Welcome!
Justin Murphy has been playing Irish traditional music for over twenty years. Having immigrated to the U.S. as a boy in 1978, he discovered the music of his roots while attending Tulane University in New Orleans in 1989. Under the tutelage of Dublin native, Richie Stafford, a player of both Irish traditional flute and fiddle, Justin began a fifteen year stint as one of the house musicians at O'Flaherty's Irish Channel Pub. Initially mastering tin whistle, flute and bodhran (traditional Irish drum), he later added vocals and guitar to his repertoire. In addition to playing gigs in the Orlando area, Justin currently teaches anthropology at Seminole State College in Sanford, FL.
Justin was a founding member of the critically acclaimed, New Orleans-based Irish band, the Poor Clares, which debuted at the 1993 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. With band members Betsy McGovern, Patrick O'Flaherty and Beth Patterson, the Poor Clares recorded three albums and headlined festivals and concert venues throughout the US, including the Milwaukee Irish Festival, the North Texas Irish Festival (NTIF) and Carnegie Hall. Their second album, "Change of Habit," earned them the title, "...one of America's best Irish bands," from Dirty Linen Magazine.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, O'Flaherty's Irish Channel Pub shut it doors for good. Justin moved to Washington, DC and performed solo in many of the Irish pubs in the area, such as the Dubliner on Capitol Hill and Ireland's Four Provinces. He now lives in the Orlando, FL area and plays at local Irish pubs, including Raglan Road on Disney's Pleasure Island. Justin also plays in the Irish traditional group Legacy along with band members Don Penzien and Valerie Plested. Focusing on the traditional dance music of Ireland, Legacy has drawn the enthusiastic attention of Irish traditional music fanatics all across the country. Despite band members living in different cities, Legacy manages to tour multiple times a year, regularly appearing at Irish festivals around the country including the North Texas Irish Festival (NTIF), the Savannah Irish Festival, and the Northeast Louisiana Irish Festival (NELA).
From foot-stomping jigs and reels to pub favorites and Irish songs in the tradition of Planxty and Paul Brady, Justin's performances offer a slice of Irish music that’s hard to beat.
Justin was a founding member of the critically acclaimed, New Orleans-based Irish band, the Poor Clares, which debuted at the 1993 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. With band members Betsy McGovern, Patrick O'Flaherty and Beth Patterson, the Poor Clares recorded three albums and headlined festivals and concert venues throughout the US, including the Milwaukee Irish Festival, the North Texas Irish Festival (NTIF) and Carnegie Hall. Their second album, "Change of Habit," earned them the title, "...one of America's best Irish bands," from Dirty Linen Magazine.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, O'Flaherty's Irish Channel Pub shut it doors for good. Justin moved to Washington, DC and performed solo in many of the Irish pubs in the area, such as the Dubliner on Capitol Hill and Ireland's Four Provinces. He now lives in the Orlando, FL area and plays at local Irish pubs, including Raglan Road on Disney's Pleasure Island. Justin also plays in the Irish traditional group Legacy along with band members Don Penzien and Valerie Plested. Focusing on the traditional dance music of Ireland, Legacy has drawn the enthusiastic attention of Irish traditional music fanatics all across the country. Despite band members living in different cities, Legacy manages to tour multiple times a year, regularly appearing at Irish festivals around the country including the North Texas Irish Festival (NTIF), the Savannah Irish Festival, and the Northeast Louisiana Irish Festival (NELA).
From foot-stomping jigs and reels to pub favorites and Irish songs in the tradition of Planxty and Paul Brady, Justin's performances offer a slice of Irish music that’s hard to beat.
