County Mayo has new CD

Staff report

County Mayo, one of the premiere traditional Irish music bands in Northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania, has released its fifth album.

Titled “Exiles and Emigrants,” the 14-song project by the Youngstown-based band features songs about those who left Ireland.

Among its selections are popular Irish songs such as “Fields of Athenry,” “Goodbye Mick” and “The Irish Pub Song.”

“All of us had relatives who left Ireland for various reasons, some political and some economic,” said Ted Miller, lead singer. “These songs are important because they tell the story of emigrants from different perspectives.”

The band specializes in Irish ballads but its repertoire also includes Scottish, Australian and Canadian songs, as well as familiar Irish-American favorites and American folk tunes.

County Mayo was formed in the early 1980s and is named for the county in Ireland where two of its members have roots. The band is a regular at festivals, pubs, conventions, schools, parties and family events, including Irish weddings and wakes. In addition to Miller, its members are Marcy Meiers, flute, whistle and bodhran; Bernie Bonnie, bass; and Bill Lewis, guitar, fiddle and banjo.

“Exiles and Emigrants” is available at countymayoirishband.com and at all the band’s performances.