Gerard comes from Ballinakill, Co. Galway, an area steeped in traditional music. His grandfather Tommy Whyte was a founder member of The Ballinakill Ceili Band founded in 1927. and they subsenquently went on to achieve many accolades in their time including the release of many ’78 albums. These albums are treasured items today and can be still found in the four corners of the world. His mother Brigid and sister Aggie Whyte Ryan featured in the next generation band. As you can imagine, Gerard was born into a very musical household. Maureen, Yvonne and Terry also shared the passion for music with their various instruments.

From a very early age , Gerard played whistles, pipes and indeed composed many compositions. He proceeded to win many all-Ireland titles in all of these fields from the age of nine. Gerard continued to experiment with many different musical geanres. Gerards ethnic tradition influences greatly his present musical style. A life long ambition of Ger, in association with his brother Terry was to produce a musical showcasing his diverse talents . In 1989 these ambitions were realised in the musical Tara. a Celtic Musical combining the elements Love, Heroism and Passion. The first performance was in Taibhdearc na Gaillimhe 1989.

The evocative score used powerful percussion, haunting chants and strong melody to great effect. Following its success, Tara was staged in Leisureland Galway in association with members of the RTE orchestra under the baton of Marian Doherty. National acclaim followed in May 1992 with the staging of Tara in the National Concert Hall, conducted by Gearoid Grant and powerful narration by Patrick Bergin. In 2004, Tara made its international debut in the Luxor Rotterdam to rave reviews.

In 1994, Furry Village burst on the musical scene. It was a vehicle for Ger’s musical expression culminating in the 1996 top ten hit “She moved through the Fair” An eclectic mix of Irish traditional melodies ,Eastern influences with a pulsating percussion punctuating.

Since the 1990’s, Gerards music has been covered by many world orchestras, including The Boston Pops Orchestra, Mississippi Orchestra and The RTE concert Orchestra. One of the highlights of Ger’s career was when he was asked to write musical sequences for Michael Flatley’s last Feet of Flames tour. 1999. His proudest moment was hearing his music performed in The Olympic Stadium Berlin and later in Stormont.

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