Biography (Courtesy of the Artist�s site, 2006)

�Ciar�n is one of the most capable and knowledgeable musicians I know. I would not be afraid to say he is one of the most important people in the excitement and preservation of all music Celtic.� - Jerry Douglas
Ciar�n Tourish, best known as the nimble fingered fiddler from Altan, is one of East Donegal 's most celebrated musical exports, recognized by fellow musicians worldwide as an unusually gifted player. To be singled out amid the hotbed of traditional music that is Donegal is no small accomplishment. Tourish grew up surrounded by Irish traditional music's best, including fiddler Dinny McLaughlin, who shared his hometown of Buncrana. If his upbringing provided plenty of competition, however, it also facilitated Tourish's own musical development. McLaughlin began teaching the young fiddler, wooing his prot�g� away from an early start on the whistle, and grounding him in a mastery of the Irish dance music tradition.
Tourish, who continues to play whistle as a second instrument, is now recognized as one of the premier contemporary Irish fiddlers, an integral member of one of Ireland 's most beloved trad supergroups. His quick ear and a love of harmony and counterpoint have also led to several collaborations on non-Altan (and even non-Irish music) projects with a wide range of musicians and singers. He has worked with the likes of Matt Molloy, Mary Black, Maura O'Connell, Martin O'Connor, Dolores Keane, De Danann, and American musicians Jerry Douglas and Tim O'Brien.