When Hilda Doyle’s daughters were young, they’d occasionally accompany her during gigs. Hilda, who has lived in the Dublinshire neighborhood with her family since 1989, has been singing professionally for more than 30 years, often performing four or five nights a week and every weekend. After she “retired” from singing solo in 1998, it was her daughters, Heather Doyle Fraser and Stephanie Doyle, who brought her back to the stage for an encore that has lasted more than a decade.
Since 2001, the three women have been the heart of the Celtic folk group Ladies of Longford. In the last 12 years, the group has grown in popularity and reach. Always favorites at central Ohio Irish pubs, the Ladies recently have stepped up their touring schedule and are performing at Irish festivals in Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky and New York, among others.
It was a trip to the Dublin Irish Festival, where the family saw the group Cherish the Ladies, that nudged Hilda in the direction of starting her own Celtic band.
“Up until around that time, (Celtic music) was mostly male-dominated,” says Heather, the band’s percussionist and a Muirfield resident. “It was mostly drinking songs, but then Riverdance and Celtic Woman really broadened Celtic music.”
“We saw an opening that we could we could get in and put our own spin on things. We could do something totally different, but still sort of familiar to people,” Hilda says.
The Doyle family was immersed in Irish culture long before the band formed. Patriarch Frank Doyle has always been interested in his own Irish roots, says Hilda, his wife of 42 years. The band is named after the county in Ireland to which Frank’s family is native.
“He’s always been a member of the Shamrock Club, the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the greater Columbus Irish community,” says Hilda, who grew up in Portsmouth, Ohio. Raised on bluegrass and folk music, Hilda found it easy to transition to Irish tunes.
Heather and Stephanie, in their 20s when Ladies of Longford was conceived, were already accomplished singers. In order to round out the band, Hilda suggested they add instruments to their skill set. Stephanie took up the guitar and bass, and Heather focused on percussion. Hilda lends her voice – and decades of experience in musical arrangement.
“She’s a brilliant arranger,” Stephanie says of her mother.
The addition of fiddler Elizabeth “Liz” Blickenstaff and multi-talented musician Molly Pauken on drums and bass completed the group.
Early gigs at the Ancient Order of Hibernians’ St. Patrick’s Day gathering in German Village and the 2001 Dublin Irish Festival helped launch the band’s career. More recently, the group performed at a 2012 Irish band showcase hosted by the City of Dublin, which drew Irish festival organizers from all over the U.S. From there, they started booking their 2013 schedule, which has them “on the road” from July through the end of September – including two shows at the Dublin Irish Festival, 1:30 p.m. Aug. 3 on the Dublin Stage and 6:15 p.m. Aug. 4 on the Shamrock Stage.
Heather describes the group’s sound as “high-energy Celtic folk,” covering Irish favorites with a modern twist.
“We’re pretty well known for our harmony,” says Heather. “We’ve all been playing music long enough that our musicianship is very strong.”
Though only three out of the five band members are related, the entire group has a family feel, the women say.
“You would think that we’re all family,” Stephanie says. “We know each other well and we get along great. There’s no battle for attention of any kind.”
Hilda, as the veteran performer, is the group’s de facto leader. She’ll hum a melody and the rest of the group will pick up her idea right away. “When I make mistakes, they follow me. If I’m feeling a groove, there’s never any glitch there,” Hilda says.
Hilda and her daughters talk easily together, finishing each other’s sentences and laughing often as they describe some of their more interesting performances. When Heather was a teenager, she once caught her tongue on her braces as she and Stephanie sang with Hilda. And just a few years ago at the Dublin Irish Festival, Hilda split her pants up the back. A kind soul brought her a plaid blanket to wrap around her waist and the Ladies finished their set.
When they’re not on stage, Heather and Stephanie keep busy with their day jobs; Stephanie, who lives in Clintonville with her son, is a K-8 music teacher in Columbus, and Heather, who is married and has a daughter, is a professional life coach. Heather and Stephanie both graduated from Bishop Watterson High School.
Hilda, a hobbyist landscaper, can frequently be found tending her garden or playing golf. All three women graduated from Ohio University.
For more information, visit hildadoyle.com/TheLadies.htm.
Lisa Aurand is editor of Dublin Life Magazine. Feedback welcome at laurand@cityscenemediagroup.com.
