The Big Reel (No.1) Contest of Champions!

To celebrate the upcoming premiere (24 August 2013) of the New Century's The Big Reel (No. 1), we're giving away two free tickets to the first person who can name all of the Irish Traditional music and dance luminaries on the poster!  And our highly underpaid New Century Irish-Arts poetry lovers have devised the following clever hints to contribute to your impending success at having free tickets.  The first person to post the correct answers on our Facebook page will win the greatest prize of all: winning (and tickets).

Riddles to be wisely expounded.  Here we go:

1). Not all who have sight are the seeing,
The sightless may yet see the muse,
By touching her flesh and rememb'ring,
To whisper her name, "Bridget Cruise".

2). In '92 I made my mark
From men who stumbled in the dark,
But fumbled not with fingers aged
O'er the strands of melody.
Paint me, and I'll fly away.

3). May great Gaels grow on me
Revived by me, subscribed to the
New society for the preservation and publication
Of melody, and sometimes liberty.

4). Number Three is quite a dish:
Collector antiquarian.
Of ancient ideals long forgotten,
Eminent protector.
But I could sing and play and speak;
I showed him per his wish,
As Gaeilge, of the West
And the arts it had begotten.

5). From Galway I toddled,
American piper,
I rattled off reels on the left.
Six called me "genial wizard".
Was I too modern?
E'en Ennis thought I was deft.

6). Shipwrecked, I thought: why not write a book,
Catch a crook, discourse at length about the uilleann pipes?
It's worth a look.

7). The "grande dame" of D.C.
Worked at the BBC,
Came o'er the sea,
On her own float,
Left her legacy
On the banks of the Potomac.

8). musically overflowing,
The Times We've Had
with premium hairstyles

Remember to leave your answers on our Facebook page!

[Edited: Scholars have weighed in, reminding us that famous people five and six had their numbers crossed.  Now they're in the correct order.]