BEN SANDS - BIOGRAPHY

Ben Sands hails from the frontier town of Newry, County Down on the East coast of Ireland. He was born fourth in a family of 5 boys and 2 girls on a small farm near the village of Mayobridge, in the foothills of the Mountains of Mourne.
Ben's branch of the Sands clan has a long history of music, singing, and storytelling and his father, Mick, was a legendary character whose songs and fiddle playing were spiced by a wealth of wit and adventure. His mother, Bridie, a fine singer and accordion player, was the daughter of the noted Burren folk-poet, Owen Connolly, whose wife was related to the Bronte family.
This heritage of creativity and performance was drawn upon to make the hard grind of day-to-day life on a small farm not only bearable but often memorable and the family home in the townland of Ryan became a very popular "Ceili-House", the focus for singers and musicians from miles around.
Ben tried his hand at any instrument that came about the place and after early excursions on pi