These dedicated musicians are making a bold effort to bring Irish, Scottish and Maritimes music, as well as their own brand of "Celtic eclectic" accents, to southcentral Pennsylvania and beyond. And that means audiences can't seem to help clapping and singing along!

Fire in the Glen came together as a duo in 1999. It was a stroke of fortune (OK, an accident -- ask Tom to tell you about it sometime) that brought Tom and his first musical partner, singer/guitarist John Varner, together for a string of shows in various Lancaster County pubs. After two years, the band changed -- the first of many alterations over the years. Since the beginning, Tom has remained a constant in the band, providing an aggressive style of Irish fiddling along with a steady bodhran rhythm, questionable jokes, backing vocals and bits of shouting. Bandmates over the years have included John Varner, Chet Williamson, Jason Mundok, Aaron Gagne, Michael Filippo, Durelle Leaman, David Pedrick, Melissa Brun, Mick Mullen and Megan Mullen.

Since the band's professional debut in March 1999, the group has opened for the likes of Lunasa, Great Big Sea, Enter the Haggis, Fil Campbell, Aoife Clancy, the Young Dubliners, Barleyjuice, Tarras, Charlie Zahm, the Dublin 5 and Kieran O'Hare. They performed at the Festival Club at Cape Breton's highly esteemed Celtic Colours International Festival, the Celtic Fling in Mount Hope, Pennsylvania, and at countless pubs, festivals, wedding receptions, retirement homes and other venues and social occasions.

The band's first CD, On the Road to Lisdoonvarna, is sold out after receiving lots of positive feedback for its lively appeal. Also gone is the band's EP, Aaargh! The Susquehanna Pirates!, which featured some of the band's original work, and Pirates, Wakes & Whiskey, the band's second full-length CD that boasted 70 minutes of music, including several tracks recorded live at Bube's Brewery in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania. Still available are Let the Wind Blow High, which was released in March 2005, Shout 'til the Break of Day, released in 2010, Rattlin' O'er the Bogs from 2017 and their most recent CD, Nollaig Shona Dhaoibh, a Celtic Christmas CD from 2019.

If you're interested in a band that blends traditional Irish, Scottish and Cape Breton styles with its own "Celtic eclectic" approach, check out Fire in the Glen. You can reach the band by calling Tom at 717-396-9293 or by emailing him at tom@fireintheglen.com. Visit their website at http://fireintheglen.com.

Oh, and while you're here, be sure to check out a brief history of Fire in the Glen for more on the band.

Tom studied classical violin during his formative years but locked it away in a dusty closet immediately after graduating from high school. Years later he released it from captivity, dubbed it "fiddle" and began a wild love affair with Irish music. He began attending Irish sessions in the Harrisburg area and started the first local sessions in Lancaster County before deciding (quite by accident) to start this band.

He co-founded Fire in the Glen in March 1999. Since then, he has performed with a dizzying array of musicians who have been part of FitG over the years. Tom also has played bodhran on albums by Harmony Hill and Varner Lynch, and he has performed on stage with Maggie Drennon, Charlie Zahm, the Rogues, Enter the Haggis, Clannamore, the Laune Rangers, the Knotwork Band, Woad Women and Arcona Reel Band. Tom was a hard-working reporter for the Intelligencer Journal, Lancaster County's daily morning newspaper, and its successor LNP for more than three decades, but now is a freelance writer for various news and features outlets.

A Lancaster County native, he now lives in York County with his wife Michelle, twins Wolf and Annabelle, and pup Charley. He is founder and editor of Rambles.NET, a prominent online review magazine.

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Born in Tioga County, Rod received a bachelor's degree in music from Mansfield University and a master's in music education from West Chester. He taught music for 20 years in Antietam School District, Berks County, where he also directed various school choirs and the high school band. He has been singing with the Reading Choral Society since 2004 and has been the bass section leader since 2015.

Drawn to the music of his ancestors, Rod began learning to play the Highland bagpipes at age 39. He joined the Hamilton Celtic Pipe Band, and is now pipe major of the band. As a solo piper, he is in demand for weddings, funerals and parties. He also played the German medieval bagpipe (dudelsack) and trombone (sackbut) in the minstrel troupe Wolgemut, appearing with the band at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.

Rod teaches voice, bagpipes, piano and ukulele at home and at the Yocum Institute. He lives in Pennside with his wife, Tammy, and their dog Daisy. Unlike Tom, Rod has been known to wear a kilt.