Latest News
2026 Wild Atlantic Music Tour
Join John for the trip of a lifetime during his Wild Atlantic Music Tour from September 19-26, 2026. Enjoy seven days of sightseeing, live music, and unforgettable cultural experiences along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way with John as your expert tour guide. More details here.
Session News
“Taking Time” Slow Sessions
Every Wednesday, John hosts a FREE “Taking Time” slow session on Zoom. These sessions take place on Wednesdays, starting at 4pm Pacific / 7pm Eastern / Midnight Irish/UK time, and usually last about two hours. Everybody is welcome to enjoy playing (or listening to) favorite tunes at a comfortable tempo.
To sign up for the Taking Time, all you have to do is sign up for John’s email newsletter. He sends out the Zoom link and tune list every week, usually on Tuesday evenings.
If you would like to support John and his endeavors go to: www.patreon.com/johnwhelan
Join me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/buttonboxman/
Mondays with John resumes 1-13-2025
Album News
Passage of Time is available on Bandcamp
John’s album, Passage of Time, is available on Bandcamp! It features 33 of his original compositions – some of which have been featured on popular television series like Sex and the City – and many of which have been performed and recorded by artists all around the world. Unfortunately John does not have physical CD’s in stock but you CAN download it online.
Reviews for Passage of Time
“John Whelan connects with an audience in a way some musicians can’t.” – Earle Hitchner, Irish Echo
Hi John, Russ and I were at your Tucson concert. We are interested in the 2024 tour and wondered if you could give us a ballpark estimate of price. We’ve been wanting to get back to Ireland and going with you sounds like a great idea!! Russ plays piano accordion and whistles and I play bodhran. Hope you’re having a wonderful time! Liz Healy
Hi Liz,
I don’t get involved with that side of the business but if you contact Eddie or Robert at http://www.wildatlanticmusictours.com they will fill you in on everything about the tour. They are great guys and are very hands on and even join the tours to make sure everything goes well. I do hope it works out as I truly believe you will have a great time.
Hi Liz,
I am so sorry if I have not responded to this but I just found it. I am not tech savy and did not realize i had mail on my website. Anyway I just posted the next tour which will not be until September 19-26-2026. I would love to have you on this tour. Hope you have a wonderful year ahead and again I apologize if I did not respond to this before.
Hi. I am presently learning (on my own!) to play irish music on an diatonic accordion. I bought a Italian Serenellini squeeze box/melodeon in D/G. I d’like to know which scales John does have on his accordions. I listened to his rendition of The Taylor’s twist for example, which
I can play in the key of D on my box, but I am not sure about the range of his instruments. Thank you for reading ,
Hi Henri, the B/C system can play pretty much in any key but some are harder than others. It is the most ideal for playing Irish music as D and G are the most common Keyes.
Hi John,
I help organize the Backwoods Accordion Festival ( July 20,2024) in Trego, northwest Montana. We would love to have you as a performer! Let me know if you are interested and I can fill you in on details.
Thank you
Kathi Collins
Hi Kathi, I did respond to thios via my email but not sure that you received it. I am certainly interested in the possibility of doing your festival. you can email me at whelanbx1@me.com
John, Enjoyed the show last night at The Lost Church very much. Good luck on the rest of the tour!
Hi Robert,
Thanks for the comment. We had a great tour. Hope you have a wonderful 2025