Rainshadow Concerts’ ongoing series at The Palindrome at Eaglemount Cidery, located at 1893 S. Jacob Miller Rd. in Port Townsend, will wrap up the month with some well-researched Celtic flair, as Irish fiddle-master Gerry O'Connor returns to town on Thursday, Feb. 29, at 7:30 p.m., with guitarist Don Penzien in tow.

Matt Miner, who produces the Rainshadow Concerts series, touted Penzien as a “top-flight” performer of traditional Irish music, “widely recognized for his reserved backing style” and “driving rhythms” to traditional tunes, as well as his “perceptive and sensitive” accompaniments.

Just as Penzen is frequently on the road, playing concerts and festivals with Gailfean, The Máirtín de Cógáin Project, Haley Richardson and numerous other well-known performers, so too did Miner credit O’Connor with performing with “all of the leading performers” of the Irish music world, including members of the Chieftains, Boys of the Lough, Planxty, De Dannan and Bothy Band.

O’Connor took time to speak with The Leader, and while he’s well-steeped in his own culture’s musical nuances and traditions, he demonstrated a broad-ranging fascination with other nationalities’ musical cultures, mentioning how he’d recently been listening to the old-time fiddling of legendary West Virginian composer Ed Haley, who died in 1951.

“There’s always something left to learn,” said O’Connor, whose mother and siblings shared his affinity for the fiddle. Music was always a key part of his extended family’s get-togethers and other social interactions, which typically featured dances and musical instrument playing competitions. “It also helped that we were privileged enough to live in an epicenter of music, with folks like the Clancy band and The Dubliners,” O’Connor said.

O’Connor’s aptitude for his culture’s folk music was reflected in the multiple “All Ireland” titles he won between 1967 and 1973, in a range of formations including duet, trio and four Céili Band titles, before he recorded 14 albums. His first solo album, "Journeyman," made it into the top five albums of the year for 2004, as ranked by the Irish Times.

“Journeyman” was noted for recording the music of the Oriel region of South Ulster, and even a brief chat with O’Connor reveals that he takes seriously what he sees as his responsibility as a teacher of music, just as his mother and several of his siblings were.

O’Connor appreciates being able to pass on musical traditions through his lessons and workshops, and he complimented the Port Townsend area as a locale known for its own historic concentration of fiddle-playing talent.

“It’s a beautiful place that I’d say has earned its reputation as a retreat for any number of artists and creative types,” O’Connor said. “Within the Pacific Northwest, you’ve got a strong tradition of fiddling here, and I always love to bring new people into our little world, and to contribute to the continued growth of this sound.”

Miner added that O’Connor’s background in step-dancing “translates into vibrant, pulsating dance music.”

Tickets are $20 each online, or $25 cash or check at the door.