Meet McDermott's Handy -- Kathy DeAngelo and Dennis Gormley, who have been performing Irish music together since 1978. It is a living memorial to Ed McDermott, a fiddler from County Leitrim, who emigrated to America in 1915 and who, 60 years later, was still inspiring young people with his music. One of those young people was Kathy, introduced to Ed McDermott by Dr. Dick Levine (founder of the Middletown Folk Festival in New Jersey) in 1971. She became his steady accompanist and they performed together until his death at 81 in 1977. Kathy organized a tribute to "Mac" for the '77 New Jersey Folk Festival and many of the young people he had taught came to honor him. The musicians called themselves McDermott's Handy -- in Mac's honor. There has been a McDermott's Handy ever since. Kathy later introduced Dennis to the tradition and together they have traveled new paths in Irish Music.

Meet McDermott's Handy -- strong vocals backed by Celtic harp, fiddle, guitar, flute, whistle, bouzouki, banjo, mandolin, bodhran, bass and keyboards. Their debut album "Come Take The Byroads" includes many selections not previously recorded. The music has been handed down to their daughter, Emma Gormley, who is now a fine fiddler and singer in her own right.

From a feature article in O’Connell Street, the online Irish magazine for the Philadelphia Region:

McDermott's Handy
Thursday evening in the Seattle Cafe in Haddonfield; a traditional Irish music "seisiun" is in progress. Twenty-odd musicians joining in, moving from tune to tune as one starts and the others join in. Harps, fiddles, flutes and tin whistles; guitars, banjos, bodhrans and mandolins. It's an eclectic collection of talents and ages, from the quite young to the well aged. Part of this casual pick-up group are two well-known musicians, Kathy DeAngelo and Dennis Gormley, also known as McDermott's Handy. McDermott's Handy has performed in various configurations since Kathy formed the group in 1977. The name of the group honors Irish fiddler Ed McDermott, who Kathy performed with in coffeehouses and festivals in the 1970's. He died in 1977 at the age of 81.

The duo has been performing together for almost 20 years, traveling the region from Wharton Village in Millville to the Painted Bride Arts Center in Philadelphia. They've played at festivals throughout the area. They are multi-instrumentalists, playing the harp, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and bouzouki, as well as singing in both Irish and English. Come Take The Byroads is the title of their album (available on tape and vinyl). It is an interesting collection of both traditional and original compositions. The duo presents an interesting take on some traditional tunes, presenting and eclectic variety on the album. Some of the songs have no other published versions, making this album an interesting collector's item. Kathy and Dennis both sing and play a variety of instruments here, showing well their versatility. They break away from the common, for instance, with their version of Rising of the Moon, sung in a medley. Boreens of Derry, another previously unpublished song, is hauntingly beautiful. In all, this is a worthwhile gathering of tunes well done to be added to a collection.

In addition to entertaining, Kathy teaches the fiddle and harp; while Dennis teaches guitar, mandolin, flute and whistle. Kathy also plays in a harp duo called Harpers Bizarre.

Their website is http://www.hslc.org/~gormley/