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an
Comhaltas, New Orleans
and
The Irish Cultural Society
Proudly
Present
A
Glimpse of the Real Ireland
with
Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann
8th
October 1986
St
Rita's Hall
New
Orleans
Welcome.
Tonight you will hear the authentic music of the Irish islands.
For the first time ever, the annual North American Tour of
Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann makes a stop in New Orleans.
An
Comhaltas has for fifteen years carefully selected the finest
traditional musicians, dancers, and story-tellers for this
highly acclaimed tour. Eagerly awaited from Ottawa to San
Francisco to San Antonio to New York to--now-- New Orleans.
The Tour has consistently wowed critics and audiences alike.
The
Irish are a race with a proud but tragic story. Surviving
oppression, famine, war, and shattered dreams. The Irish have
endured with a wry humor and lilting stoicism that is reflected--nay,celebrated--in
the music, speech and the dance of it's people. Tonight you
will hear the echoes of long dead heroes, and the wonder of
it's faery-world.
Tonight
in music and story, you will find that there is scarcely a
river, a village, a valley, a church, or a castle throughout
the land without it's memory of past glory or grief. Tonight
you will hear and see the many moods of the real Ireland:
the sadness, the gaiety, the aspirations, the dreams and the
determination.
Eight
hundred years ago, a Welsh knight whose appreciation of Gealic
culture was less than enthusiastic, grudgingly wrote back
to London that Irish musicians seem to be incomparably more
skilled than any other people that I have seen. Two hundred
forty years ago, George Handel, upon hearing the haunting
Eileen Aroon while in Dublin for the premiere of his now-famous
Mesiah, declared he would have given up all his oratorios
if he could have written that simple Gealic air.
You will
find tonight that the ancient folk tradition lives on. Settle
back and enjoy a Glimpse of the Real Ireland.
The
Players
Kevin
Webster- A star in the
under-12 grade several years ago, this youngster continues
to live up to the promise of his early years. In Listowel
last year, he took the All-Ireland Under-18 title on the 2-row
accordion.
Eilish
Byrne- One of the finest young
fiddlers in Irish music. Eilish took the 1985 All-Ireland
Under-18 in Listowel. She is another of those talented
musicians who have come to the fore in the Comhaltas branches
in Britain.
Francis
Drowney- The current All-Ireland
Champion on the Concertina. Francis is the son of the famed
Chris Droney and plays with all the
drive and style associated with the legendary concertina music
of Belharbour, Co Clair.
Eamonn
Walshe- A young Mayo musician
now living in Dublin. Eamonn has in recent years built up
a reputation with his stylish and tasteful
mastery of the Uilleann pipes.
Gerard
Murphy- One of the truly outstanding
Banjo players. Gerry has several All-Ireland success to his
credit. His playing was one of the highlights of this years
Tour of Britain.
Padraig
Moynihan- A great box-player
in the legendary Sliabh Luachra tradition. Padriag brings
the same exuberance to the music of the other counties as
he does to the slides and polkas of his native area.This is
his second North American Tour.
Mary
Brogan- From Finchogue,
Co Wexford. Mary is an All-Irland Champion in traditional
singing and has been one of the
most popular personalities on the traditional scene for over
a dozen years.
Frieda
Gray- Universally acclaimed
for over a decade as one of the truly great dancers. Frieda
is the undefeated World Champion. Simply
put there is no better traditional dancer on the planet.
John
Cowley- The art of the
story-teller is as old as man himself: in Ireland the role
of the seanchai has been an integral part
of folk life for millennia. This Co Westmeath pratictitioner
of the ancient tradition brings to life the humor and life-style
of other days, of marvelous Irish 'characters' and of typical
Irish situations.
Gerard
McAuley and Edwina McGill- Two
of the most popular dancers on the traditional scene in Briton.
Gerard and Edwina's appearance in this year's Tour of Britain
was widely acclaimed and made them a natural selection for
the North American Tour.
Brid
Harper- A veteran of the North
American and British Tours. This talented Donegal fiddler
was a brilliant success on the Great
European Year of Music Tour of 1985.
Denis
Gollock- This
Cork-born dancer developed his unique style as part of the
Liverpool traditional scene. Denis was
a big hit on this year's Tour of Ireland .Francis McDonald-
This young Tipperary dancer is one of the finest to
have emerged in recent years. His dynamic and tremendously
exciting footwork have stunned audiences in Ireland, Britain
and North America.
Mairead
ni Chathasaigh- One of the
legendry Casey's of Bandon. Mairead's All-Ireland success
on the harp came as little surprise.
Nor should we be surprised by her versatility: she often turns
her hand to fiddle or whistle and is a fine traditional singer.
Tommy
Guihan- An All-Ireland
Champion on the flute. Tommy plays with a style and artistry
associated with his native Keadue in
North Connacht.
Cliodhna
Dempsey- A Dubliner now living
in Luxembourg. Cliodhna made a huge impact as presenter of
the 1985 European Tour. A member of
a renowned theatrical family, she is a talented singer in
her own right.
an
Comhaltas, New Orleans
Branch
Committee,Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann
We
are pleased to give public thanks to the Irish Cultural Society
for their support in putting on this concert. We pledge like
support to their projects. With the Irish groups of the New
Orleans area working together, we can do much to counter the
"shamrock & leprechaun" version of Ireland that
is yet all-too-prevalent in America. By bringing musicians
and speakers representing the authentic Ireland to the people
of New Orleans, we can all help demonstrate the rich culture
from whence we spring.
Without
the unstinting labour of Ann Keily this concert would not
have been possible.
Branch
Committee:
Richie
Stafford...............................................Chairman
Sr Maeve McMahon.....................................Vice
Chairman
Mary
Ann McGrath Swaim............................Secretary-registrar
Jerry
Hanafy...................................................Treasurer
Bill
Dugas........................................................Auditor
Howie Farrell..................................................Public
Relations Officer
Patrick O
Flaherty...........................................Concert
Director
Terry Folin......................................................Historian/Delegate
LCdr
Denis Casey USN....................................Delegate
Sr
Bernadette McNamara................................Delegate
Joan
Coleman....................................................Delegate
Patrons:
Terry
Folan
George L Dvoracek
Tommie
Horvath
Jim Gillette
Paul
Giler
Don Carriere
Tom
Fuller
Paul O Brien
Patrick
O Flaherty
Karen Rigby
Bob Cairns
Mark Teaney
Sean
McCarthy
David J Wilson
Robert
D Rainer
Andy Mactigue
Art
Priestey
Paul Lippman M.D.
H
R Rabe
Terre Coffman
Paul
Johnstone
Barbara J Wealde
Mike
Clemmensen Frank Laska
Karen
L Newman Cordelia
Cale
Wild
Bill
John D Nicholas
John
Corcoran
David F Donut
Peter
Heseltine
Phil Jones
Micheal
Limey
Anonymous
Sharon
Skinner
Pam Hiatt
Noel
Nash
Jim Andrew
Alton
Chalk
Elaine McKewon
Daniel
O Flaherty Tracy
Coleman
Patrick
O Keefe
Marguerite Miller
Pamela
Weise
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