Newry, Newry and Mourne, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Died
23 December 1991 (aged 44)
Michael O’Shea (11 July 1947 - 18 December 1991) was an experimental folk musician from Newry, Northern Ireland, who played a unique handmade string instrument he called “Mo Chara” (Irish for “My Friend”), loosely based on the blueprints for a North African zither. The instrument had seventeen main strings, with six more sympathetic strings which added a profound resonance similar to a sitar. It typically played by O'Shea with a pair of sticks (often chopsticks, drumsticks, or paintbrush handles) After years as an itinerant musician and busker among other odd-jobs, his unique… read more
Michael O’Shea (11 July 1947 - 18 December 1991) was an experimental folk musician from Newry, Northern Ireland, who played a unique handmade string instrument he called “Mo Chara” (Irish for “My Friend”), loosely based on the blueprints for a North African zither. The instrument had sevent… read more
Michael O’Shea (11 July 1947 - 18 December 1991) was an experimental folk musician from Newry, Northern Ireland, who played a unique handmade string instrument he called “Mo Chara” (Irish for “My Friend”), loosely based on the blueprints for a North African zither. The instrument had seventeen main strings, with six more sympathetic strings which added a profou… read more