The Croagh Patrick Ceilidh Band’s name is derived from Croagh Patrick, nicknamed “the Reek”, one of the tallest mountains in Ireland where Saint Patrick made a pilgrimage when he visited Ireland in the 5th century. During this pilgrimage, Saint Patrick spent 40 days and 40 nights fasting on the summit. The Croagh Patrick Ceilidh Band is a group of Celtic musicians that reside in Augusta, Georgia. The band was formed by Carl Purdy with the aim of expanding Celtic music in the CSRA area after numerous trips to Ireland as a study-abroad professor. They perform a mix of self-composed Celtic-influenced music with arrangements of Irish and Scottish traditional music.

The Croagh Patrick Ceilidh Band has performed with the Augusta Choral Society and in the Westaboo Festival-sponsored show “Myth, Music, & Magic”. Its members are found regularly in Augusta churches as Celtic musicians in Kirking of the Tartan ceremonies and found at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church’s Sunday evening Celtic services. Its members for years formed the house band for O’Donnovan’s Irish pub in Augusta, Georgia. Rotational band members include Carl Purdy on fiddle, guitar, vocals, pennywhistle, bagpipes, mandolin, Irish bouzouki, Dr. Laura Tomlin on violin, guitar, Ian Purdy on mandolin, vocals, and guitar, Dr. Robert Foster on Irish flute, Jim Bentley on guitar and banjo, Ruth Berry on cello, Ava Yeager on vocals and guitar, Mike Murphy on guitar, and Travis Shaw on bass.