Cabe, the "Celtic-Blues" guitarist from Virginia, Co. Cavan, Ireland has never been a person who copies what others have done. That's probably why he was the first Irish artist to record his debut album live outside Ireland (For Fans Only - Live in Sweden). He followed that up by recording his second album live as well (C'est La Vie - Live in France) to become the first person to record two live albums in succession. His 'hat-trick' was to record "Everybody's Got The Blues" live in Norway for the prestigious label Blue Horizon". This was all done under the name of his group at that time - Albatross - and also gave him the distinction of being the only person in the history of recorded music to have recorded all his material live. So how do you follow that I hear you ask. Well Barry let his creative juices flow once again and came up with a completely new category within the music business - "Celtic-Blues". Teaming up with the world renowned uilleann pipe player, Davy Spillane, both he and Davy brought their collective love of blues and Irish music together to record the critically acclaimed CD "The Peace Within". To date it has been sold in 45 countries worldwide, as listeners succumb to this enchanting sound and hear the message - "the only way for peace without... is to find the peace within!" Words for these troubled times indeed. Barry explains, "Well growing up in Ireland certainly gives you the chance to see firsthand the effects violence can have on a community. I see the same in all the struggles around the world. I realised that to find peace doesn't mean someone has a master plan that will suit everyone, rather the opposite is true. We all define peace in our own way and that's when it struck me that if I am at peace with myself then I am at peace with the world around me. So first I have to find peace within myself. Barry also presented Bill Clinton with a copy of his "The Peace Within" CD when President Clinton was in Northern Ireland to promote the Good Friday Agreement. He was very positive of both the music and the message. "Yes, he said the blues part of the music reminded him of where he came from, and the Irish part was a music style he had taken to his heart since first visiting Ireland. He said most important of all was this new look at trying to achieve peace, as contained in the lyrics of the song "The Peace Within", Barry explains. Barry sums it up quite simply - "I grew up in a small town and dreamed that one day I'd be in a music group, travelling all over the world and reaching people through my music. It's a dream that has come true many times over!"