Sharon Shannon

Sharon Shannon is an Irish musician from the village of Ruan in County Clare. She is best known for her work with the accordion and her violin fiddle technique, but has also played the tin whistle and melodeon. Her 1991 album Sharon Sha

Sharon Shannon is an Irish musician from the village of Ruan in County Clare. She is best known for her work with the accordion and her violin fiddle technique, but has also played the tin whistle and melodeon. Her 1991 album Sharon Shannon is the best selling album of traditional Irish music ever released there. Beginning with British Isles folk music, her work demonstrates a wide-ranging number of musical influences, including reggae, cajun music, Portuguese music, and French Canadian music. Her single What You Make It (da, da, da, da) featured hip hop music artists Marvel and Lady K. Her work has also been remixed as dance music.

At eight years old, Shannon began performing with Disirt Tola, a band from County Clare. Shannon also worked as a competitive showjumper, but gave it up at age sixteen to focus on her performing music. Shannon similarily abandoned studying at University College Cork. In the mid-1980s, Shannon studied the accordion with Karen Tweed and the fiddle with Frank Custy, and performed with the band Arcady, of which she was a founding member.