Liz Carroll is one of the world’s most renowned Irish fiddle players, with a fan base that stretches from Ireland to all across the U.S.

She is a senior All-Ireland fiddle champion, having won the prestigious title when she was only 18. In 1994, the National Endowment for the Arts awarded Carroll a National Heritage Fellowship for her great influence on Irish music in America as a performer and a composer. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton presented the award which bestows national recognition on artists of international stature. 

Most recently, Carroll performed for President Obama at the annual St. Patrick’s Day luncheon at the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., which was hosted by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She was also nominated for a Grammy Award this year for Best Traditional World Album for her work with John Doyle, Double Play.

Carroll’s father was from Co. Offaly, and her mother from Co. Limerick. She has traveled many times to festivals and concerts all over the country. A native of Chicago, Carroll studied at DePaul University. She and her husband, Charles Lacey, have two children, Patrick and Alison.

“I have always been drawn to Irish music, but I have to say that I really like it all — Ireland itself, the dancing, the pubs, the chat and of course the craic. I feel incredibly lucky to be surrounded and involved in the Irish culture which is popular throughout the world,” Carroll says.

“I have been able to pursue this genre of music that I love which is quite an accomplishment being a Yank! I have had great support from my family and from the Irish community in Chicago, and I have always felt wonderfully welcome in New York and in Ireland.”

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