Gaelic Roots Music

Song, Dance, Workshop, and Lecture Series

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Concert of Traditional Music from New England, Canada, Ireland, and France. Featuring Becky Tracy (fiddle), Jeremiah McLane (piano and accordion), and Keith Murphy (guitar, mandolin, foot percussion, vocals).Connolly House, 6:30-8:30pm

 

www.bc.edu/centers/irish/gaelicroots/ 

 

Connolly House Boston

Traditional American fiddle and banjo duets”

Ken Perlman is a pioneer in five-string melodic clawhammer banjo, and a master of fingerstyle guitar. As a folklorist, he spent over a decade collecting fiddle tunes and oral histories on Prince Edward Island. Dr. Alan Jabbour, founding director (1976-1999) of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, began documenting and apprenticing with oldtime fiddlers in the 1960s. His ethnographic field collection, Fiddle Tunes of the Old Frontier: The Henry Reed Collection, is accessible online via the Library of Congress. Alan Jabbour and Ken Perlman released a collaborative fiddle and banjo CD, Southern Summits, in 2005.

www.bc.edu/centers/irish/gaelicroots/

 

Tom Jones live at House of Blues Boston

Tom Jones, the most famous Welshman since Dylan Thomas, is coming to Boston on March 1, where he’ll be performing at the new House of Blues on Lansdowne Street.

The Grammy-award-winning performer who first hit the big time in the 1960s is stronger than ever, singing his special brand of R&B, rock and pop music that has defined him as one of the most renowned singers of his generation.

House of Blues

15 Lansdowne Street, Boston

8:00 p.m. | doors 7:00 p.m. | $55-$65 1-888-693-BLUE

San Francisco Irish Film Festival

March 5th and 6th

The Roxie Film Center

San Francisco 

THURSDAY 5TH OF MARCH 8PM

Hardy Bucks

‘Hardy Bucks’ follows the lives of Eddie and Buzz, two “shturdy, reliable fellas,” as they face the travails of life in the fictional hamlet of Castletown (aka Swinford). Citing their interests as “shlappin’, fightin’ and rollin’ around,” Eddie and Buzz are joined by their pals, ‘The Boo’ and ‘French Toast’, as they face off against their arch nemesis, ‘The Viper’.

www. sfirishfilm.com

 

 

Saviours

Saviours is an intimate, gripping documentary following three young boxers from the same Dublin boxing club, St. Saviours Olympic Boxing Academy. The club is a safe haven amongst the dangerous flats of Dublin’s north inner city, where, under the guidance of the club’s canny coaches, three boxers fight for a better life both inside and outside the ring. It is one of the few Irish documentaries that got a general release in Irish cinemas.

Directors/Photography: Ross Whitaker, Liam Nolan

www. sfirishfilm.com

 

FRIDAY 6TH OF MARCH 7PM

32A

A charming coming-of-age story, 32A — a bra size, not a bus number  – follows 14-year-old Dubliner Maeve Brennan (McCarthy) as she comes to terms with becoming a woman. Along the way she meets and falls for hunk Brian Power (McDaid), falls out with her friends and gets into trouble in school.  Set in 1979, 32A does its level best to bring the era to life: from music to clothes to even the box of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes on the breakfast table.

www. sfirishfilm.com

 

SHORTS

This year we will show the very best short films from Ireland served up what Magners Irish Cider. We will repeat “New Boy”, a short film directed by San Francisco’s own Steph Green based on a story by Roddy Doyle. The film was nominated for an Academy Award this year. The program will also include ‘Shapes’, ‘God and Napoleon’, ‘The Wednesdays’, ‘Spacemen Three’, starring Pat Shortt and the award-winning animated short, ‘Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty’.

www. sfirishfilm.com

 

Profile: The Teelin School of Irish Dance

There she was standing in a sea of dancers addressing concerns, giving last minute instructions and beautiful smile on her face. During the hectic life of Irish dance instructors perhaps the most demanding event is the Oireachtas. It is the culmination of hours of practice, doting  parents, and in the balance a dancer’s fragile psyche. Will she advance to the World Championships or have a disappointing ride home?

 

When you meet Maureen Berry there is something personal; not the cursory greeting but a sincere interest—the kind of hello you receive from a friend you have known for a long time. Sitting at the Citron Restaurant at the Mariott Grand Lakes Resort in Orlando her steely blue eyes revealed a deep passion for dance. 

 

Maureen is a talented dancer herself but she can also play the button accordion, a gift inherited from her father, Michael Berry, growing up in New Jersey. Her mother, Brigid Berry, spent countless hours driving her daughters Eileen, Maureen, and Kathleen to Irish dance lessons, practices, feiseanna, and performances. Years later when Maureen decided to open a school she honored her mother by using the name of her mother’s birthplace, the village of Teelin, County Donegal. Thus Teelin School of Irish Dance.

Baltimore, Maryland is her new home since earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1997 from Towson University’s Dance Performance program. During her young years she studied under renowned Peter Smith in New Jersey. There she learned the discipline of Irish dance as well as a healthy competitive spirit. “Learning the fundamentals and giving your best effort every time that you dance is the foundation of successful performances.” She said.

She also has the support of a talented teaching staff, which includes sisters, Kathleen Berry Young and Eileen Berry Narvell. Maureen’s vision offers an eclectic mix of classes in other dance styles. Her classes are intended to nurture the artistic development of her students by offering a holistic dance education. Teelin School appeals to dancers’ interests by offering opportunities for recreational dance, performances and international dance competitions.

Her worry on this day was how she could build a stage prop coffin for her dance drama, Paddy Reilly’s Wedding and Wake. Unable to bring their coffin another was in need of construction. Her husband is a skilled carpenter but lacked the tools and material. Tim Johnson of Treblekote was the man of the hour. In the midst of building the staging for all the competitions it was with his help that the prop was completed. 

Maureen’s experience as a professional dancer and choreographer inspired her to establish the Teelin Irish Dance Company. Tryouts for the company are open to all students but not all are selected. “Performance dancing requires a full knowledge of steps, the finesse of working well with others and the intuitive ability to perform in front of audiences.” She said. In the end it is all about the dancers and audience having a grand time.

Teelin School of Irish Dance • www.teelin.com

IRISH FIDDLER KEVIN BURKE & GUITARIST CAL SCOTT ON TOUR TEXAS IN APRIL

Kevin Burke and Cal Scott are one of the freshest new duos in acoustic music. Burke’s legendary, lyrical Irish fiddling, and Scott’s gifted guitar-playing in American folk and jazz, combine for a sparkling repertoire of Celtic, bluegrass, French-styled musettes and sterling originals. The duo’s 2007 CD, Across the Black River (on Burke’s Loftus Music label) was hailed by the New York Times as “one of the top notable world music releases of the year.”

Kevin Burke’s vibrant, expressive style on traditional tunes and original compositions for over 30 years and 24 albums reigns supreme among Irish music enthusiasts. Worldwide, as fiddler in the legendary Bothy Band and super-group Patrick Street, to solo appearances, Kevin brings humor and musical excitement to his immense talents. His long career has included collaborations with Arlo Guthrie, singer/songwriter Tim O’Brien, and The Dillards, as well as with many of the leading Irish musicians of the past three decades. In 2002 he received the NEA’s National Heritage Award.

Portland, Oregon native Cal Scott is a gifted guitarist and mandolinist, equally at home on bluegrass to jazz to traditional folk. He’s also a composer of award-winning scores for TV and film including more than 30 PBS documentaries and specials.
Apr. 17 – Mucky Dick, Houston – iFEST Kickoff Party
www.mcgonigels.com
Apr 18/19 – Houston International Festival – Spotlight on Ireland 2009

http://www.ifest.org/

Apr 22 – Fiddlers Green, Austin (concert and workshops)

http://www.fiddlersgreenmusicshop.com/

Apr 23 – Uncle Calvin’s, Dallas
http://www.unclecalvins.org/ (Sponsored by the Southwest Celtic Music Association)
Apr 24 – House Concert, San Antonio
Apr 25/26 – Houston International Festival – Spotlight on Ireland 2009

http://www.ifest.org/

Chicago Irish Film Festival

March 6-11
Founded in 2000, the Chicago Irish Film Festival is dedicated to contemporary and classic Irish Cinema. The festival has consistently brought a truly representative selection of Irish films that embrace everything from classics to the contemporary.

With nine screenings and two receptions, the will showcase feature films, documentaries, Irish film classics, Irish Sports Film Night, and the popular Short Shots, a program of short films and animations held in conjunction with the closing reception.

Beverly Arts Center (BAC), 2407 W. 111th St. (111th Street south on Western Avenue), Chicago.
www.chicagoirishfilmfestival.net

Black 47 Concert

The 10th anniversary of the Chicago Irish Film Festival will kick off with a concert by Irish rock band Black 47 following the screening of the documentary “Black 47 . . . The Story So Far.” Black 47 is known for its charged political and thoroughly Irish style of rock ‘n’ roll, with songs covering issues from the Northern  Ireland conflict to civil rights and urban unrest. “Black 47 … The Story So Far” features rare live footage, interviews with the band and fans, and “Funky Ceili” and other videos from MTV that document the band’s remarkable career

Beverly Arts Center (BAC), 2407 W. 111th St. (111th Street south on Western Avenue), Chicago.
www.chicagoirishfilmfestival.net

Portraits of Ireland Irish Dance Show

An unforgettable Irish Dance show that blends traditional and contemporary music with innovative choreography set against a background of magnificent imagery of Ireland.  Two shows will be held: Sunday, March 1 at 3:00 pm at Towson University’s Stephens Hall Theatre; and Saturday, March 14 at 3:00pm at Weinberg Center for the Arts in Frederick, Maryland.

Featuring the Teelin Irish Dance Company, Portraits of Ireland is now in its fourth year of production and has enthralled audience members with this celebration of Irish culture.  This show touches the heart with the beauty of Ireland and fuels the spirit with the energy of Irish Dance, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day!

Tickets for Portraits of Ireland are available through the box offices associated with each of the theatres.  Reserved seating ticket prices range $20-$35.  Purchase tickets online or call the Towson University Box Office at 410-704-ARTS, or the Weinberg Center for the Arts in Frederick at 301-600-2828. For more information visit www.teelin.com.