Dave O’Neill is an internationally recognized multi-instrumentalist and has been a professional musician and teacher for over 35 years.  Based in Canberra, he plays fiddle, mandolin, guitar, ukulele, banjo and sings. Dave has played with a number of Australian artists such as Eric Bogle, The Bushwhackers, Fred Smith, and Enda Kenny, and has toured and recorded overseas with a number of internationally acclaimed artists in America and Europe. He is well known in the Australian folk scene, both as a musician and as a former Artistic Director of the National Folk Festival.

Dave and his partner Jo Cresswell have now returned to the National Folk Festival for 2023 and beyond, having recently been appointed co-Artistic Directors. If you are wishing to contact Dave about anything to do with the festival please contact him by email artistic.director@folkfestival.org.au

Dave’s passion is for helping adults connect or reconnect with music as something they can do to enrich their lives, find community, and have loads of fun. If you are in to Irish music, bluegrass, country, old time and other forms of folk music – then Dave is uniquely experienced in all these forms of music.

2022/23 Enrolments (one on one lessons)

These lessons are in hiatus whilst Dave and Jo get an exciting program together for the 2023 National Folk Festival

Workshops and Camps

Walking with Music – France

September 2023 – 12 days of walking the French Alps with music tuition and fabulous food and company.

Dave is able to offer you tuition in fingerstyle and plectrum acoustic guitar, fiddle and mandolin and singing. Styles include celtic, jazz, blues and folk.

Topics of tuition could include: playing by ear, improvisation, melody and song accompaniment, Irish music ornamentation, bluegrass mandolin, jazz guitar, crafting songs, developing your voice. You can also ask Dave to address other topics.