Leahy

"Leahy" is the name of an Irish folk music group from Canada. The eight band members, all from the Leahy family, are from Lakefield, Ontario and have been actively touring Canada and internationally since the early 1980s when they were known as The Leahy Family. In 1985, they were the subject of a short film entitled "Leahy: Music Most of All " which received an Academy Award in the category of "Best Foreign Student Film" The line-up of the group varies depending upon the availability of its members who come and go due to marriage, raising children, and other commitments. During the 1980s and early 1990s, the band recorded a number of privately-released LPs and cassettes (most of which used the same title, "The Leahy Family") which were sold at their concerts. In 1997 the band resumed recording with their "relaunch" album, "Leahy" which also introduced the group's new branding. "Leahy" was an instrumental album, but the band also includes vocal performances in their live performances and subsequent albums have included both vocals and instrumentals. The group's members are both instrumentalists and dancers, with several members skilled in fiddle-playing (most notably the group's best-known member, Donnell Leahy). The female members of the band often perform step-dancing-style routines, and it is generally the female members of the group who sing. All members of the band are siblings. Each member has a main role they play in the band, although most play more than one instrument and also step dance.