A weather forecast from the past; a mysterious Viking invasion; and a visit to the mythical Isle of Hy-Brasil — these are just some of the stories brought to life in Irish songwriter Enda Reilly’s music. With intricate guitar-playing, vocal prowess, and a cross-cultural sensibility, Reilly brings the essence of Ireland to American audiences. His latest album, Hy-Brasil, features newly penned folk songs sung in both English and Irish Gaelic. “There’s a haunting magic at work here,” raves Folkwords Magazine, and the artistic director of the Milwaukee Irish Festival calls Reilly, “a champion of the Gaelic language.” From the ephemeral lakes of a Yeats’ poem to the 16th century ship where Grace O'Malley ruled as the “pirate queen,” Reilly brings the mythic down to earth. When not singing his own songs, Reilly keeps the past moving forward with timeless traditional ballads. “The older songs connect you to past generations,” he says. “You can feel the continuity — 100s of years evaporate when you bring your own voice to these time-worn tunes.” His original songs are also in conversation with the past. “Hy-Brasil” is a journey to the mythological island between Ireland and the US, an island found in old legends but not on a modern map. “In a sense my consciousness lies somewhere between these two countries so maybe I’m looking to find my own Hy-Brasil,” Reilly muses. “Whiskey Fire” is a new folk song about the Great Fire of Dublin on June 18, 1875, where heroic firemen battled bravely while others foolishly drank alcohol off the street. Not only a songmaker and touring artist, Reilly is also an enthusiastic educator and ambassador of Irish culture. Now based in Michigan, he has taught workshops at countless libraries across the Midwest and can often be found telling stories and sharing songs on many an Irish festival’s Heritage Stage. Reilly loves to provide the cultural context for the music he plays through spellbinding stories and folkloric history.