Alan Hopkins

 

Alan first began playing the guitar in the fingerpicking styles of Big Bill Broonzy, Bert Janch and John Renbourn. In the 1970s a chance attendance at a Chieftains concert and the opportunity to join a folk group with a mainly Irish trad repertoire ignited a lifelong interest in Irish trad music.

 

Initially he played guitar; later adding Greek bouzouki and tenor banjo.

 

Unfortunately, no one told him how to tune the banjo for Irish music and he played it in the wrong tuning for two years before seeing the light - the light in this case being a tutor book by Tony (Sully) Sullivan.
Over the years Alan has played in a number of bands, the most notable being: Caught On The Hop, An Cuiga, the Castlemor Ceili Band and for the last 20 years, the mighty Beer For Breakfast.