Evening of Irish culture planned

Image via WikipediaWILLISTON The James Memorial Art Center presents an evening of Irish culture featuring music, traditions and food with Dearbhail Finnegan and Robin Slater, a husband-and-wife team from County Meath, Ireland, on Jan. 12 at 7 p.m.

In preparation for the James' upcoming "Key Ingredients" exhibition which deals with America's food culture, the reception following the program features tea direct from Ireland, scones and apple tart, all components of Irish food culture. There will be a $5 admission charge per person for the evening's program.

Dearbhail Finnegan is a qualified music teacher and performs professionally worldwide playing the Irish harp. She has had the honor of playing for President Clinton at the White House and is delighted to introduce the music, dance and folk art of Ireland. She has many solo albums to her credit and is the featured harpist at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Mo.

Robin Slater trained at the Royal Ballet School in London, England and has performed in many London West End theater productions including "42nd Street" and "Cats." He developed an interest in traditional Irish music and instruments and plays the Irish drum and the silver flute. He has played in major festivals, concerts and events in Ireland.

Finnegan and Slater are touring under the auspices of the Cultural Kaleidoscope of Kansas City, Mo. They will be in residence at St. Joseph's School the week of Jan. 9-13.



BRIEFS - Evening of Irish culture planned - MinotDailyNews.com | News, sports, business, jobs - Minot Daily News

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Four Shillings Short concert explores eclectic music

Four Shillings Short, a Celtic/folk/world music duo, returns to Richmond on Jan. 12 as part of Indiana University East's Mindful Explorations programs.

Four Shillings Short performs traditional and original music from Ireland and Scotland, Indian Ragas, folk ballads, medieval and Renaissance instrumentals and a cappella numbers.

The husband and wife, Aodh Og O'Tuama and Christy Martin of San Diego, Calif., have been performing for 16 years. They recently released their eighth CD, "Pass It On -- Live in Boulder, Colorado." They previously performed in Richmond in 2008 and March 2011 at the West Richmond Friends Meeting.

On Jan. 12, they will perform a free concert, "Around the World in 30 Instruments," from 3:30-5 p.m. in Vivian Auditorium in Whitewater Hall. Mindful Explorations programs are provided courtesy of the William H. and Jean R. Reller Endowment.

The performance is expected to include music from Ireland, Scotland, England, Medieval and Renaissance Europe, the Americas and India using more than 30 instruments, including hammered dulcimer, mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, Medieval and Renaissance woodwinds, recorders, tinwhistles, banjo, North Indian sitar, bowed psaltery, the charango from Bolivia, bodhran, doumbek, spoons and vocals in English, Gaelic, Spanish and Sanskrit.

O'Tuama and Martin will introduce each instrument, talk about its history and follow with a demonstration in the form of a song or instrumental piece so the audience may experience traditional folk and world music.

Lee Ann Adams, a reading specialist and First-Year Seminar peer mentor coordinator at IU East, encourages anyone who loves traditional music to attend this performance

"I guarantee that you'll be tapping your toes some of the time and sitting completely still at others -- absorbed in the beautiful sounds of many instruments you've never heard before. They are both awesome musicians," Adams said in a press release. "Having heard Christy and Aodh Og twice before, I am so glad that Mindful Explorations is bringing their educational and entertaining performance to IU East and the Richmond community. I really love the way they introduce each instrument and song with a brief story that adds so much to the enjoyment of the music. You come away feeling like you've had a vacation to far-away places -- especially when you hear the sitar."

Og O'Tuama grew up in a family of poets, musicians and writers. He received his degree in music from University College Cork, Ireland, and received a fellowship from Stanford University in California in Medieval and Renaissance performance.

Martin grew up in a family of musicians and dancers. Starting at age of 15, she studied the North Indian sitar for 10 years as a student of master Sitarist Ravi Shankar. She began playing the hammered dulcimer in her 20s.

Four Shillings Short concert explores eclectic music | Palladium-Item | pal-item.com

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Irish singer Fiona Molloy performs at Irish center Nov. 12

"Singer Fiona Molloy will perform with Dublin O'Shea for a 7:30 p.m. show Nov. 12 at the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, 2133 W. Wisconsin Ave.

Also on the bill - bodhran player David Klawes, highland piper Sean Cavanaugh and the Kinsella Academy of Irish Dance.

Molloy is a native of Derry, Northern Ireland, who now lives in Wisconsin. She earned the nickname "songbird of peace" for performances during turbulence in Ireland in the 1970s.

Molloy and Klawes are both regulars at Irish Fest in Milwaukee.

Reserved seat tickets are $19. To order, visit www.ichc.net, or call (414) 345-8800.
"

Irish singer Fiona Molloy performs at Irish center Nov. 12 - JSOnline

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IONA to open 'Winterfest 31'

ONLEY --The Arts Council of the Eastern Shore presents the first performance of the new season, "Winterfest 31" on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. at Nandua High School. This will be the first of seven performances (one more than the season usually offers) which began in October and will end in April 2012.

The opener will be IONA, a Celtic band that has been at the forefront of the Celtic Music revival since the band's inception in 1986. Founded by Barbara Tresidder Ryan and Bernard Argent, IONA has evolved into what is probably the most comprehensive pan-Celtic band in the world. The band's mission is to present the rich musical elements of all the Celtic cultures-- Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Manx, Cornish, Breton, Asturian and Galician, blending them into New World cultures: Appalachian, Cape Breton and Cajun.

IONA is known for its ability to connect with the audience, for its professionalism and energy. IONA members have researched IONA's material by traveling to all the Celtic lands to excavate the traditions and learn from those from whom the music originated. The group's name comes from the island of Iona, the first landfall in Scotland out of the sight of Ireland. The founders decided to capitalize the name because another group subsequently chose the same name. The band consists of five performers: Barbara Tresidder Ryan, Bernart Argent, Chuck Lawhorn, Jim Queen, and Kathleen Larrick

IONA to open 'Winterfest 31' | The Daily Times | delmarvanow.com

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