On Tuesday April 16, 2019, Dónal Clancy and Rory Makem performed in a special concert at the Tommy Makem Arts and Community Centre (TMAC) in Keady, County Armagh. The center is just a stone’s throw from the Makem homestead where their fathers, Liam Clancy and Tommy Makem, met for the very first time 64 yearsRead more..
New York-based Irish American Writers & Artists bestowed the prestigious Eugene O’Neill Lifetime Achievement Award to traditional Irish musician Joanie Madden at a formal ceremony at the Manhattan Club, upstairs at Rosie O’Grady’s, New York, on Monday, November 12. The nonprofit group celebrated Madden’s continued contributions to traditional Irish music in America and around theRead more..
The sudden death five years ago of the Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney (1939-2013) evoked an unprecedented outpouring of grief around the world. Generally acknowledged as the greatest poet of the age, Seamus (as he was known to everyone) was beloved as much for his down to earth humanity as for the wisdom, honesty and lyricalRead more..
Sinéad rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra. She will release a new album under a new name, Magda Davitt, in 2019. In between she has battled mental illness and controversy – she was one of the first to speak out about the abuses by theRead more..
In 1691, a poor, blind, twenty-one year old son of a blacksmith and his guide set out on a journey from a backwater estate, Alderford, near the town of Balyfarnon, County Roscommon, hoping to make a living as an itinerant harper. He seemed an unlikely figure to leave a lasting stamp on Ireland’s musical culture,Read more..
In advance of this year’s St. Patrick’s Day, webcaster AccuRadio have added a specially curated “St. Paddy’s Party” channel for the celebrations. This channel offers a selection of jigs, reels, ballads, traditional music and fun, rowdy pub classics that are bound to get toes tapping and hands clapping. Songs such as “The Wild Rover,” “PastRead more..
As the summer came to an end, once again, Irish-Americans took advantage of the muggy days and sultry nights to hold festivals celebrating their Irish culture. This summer saw festivals throughout the United States. Hundreds of Irish-Americans traveled from near and far for a chance to witness traditional music and dance. The Sioux Falls IrishRead more..
Celtic Woman’s eponymously titled album went gold on this side of the Atlantic in early August. The quintet of lovely Irish girls with glorious voices, Chloe Agnew, Lisa Kelly, Maev Ní Mhaolchatha, Orla Fallon and Mairead Nesbitt, were presented with a gold plaque for DVD Sales in Seattle recently just before the end of theirRead more..
Ian Warpole’s report on Irish Arts Week in the Catskills Monday’s work done, I throw my instruments into the car, head out of Woodstock and north on Route 32 towards Greene County, heart of the Catskills. Past the peeling stockade that was Carson City East (20 years of gunfights, high noon), past motel shells, onRead more..
Paddy Moloney, founder of The Chieftains, who has done more than anyone else to launch Irish music onto the world stage, talks to Lauren Byrne. ℘℘℘ In the expensive gloom of Boston’s Copley Plaza Hotel, Paddy Moloney orders a pot of Earl Grey tea and shifts out of the draft from an over efficient air-conditioner.Read more..