Throughout Dale’s 45 years of experience playing traditional Irish fiddle, he has steadfastly held to traditional ways of playing – not through stubbornness, but because of his deep belief in the beauty of the unadorned heart of the music. Having taught for decades, his focus is not on developing playing styles meant to impress, but simply to open doors to enhance the enjoyment of playing. Being self-taught has sharpened his ear to the subtleties that make Irish music sound Irish, and have developed his ability to break down elements into their most basic parts.
Dale has taught at The Swannannoa Gathering, Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, and at Lark Camp for 16 or more years. He had a one-month residency gig with Kevin Burke at McGurk’s pub in St Louis, and has toured several times with the legendary accordion player Paddy O’Brien in the band “Chulrua”.