[1] In 1988, McManus substituted for the guitarist Soig Siberil in the supergroup Celtic Fiddle Festival, which consisted of the fiddlers Johnny Cunningham, Kevin Burke and Christian Lemaitre.
Bach at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City with the jazz fusion guitarist John McLaughlin.
[citation needed] Christina Roden wrote on AllMusic, "As usual, his command of acoustic guitar technique is flawless, with a chesty, rounded, gorgeous tone and a knack for well-marked rhythms and singing phrases.
"[3] Gordon Potter wrote in Living Tradition, "Here is a musician demonstrating talent by making it seem understated.
The custom model, designed by Paul Reed Smith, went into development after McManus visited the bluegrass musician Ricky Skaggs in Nashville, Tennessee, while on tour in America.