Cathal McConnell is best known through his long-time association with the Boys of the Lough, one of the finest traditional music groups to ever come out of the British Isles. A co-founder of the band and a member for nearly thirty years, Cathal and the Boys have performed in major concert halls throughout the world and have recorded nearly twenty albums. Born in Co. Fermanagh, in Northern Ireland, he won All-Ireland Championships in both flute and tin whistle at the age of 18. Five years later he started touring with the first incarnation of the Boys of the Lough and has been with them ever since as instrumentalist and lead singer.

He has become well known over the years as a true virtuoso of the flute and pennywhistle.