Ali O'Brien

Ali O'Brien has been involved in folk music since the ’70s, and ran the Cross Keys Folk Club in Saddleworth for several years in the ’80s. The very first festival she attended was Fylde, back in the early ’80s, and she rarely misses a year at her favourite festival.

She has been involved in the Saddleworth Fok Festival since its inception, initially as Chair, and for the last six years as Festival Director. For four years she has presented the Sounds of Folk radio programme – originally for BBC GMR, and currently for Radio BritFolk and Oldham Community Radio.

She has compered at several festivals in the North West, and also runs some of the singaround sessions – in fact her love of traditional, unaccompanied singing is such that you are bound to see her at some of the many singarounds at Fylde.