Mary Lovett is the founder of Dusty Banjos, and has been playing music all her life. She has played and led sessions all over Galway and elsewhere for many years. Her main instruments have been stringed: bass, banjo, mandolin and mandola, but she also plays flute and whistle.
Mary is the author of "Dusty Banjos Session Tunes" (2006; 3rd Edition 2013); and she has produced several CDs of Irish trad tunes for learners. She has many years experience in teaching banjo and mandolin, as well as running group classes and a wide variety of music-related events.
A native of Galway, Mary now lives in Cleggan, in Connemara.
Heather Greer taught herself the tremolo harmonica at age eight, but took a 45-year break from playing music in her mid-teens. She is originally from the fishing village of Howth, on the East coast of Ireland. Having joined Dustys as a real beginner in trad in 2007, she retains vivid memories of trying to learn tunes and play in sessions, and climbed a steep learning curve in getting to the point at which she could play confidently, co-run sessions, and share in the running of Dusty Banjos.
Heather plays concertina as well as harmonica, and her tutor, The Concertina Diaries, grew from her experience of learning and playing the anglo concertina.
