An Armagh woman with an ingrained passion for trad music has just returned home from a European tour that has seen her talents bellow out across the continent.
Twenty-one-year-old Annalise Whyte – who hails from Granemore – was born into a family of skilful musicians, under a roof where music filled every corner in every room.
From the tender age of six, she began tuning her musical skills on the tin whistle under the tutelage of Francie McCusker. She then progressed to the accordion at the age of eight, and she hasn’t set it down since.
She built a strong relationship with her accordion teacher, Donna McKinney, who keeps in regular contact even to this day, providing the young musician with regular advice and tunes.
Today, she has well and truly grown wings of her own, having just returned home from a tour that has seen her cover over 3,200 km of European soil.
Speaking to Armagh I, the former St Catherine’s College pupil provided an insight into her life on the road: “I’ve been travelling around Germany for the past month, since the start of January, and the places we have visited have been unbelievable.
“I was approached in October by a production company, Anglo Irish Productions, to accompany them on a German tour of the show ‘Dance Masters’ for the month of November, and they have been the best people I have worked with.
The November tour was a great success, and everything went so well.
“They asked me back for the month of January to continue the second leg of the tour, covering parts of the country that weren’t visited on the first leg.
“The show showcases a professional range of Irish music, song, and dance, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time performing.
“Getting to work in large venues with huge stages and big audiences was an experience in itself. Working with the sound and light technicians was also a great experience, as it was on such a larger scale than what I had been previously used to, and I learnt even more about setting up equipment, etc.
“Playing to an international audience is such a wonderful experience, especially in Germany, where everyone is so tuned into our tradition and music – they love it!
On tour, Annalise and her team were chauffeured via tour bus, which delivered them to their various venues and hotels. On “days off”, they were free to travel around, sightsee, shop, and dine to their hearts’ content.
She had the ability to enjoy big city life in Berlin, Hamburg, and Stuttgart, to name a few – places she had “always wanted to visit”.
While the experiences have been unforgettable, Annalise does admit that “life on tour can be difficult at times”, but in these moments, she reminds herself of the many opportunities that Irish music has afforded her.
She added: “With long travel days, late-night shows, and early mornings, it can be hard, but it is all worth it. Not many people have the opportunities I have been given through Irish music.
“This month, we have done 15 shows, and every single one was as enjoyable as the next. This is what I love about playing music – it never feels like a job.
“Playing over 30 venues in Germany, each one is different. With such large audiences, it’s a surreal experience to look out at the crowd and see so many faces looking at the stage and cheering, and it gives you such a happy moment of realisation that it is truly such an amazing experience.”
Fast on her way to becoming a touring pro, Annalise has performed at several other big-ticket events abroad, including The European Music Festival in Italy with the Armagh Pipers Club – which was a particularly memorable experience.
In 2024, she travelled to London and Austria to perform a number of gigs and, as an Irish dancer, she also qualified for the World Irish Dancing Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina.
And, despite currently also studying towards a BA in Irish Music with the Irish World Academy at the University of Limerick, she already has more exciting trips planned, with another stint in Northern Italy in the pipeline in just a few weeks to perform in a series of concerts for St Patrick’s Day.
Said Annalise: “It is such a great opportunity to be doing something you love whilst travelling around the world. Sometimes, you feel like you’re on a holiday as the music just fits in and doesn’t feel like work.
“I’ll be forever grateful to have had such wonderful opportunities and experiences.”
Of her studies, she added: “I have made friends for life on my course, and we are all very supportive of one another.
“When it comes to playing gigs together, recording, or even just enjoying ourselves heading to tradfests around the country, it is all such an experience in itself.
“I always enjoy heading into class as it’s so enjoyable, and getting to learn from the greatest musicians in the country is an opportunity not many get that often.
“My teacher, Derek Hickey, is a very big inspiration to me, as his playing and approach to Irish music are just incredible.”
She believes she owes her success, in part, to what she calls a “thriving trad scene”. The trad festivals which are popping up all over the country – and world – are in Annalise’s words “so encouraging” for young musicians through the delivery of workshops and networking opportunities between burgeoning musicians and the cream of the crop.
“My local Comhaltas branch in Keady, whom I teach for when I’m home in Armagh, has over 100 young students all learning Irish music and striving to be the best they can,” she explains. “Also the Armagh Pipers Club, which I attended for many years, has done so much for Irish traditional music and given so much opportunity to the youth in the area.
“I think it’s so important to keep the youth of today involved with trad.
“Traditional music is part of our heritage and a great outlay for kids, with most kids happy to play sport and music as a hobby.
“I teach kids Irish music from home and love their enthusiasm and approach to the lessons and by doing so I’m hopefully adding to keeping our music alive in our country.”
Now safely back on home soil, Annalise is looking forward to putting her focus into her studies, improving her own style and playing.
After university, she intends to “pick up teaching at home and expand to a few different branches”, to continue travelling with her music and hopefully do a few more tours.
She adds: “I’d love to start recording a few tracks in the near future if I have the time. I have written a few compositions myself which aren’t completely finished, but the aim would definitely be to get into the recording studio soon!”
