Tony DeMarco

Teaches at Irish Arts Center

Tony DeMarco was born on May 20, 1955, the second of three children raised in East Flatbush by Paul DeMarco and his wife, the former Patricia Dempsey. Musical ability runs on both sides of Tony’s family. Tony had a different background from most young traditional Irish musicians. 

As he puts it: “I never grew up with the competitive Comhaltas scene—I came through the hippie scene, the folkie scene.” 

His first exposure to Irish traditional music was through a Folkways recording of the County Sligo fiddler Michael Gorman. Tony had many other musical influences before this, and would have many more afterward, but for him the appeal of the Sligo fiddle style would never fade.