Rooted in Celtic and American folk, inspired by Indian Raga and Ethnic idioms; Four Shillings Short brings a diverse and inventive Traditional Music Experience.


Independent folk-artists with 12 recordings, the duo perform 150 concerts a year and live as the Troubadours of old, traveling from town to town, performing at music festivals, theaters & performing arts centers, folk & historic societies, libraries, museums, schools and house concerts.


Four Shillings Short are the husband-wife duo of Aodh Og O’Tuama, from Cork, Ireland and Christy Martin, from San Diego, California. They have been touring in the United States and Ireland since 1997. They are multi-instrumentalists and vocalists who play a variety of musical styles on over 30 instruments from around the World.

Aodh Og O’Tuama grew up in a family of poets, musicians and writers. He received his degree in Music from University College Cork, Ireland and received a Fellowship from Stanford University, California, in Early Music Performance Practice. He plays Tinwhistles, Medieval & Renaissance woodwinds, Recorders, Doumbek (from Morocco), bowed Psaltery, Spoons and sings both in English, Gaelic and French.

Christy Martin grew up in a family of musicians and dancers. From the age of 15, she studied North Indian Sitar for 10 years with a student of master Sitarist Ravi Shankar. She has studied Classical music at Santa Barbara City College and with numerous private teachers on a variety of world instruments. She began playing the Hammered Dulcimer in her 20’s and studied with Maggie Sansone, Dan Duggan, Tony Elman and Glen Morgan. In addition she plays Mandolin, Mandola, Bouzouki, Banjo, Guitar, Bodhran (Irish frame drum), Charango, bowed Psaltery and sings in English, Irish, Spanish and Sanskrit.

Four Shillings Short play Traditional music from the Celtic Lands, Medieval & Renaissance Europe, India and the Americas on a fantastic collection of world instruments: Hammered & Mountain dulcimer, Mandolins, Renaissance Woodwinds, North Indian Sitar, Recorders & Tinwhistles, Banjo, Guitar, Charango, Psaltery, percussion, vocals & even a Krumhorn.

Four Shillings Short Celtic, Folk & World Music
 
Performance: Sunday November 1, 2020 3:00 PM

  1. BulletInvitations required.

Listen to Their Music
What the Critics Say

“Four Shillings Short are the ultimate in coffeehouse entertainment. The variety of musical instrumentation really keeps me interested. Equal amounts of male and female energy keep the emotional content well-balanced. Song lyrics don't get hidden underneath too much accompaniment. Harmonies are sweet; instrumental solos spirited. And best of all, your demeanor belies a commitment to the ideal of rising up singing. The world could use a few more performers like Four Shillings Short."  —Chicory House Concerts Forty Fort, PA (2008)


 “They are not the Clancy Brothers or Jean Richie or Ravi Shankar but a combination of all three, laced with Irish (meaning dark) humor. The collection of instruments is museum-like and I’ve never seen the place so packed as it was last weekend.”  —San Gregorio General Store, San Gregorio, CA 2006)


 “The wavering, mystical tones of the sitar hover behind the Celtic melodies like a sari-wrapped ghost hovering over the moors…the duo bring an experimental spirit to traditional music, mixing Irish, Indian, and American influences into a sound as multi-cultural as a U.N. meeting.”  —Albuquerque Journal 2003)


”The music was very rich, deep, spiritual, political, healing and much more!! It filled our souls with a much needed drink of vitaele!!  We look forward to your next concert.”  —Rhea Sampson, Palo Alto, CA March 2003


“All the themes of violence/peace/fear/reassurance/extinction/courage/(fun)/& love were beautifully blended in your performance at the Rose, and "I Won't Be Afraid Anymore" perfectly tied it all together.”   —Bruce Maxwell, Santa Rosa, CA February 2004