Who started these shenanigans?
Meet the people building Chattanooga Celtic Connection.

Courtney Cochran

Courtney Cochran is a creative leader, musician and community builder with more than 20 years of experience in creative direction, communications, design and storytelling. Her interest in cultural exchange began as a teenager through the Ulster Project, which brought Protestant and Catholic young people from Northern Ireland together through reconciliation and cultural exchange. A violinist since age eight, Courtney co-founded TradChattanooga in 2025 and later founded Chattanooga Celtic Connection to create opportunities for people to experience Celtic arts, culture and their connections to Appalachia. She holds a BFA from East Tennessee State University and an MA in Communications from Wake Forest University.

Co-Founder and Executive Director

Tom Morley

Tom Morley is an internationally recognized Irish traditional musician, educator and author with more than 30 years of professional performance and teaching experience. A classically trained violinist, he has studied in Ireland with some of traditional music’s most respected players, including Manus McGuire, Liz Carroll, Frankie Gavin, Maurice Lennon and Kevin Burke. Tom is the author of Learn to Play Irish Trad Fiddle and has taught at the John C. Campbell Folk School, Fiddle Hell and workshops across the country. In Chattanooga, he leads traditional music sessions, mentors musicians and helps shape Chattanooga Celtic Connection’s artistic and educational programming.

Co-Founder and Artistic Director

We’re currently seeking board members, collaborators and founding partners to bring more Celtic programming to Chattanooga.

Contact us.

TradChattanooga is a community of musicians dedicated to Irish traditional music. We are not a performing band for hire, but rather a session-based group focused on participation, learning, and preserving the tradition.

If you’re interested in:

  • joining a session

  • collaborating on cultural or community events

  • learning more about Irish traditional music in Chattanooga

we’d love to hear from you.

renaissancefiddler@gmail.com
(423) 779-6407