November Irish Music & 2017 Dance Association Samhain

The mission of the Irish Music and Dance Association is to support and promote Irish music, dance, and other cultural traditions and to insure their continuation.

Irish Music and Dance Association Annual Meeting Inside this issue: Sunday, December 3, 2017 3 pm IMDA Honors Will Kenny 4 Dubliner Pub, 2162 University Avenue, St. Paul, MN Agenda includes election of board members and officers. OepnMic Night 4 All are welcome and encouraged to attend. Decade of Dance Award 6

Give to the Max 2017 on November 16 Support the Irish Music and Dance Association with your donation to the IMDA Educational Grant Program through scheduled giving. Available November 1 -15, with daily $500 Golden Tickets awarded each day of schedule giving. This is an incentive to encourage you to give early and often! The Irish Music and Dance Association was able to fund eight stu- dents of the traditional arts of in 2017, thanks to the generosity of our community. This is the largest cohort of recipients in the history for the program!

2017 IMDA Educational Grant recipients: .Musicians and Singers Aja McCullough Beers and Becky Bollinger .Bagpiper Michael Breidenbach, St. Paul .Dancer and dance teacher Beth Pitchford, St. Paul .Fiddler Caroline Priore, Kenyon .Flautist Ava Sackaroff, St. Paul .Fiddler Mary Vanorny, Farmington .Dancer Annie Wier, Inver Grove Heights

Won’t you lend a hand again this year? https://www.givemn.org/organization/Irish-Music-And-Dance-Association

TUNE OF THE MONTH

Our Tune of the Month editor, Amy Shaw, has been contributing to the IMDA Newsletter for twelve years. That is 144 tunes (!!) and notes about each of them that she has researched for you, the readers.

Amy has decided it’s time to move on to new projects and so her final contribution to us will be in the December issue. We appreciate Amy’s commitment to the IMDA’s newsletter readers and thank her for the years of sharing the joy of Irish tunes.

IMDA hopes to find a new contributor to the Tune of the Month column, so if you are interested in contributing, or know someone who is, please contact us at [email protected].

Many thanks to Amy and much appreciation for her dedication and enormous contribution!!

www.IMDA-MN.org Irish Music & 2 Dance Association

The IMDA Board is: Tune of the Month by Amy Shaw President: Julia Rogers Vice President: Jan Casey Inspired by attending last month’s conference of the American Treasurer: Rob Thomas Folklore Society here in Minneapolis, I’m going “back to the archive” for Secretary: Jean Bergstrom this column. Luckily, the library where I work has a subscription to Board Members: John Concannon Smithsonian Global Sound, a streaming music database that contains the Kevin Carroll Kathie Luby entire output of Folkways Records. This month’s tune comes from an LP Amber Ladany titled Irish Music in Pubs (Folkways FG 3575) which was released Editor: Kathie Luby in 1965. Recorded live at the King’s Arms and the Bedford Arms in Assistant Editor Kevin Carroll IMDA Board Meetings are open to the membership. London, it featured traditional Irish musicians Margaret Barry, Michael The Board meets regularly on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:00 pm at the St. Gorman, Seamus Ennis, Joe Heaney, and others. This recording pre-dates Clair Broiler in St. Paul. Members are encouraged to verify the time and location the well-known Paddy in the Smoke (Topic Records, 1968), which was also shortly before, as meeting times and locations can change. recorded on location in London.

Operating the recording equipment (and enjoying “the facilities of the Contact Information place, including drinks”) were Ralph Rinzler and Barry Murphy. I learned E-mail: [email protected] that Ralph Rinzler (1934-1994) was a curator of American art, music, and folk culture at the Smithsonian, and co-founder of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Barry Murphy (1930s-2011) was an amateur musician from Newsletter Submissions London who became Ralph’s assistant. For over a decade, Barry helped We welcome our readers to submit articles of interest, news, and notices of events Ralph collect music from folk musicians (what a folklorist would term to be published in the newsletter. The deadline is the 18th of the preceding month. “fieldwork”). Send to: [email protected]

Barry was also the guy who made sure musicians (some of whom were presumably not intrepid travelers) got to the venue for concerts organized by Ralph.

Fiddler Michael Gorman (1902-1969) comes to the fore on this track featuring The Bunch of Keys. Originally from Tubbercurry in Co. Sligo, Gorman settled in London during the 1940s. He played in a well-known duo with banjo player and singer Margaret Barry. The two played to large audiences in Albert Hall in London and Carnegie Hall in New York. This three-part reel is also known as Paddy on the Turnpike.

And now I have a proposition for any of you who have read this far. After nearly 14 years of writing of this column, I am looking to hand it off to a new columnist! If you’re a “tune hound” and you think you might enjoy sharing tunes through this medium, please let us know.

Usual disclaimers: Any transcription errors are my own. The notation here is not meant to be a substitute for listening. It is simply an aid to learning the tune.

www.IMDA-MN.org Irish Music & 3 Dance Association

Céad Míle Fáilte! ("100,000 Welcomes!") You mór ar bheagán céadta literally refers to "a great have probably encountered this phrase, well, céad breadth on a few hundreds." The point is that the uair, "a hundred times," céad being the word for fabric is rather loosely woven. "hundred" in Irish. You certainly But exactly the same expression have seen this expression at one can be used to refer to "false Irish festival or another. Our pride," an exaggerated instructor Wes recently took a appreciation for oneself that is trip to Norway, where he found perhaps not commensurate with an Irish pub with a sign one's achievements. reading Céad Míle Fáilte over the door. As you might expect, sometimes céad is used to simply indicate "a lot." Tá céad rud le déanamh Or it would be more accurate to say that agam, we could say, "I have many things to do." they attempted to write Céad Míle Fáilte, but fell A slua céadach, which looks kind of like "a short. As always, the accent or "fada" is hundredly crowd," just means a "huge crowd." important. Céad is "one hundred," while cead, without the mark over the e, simply Irish being a language that always finds ways to means "permission." And that version, Cead Mile make things more interesting for learners, there is Failte, was what he found in Norway. We often see another céad that looks the same but behaves this "permission" version without the accent at fairs differently. An chéad iasc would not be "100 fish," and pubs and stores. Unfortunately, it just doesn't but rather "the first fish." And an chéad iasc make any sense if you can read Irish, so be careful eile would be "the next fish." To do something ar an with that fada. gcéad uair is to do it, nor for the hundredth time, but for the first time. Céad, then, is the literal number: céad carr would be "100 cars." (Like most numbers, it is followed by Céadta is the plural, "hundreds," and at this point I a singular, literally "100 car," in Irish, even though have written na céadta alt, "the hundreds of articles," we translate it with a plural in English.) By related to the . Tá súil agam go léifidh extension, céad can refer to a "hundredweight," as tú mo chéad cholún eile, "I hope that you will read in céad plúir, "a hundred pounds of flour." And it is my next column." also the word for "century," a period of 100 years. I was born in An fichiú céad, "the twentieth century." At Gaeltacht Minnesota, we haven't been studying Irish for céad years, it just seems that way some On the other hand, in certain usages it refers to a nights. But since 1982, we have been gathering "long hundred," actually 120 of something. Some together with family, friends, and other supporters for items tend to be counted in scores, or twenties, such our annual Christmas Dinner. as plants, when we are talking about seedlings to be planted in a garden or on a farm. So céad We'll have complete details on menu, reservations, cabáiste means "120 cabbages," rather than just 100 and other information on our web site of them. Céad éisc, similarly, refers to "120 fish," at www.gaelminn.org later this month. For now, Save although the old Dineen dictionary suggests that in the Date: Monday evening, December 18. We Kerry it could refer to 128 fish! At any rate, we can cherish this celebration of our little Irish-speaking usually distinguish the two "hundreds" by a little community, and we truly appreciate the family and grammar, as they are followed by different forms of friends who support us in our efforts to learn the the noun. Céad éisc is "120 fish" while céad iasc is language, so we are especially pleased when they can "100 fish." join us.

Céad is also be used to denote one hundred Go maire tú céad! threads in the warp of a fabric. In this use, leithead "May you live to be a hundred!"

www.IMDA-MN.org Irish Music & 4 Dance Association

IMDA NOVEMBER HAPPENINGS

The IMDA’s next Open Mic Night will be: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 -- 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm

Black Dog Café, 308 Prince Street, St. Paul (Near the Farmers Market and the St. Paul Saints’ CHS Field)

For more information, or to indicate your interest in performing, contact the IMDA at [email protected] or call Kevin at 651-983-6384

www.IMDA-MN.org Irish Music & 5 Dance Association

Irish Dancer Dreams of Riverdance By Jan Casey

Annie Wier of Inver Grove Heights has been studying Irish dance since she was five. (She received her IMDA Decade of Dance Award in 2017.) Actually, she began her study before that – by watching her older sister’s dance class from the hallway and practicing at home. Most recently, Annie has been studying with the Mulhern School of Irish Dance. Annie is devoted to her study of Irish dance – estimating that she’s devoted about seven thousand hours in classes, private classes and workshops. At age 11, Annie put together her own personal dance practice area – using old boards from previous shows, mirrors cadged from Craig’s List and a ballet barre made of old pipes. (Her dad was her partner for that project.)

The thrill of Irish dance is very much alive in this young dancer. She tells us that “every time I lace up my shoes, it feels as blissful and new as the first time. The joy I get from dancing … can be matched by no other feeling in this world.” Annie’s dance teacher speaks very warmly about Annie: “Annie is a brilliant example of everything Irish dance and culture represents. Her motivation and discipline drive her personal success, but her affinity for tradition and service has led her to spread her love for Irish dance to all around her.”

Annie was delighted when she first heard about the World Championships and set her sights on par- ticipating. Her hard work and discipline have helped her reach that goal – she is competing in the World Championships in , Ireland this Fall.

While she enjoys competing, Annie also enjoys performing at the many community events that wel- come Irish dancers – nursing homes, schools, hospitals and community centers. She especially enjoys the nursing home audiences – who love to clap along and smile during the performances – and visiting with the audiences after the shows. Annie contributes to the community as a volunteer for Irish dance events, includ- ing managing the beginner stages at competitions.

Like many young dancers, Annie was “blown away” when she first saw Riverdance: The Show and she “knew right away that she wanted to be on stage with them one day.” Annie was accepted into the Riverdance Academy in Boston this past Summer. The school is led by Riverdance professionals; it teaches the iconic choreography, along with the training and nutritional guidance for professional dancers. Her IMDA Educational Grant helped with the travel and tuition costs for the program. Annie’s mom tells us that Annie said “it was one of the best weeks of her life!” The program included the opportunity to meet Ciara Sexton, a dancer who has inspired Annie for many years.

The Irish Music and Dance Association is delighted to help this dedicated young dancer continue to pursue her dreams.

Jan serves on the board of the Irish Music and Dance Association and coordinates the IMDA Educational Grant Program.

www.IMDA-MN.org Irish Music & 6 Dance Association

IMDA’s Decade of Dance Award

IMDA's Decade of Dance Award recognizes the significant commitment that some students make to Irish Dance. The dancers who receive this award have studied Irish dance for at least 10 years; for most it represents the major portion of their young lives. They have shared a very special element of Irish culture with audiences in all kinds of settings from community festivals and concert halls to nursing homes and schools. Along the way, they delight audiences, make friends, and serve as delightful and engaging ambas- sadors for Irish culture to the greater community. The awards are presented at IMDA’s Day of Irish Dance at Landmark Center. The dancers receive a per- sonalized certificate and a special Decade of Dance medal. An Irish dancer interested in receiving IMDA’s Decade of Dance Award must submit an application to be reviewed and approved by IMDA's Decade of Dance Award Committee. The dancer must meet all of the following criteria: . Participated in Irish Dance for 10 full years. Dancers applying for the award to be presented in March 2018 must have started studying Irish dance in the Fall of 2007 or before. . A full year begins in the Fall and ends in the Spring (Summers are optional). . A minimum of one (1) full year must be with a Twin Cities Irish dance school or performance group. . Performed at least once at IMDA’s St. Patrick’s Day Irish Celebration or IMDA Day of Irish Dance. . Injured dancers are still required to have attended classes during their recovery. . Be recommended by an Irish Dance Instructor or Director from the Twin Cities. The application deadline for 2018 is Dec. 1, 2017. Applications may be submitted electronically to Dec- [email protected] or by U. S. mail to Jan Casey, 400 Macalester St., St. Paul, MN 55105. Applications will be reviewed by the committee to ensure each applicant meets the criteria guidelines above, and confirmation will be provided by February 1, 2018. Applications are available on the Irish Music and Dance Association website - http:www.irishmusicanddanceassociation.org/decadeofdanceaward.html or by contacting Jan Casey at [email protected].

www.IMDA-MN.org Irish Music & 7 Dance Association

Meet and Greet with Irish Organizations

The Irish Music and Dance Association was thrilled to host our first networking event for local Irish organizations. Held at Surley Brewing, this initial meeting was a great way to get to know other leaders in the Irish community. As part of this event, organizations gave a “6 minute elevator” speech about their or- ganizations and introduced members present.

The Irish Music and Dance Association thanks all those who attended and help make our event our success! Thank you to the Center for Irish Music, Gaeltacht MN, Green Fire Irish Dancers, Irish Fair of Minnesota, Irish Network MN, Loma Mor Irish Dance, TC Robert Emmet Hurling Club, and The Friends of St. Patrick Association. Special thanks to our community partners that attended – Irish on Grand, the Irish Gazette, Mactir Irish Dancers, St. Paul Irish Dancers, Rince Na Chroi Irish Dancers and Green Fire Iris Dancers.

Designed to be the first in a series of events connecting other organizations, this event focused on putting faces to names and chatting about our respective goals – all over a pint and snacks. The Irish Music and Dance Association hopes to continue to organize events that benefit Irish organizations and businesses in the Twin Cities through making connections, hosting training seminars and speakers.

Interested in being a part of our next event? Have suggestions for speakers or workshops? Email [email protected]

House Concert — Scottish & Irish Songs and Tunes for Pipes and Guitar

You are invited to a house concert Saint Paul's West Side on Sunday, November 5th at 2:00 (doors open at 1:30 p.m.) with Patsy O’Brien & Dick Hensold. Patsy O’Brien, from County , is a fine tradi- tional singer, and a superb guitarist for traditional music, and will sing both Irish and Scottish songs, with accompaniment by Dick Hensold’s various pipes and whistles. Expect many tunes as well! The hosts are taking reservations for the concert via their on-line ticketing system, and seats are limited, so be sure to re- serve early! More details about the concert and location will be sent to those who have made reservations.

The suggested donation is $20 at the door.

For more information, performer biographies, and to reserve tickets, visit: http://concerts.jannakysilko.com/dick-and-patsy/

www.IMDA-MN.org Visit http://www.irishmusicanddanceassociation.org/calendar.html for detailed information about each event. IMDA CommunityIrish Calendar Music & November 20178 Sunday Monday TuesdayDance AssociationWednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 7pm Santy Pub Singing 6pm SisterTree 6pm Irish Music 1pm How Green is the Merlin's Rest, Mpls Claddagh Irish Pub and Session Emerald Isle? Ireland

7pm Irish Social Dance Restaurant, Maple Grove Dubliner Pub, St. Paul and the Environment Dubliner Pub, St. Paul : 3M Auditorium,Owens 6:30pm Keegan’s Pub 7:30pm Bedlam Science Center, 7pm Northfield Trivia Charlies Irish Pub, University of St.. Thomas Traditional Music Keegan’s Pub, Mpls Stillwater Session 7pm IMDA HONORS J. Grundy’s Rueb ‘N’ 7pm No Sweat Irish!: 8:30pm Irish Sessiun & WILL KENNY Stein Spoken Modern Irish Highland Pipes The Celtic Junction Art Northfield Gaelic Merlins Rest, Mpls Center, St.Paul 7pm Sona The Celtic Junction Arts Urban Growler Brewing Center, St. Paul 9:00pm Broken Spoke 7:30pm Bedlam Co, St. Paul Dubliner Pub, St. Paul Charlie's Irish Pub

7:30pm Pub Quiz Stillwater Merlins Rest, Mpls 9pm SisterTree 9pm The Langer’s Ball Dubliner Pub, St. Paul The Dubliner Pub, St.

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Noon: Traditional 7pm Intermediate Celtic 6pm IMDA Monthly 7pm Irish Social Dance 6:30pm Keegan’s Pub All Day: Norah Rendell 7:30pm Jolly Groggers Music Session Session Board Meeting Dubliner Pub, St. Paul Trivia & the Lost Forty Charlie's Irish Pub Kieran’s Pub, Mpls Merlins Rest, Mpls Location TBA Keegan’s Pub, Mpls The Celtic Junction Arts Stillwater 7pm Northfield Center, St. Paul 2pm Sunday Pub Sing 7:30pm Pub Quiz Traditional Music 7pm Legacy: Celtic 7:30pm 6pm Irish Music Merlin Rest, Mpls Keegan’s Pub, Mpls Session Music Showcae Cowboys Session J. Grundy’s Rueb ‘N’ Underground Music Cafe, 2pm Patsy O’Brien & 9pm St. Dominick’s Trio Stein St. Paul Dubliner Pub, St. Paul 8:30pm The Northerly Dick Helsold House Driftwood Char Bar, Mpls Northfield 7:30pm Jolly Grogger Gales Concert 7pm No Sweat Irish!: Charlie's Irish Pub, Merlins Rest, Mpls 7:30pm Pub Quiz Spoken Modern Irish Stillwater 4pm Learners Irish Merlins Rest, Mpls Gaelic Session 7:30pm Belfast The Celtic Junction Arts 6pm Advanced Irish Cowboys 9pm The Northerly Center, St. Paul Music Session Medina Entertainment Gales Keegan’s Pub, Mpls Dubliner Pub, St. Paul 7pm In a Fine Frenzy: Center, Medina

Poems & Songs with 8pm The Last Waltz 7pm Patrick Ball Laura MacKenzie with the Serfs, Storyteller and Harper The Benedictine Center, SisterTree & Dany & dramatic performance Maplewood Tammy from Northerly based on WB Yeats Gales The Phipps Center for 7:30pm Merlins Rest Wild Tymes, St. Paul the Arts, Hudson, WI Folk Club

Merlin’s Rest, Mpls 8:30pm Irish Sessiun & 8pm Pub Quiz Highland Pipes Dubliner Pub, St. Paul 9pmTodd Menton Merlins Rest, Mpls

Dubliner Pub, St. Paul

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Noon: Traditional 7pm Intermediate Celtic 7:30pm Irish Set 7pm Irish Social Dance 6pm Sister Tree 6pm Irish Music 10:30am Researching Irish Session Session Dancing Dubliner Pub, St. Paul Claddagh Irish Pub and Session Ancestors on the Internet Kieran’s Pub, Mpls Merlins’ Rest, Mpls Dubliner Pub, St. Paul Restaurant, Maple Grove Dubliner Pub, St. Paul The Celtic Junction Arts Center, St. Paul 7pm Northfield 4pm Learners Irish 7:30pm Sea Shanty 7:30pm Pub Quiz Traditional Music 6:30pm Keegan’s Pub 7:30pm Broken Spoke 2pm Famous Irish Authors Session Sing Keegan’s Pub, Mpls Session Trivia Charlies Irish Pub, Visiting Minnesota: Lord 6pm Advanced Irish J. Grundy’s Rueb ‘N’ Stein Dunsany Dubliner Pub, St. Paul Keegan’s Pub, Mpls Stillwater The Celtic Junction Arts Music Session Northfield 9pm St. Dominick’s Trio Center, St. Paul Keegan’s Pub, Mpls 7pm No Sweat Irish!: Driftwood Char Bar, Mpls 7:30pm Pub Quiz 8pm Mundy in Concert 2:30pm Greenwood Tree Spoken Modern Irish The Celtic Junction Art 8pm Pub Quiz Merlins Rest, Mpls Gaelic Plymouth Creek Center, Center, St. Paul Plymouth Dubliner Pub, St. Paul The Celtic Junction Arts 7:30 Center, St. Paul 7pm Irish Céilí Dancing 8:30pm Irish Sessiun & with the Twin Cities Céilí 9pm The Langer’s Ball Highland Pipes Band Dubliner Pub, St. Paul Merlins Rest, Mpls The Celtic Junction Arts Center, St. Paul

7:30pm Broken Spoke Charlies Irish Pub, Stillwater

8:30pm Belfast Cowboys Whiskey Junction, Mpls

www.IMDA-MN.org

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 9 19 20 21 Irish22 Music & 23 24 25 Noon: Traditional 6pm Dorain & Sona in 7:30pm Pub Quiz 7pm Irish Social Dance Thanksgiving Day 2pm Simple Gifts with 7:30pm Simple Gifts Session Concert Keegan’s Pub, Mpls Dubliner Pub, St. Paul Billy McLaughlin with Billy McLaughlin Kieran’s Pub, Mpls Underground Music Cafe, Dance Association 6:30pm Keegan’s Pub Featuring Laura Featuring Laura St. Paul 9pm St. Dominick’s Trio 7pm Traditional Music Trivia Mackenzie Mackenzie 2pm Locklin Road Driftwood Char Bar, Mpls Session Keegan’s Pub, Mpls JX Event Venue, Delano United Methodist Cracked Barrel Winery, 7pm Resist! A Group J. Grundy’s Rueb ‘N’ Stillwater Church, Delano Hudson, WI Sing Event Stein Dubliner Pub, St. Paul Northfield 6pm Irish Music 7:30pm Tom Dahill & 4pm Learners Irish Session Ginny Johnson Session 7pm Intermediate Celtic 7:30pm Pub Quiz Dubliner Pub, St. Paul Charlies Irish Pub, 6pm Advanced Irish Session Merlins Rest, Mpls Stillwater Music Session Merlins Rest, Mpls 7:30pm Simple Gifts Keegan’s Pub, Mpls 8:30pm The Northerly with Billy McLaughlin 9:30pm Broken Spoke Gales Featuring Laura Kieran's Irish Pub, Mpls 8pm Pub Quiz Bunkers of Course, Mackenzie Dubliner Pub, St. Paul Buffalo JX Event Venue, Stillwater

7:30pm Tom Dahill & Ginny Johnson Charlies Irish Pub, Stillwater

8:30pm Irish Sessiun & Highland Pipes Merlins Rest, Mpls

26 27 28 29 30 Noon: Traditional 7pm The Langer’s Ball 2pm Simple Gifts with 6pm Sister Tree Session Hayes’s Public House, Billy McLaughlin Claddagh Irish Pub and Kieran’s Pub, Mpls Buffalo Featuring Laura Restaurant, Maple Grove W.A. Frost’s, St. Paul Mackenzie 7:30pm Irish Set Le Musique, St. Michael 6:30pm Keegan’s Pub Dancing Trivia 3pm Traditional Singers Dubliner Pub, St. Paul 7pm Irish Social Dance Keegan’s Pub, Mpls Club Dubliner Pub, St. Paul W.A. Frost’s, St.Paul 7:30pm Pub Quiz 7pm Greenwood Tree Keegan’s Pub, Mpls 7pm Traditional Music Underground Music Cafe, 4pm Learners Irish Session St. Paul Session 9pm St. Dominick’s Trio J. Grundy’s Rueb ‘N’ 6pm Advanced Irish Driftwood Char Bar, Mpls Stein Music Northfield Session Keegan’s Pub, Mpls 7:30pm Simple Gifts with Billy McLaughlin 8pm Pub Quiz Featuring Laura Dubliner Pub, St. Paul Mackenzie Le Musique, St. Michael

7:30pm Pub Quiz Merlins Rest, Mpls

9pm The Langer’s Ball Dubliner Pub, St. Paul

www.IMDA-MN.org Irish Music & 10 Dance Association

NOVEMBER AT THE CELTIC JUNCTION ARTS CENTER

Norah Rendell and the Lost Forty, Nov 10 Three time Live Ireland “Best Irish Vocalist” Norah Rendell heads up a powerful song-based trio with top- notch multi-instrumentalists, Brian Miller and Randy Gosa on November 10. Inspired by Celtic traditions from Newfoundland to Minnesota, Norah Rendell and the Lost Forty unearth heirloom songs with Irish-American and Canadian roots and perform them with passion and nuance. Music starts at 8pm. Admission is $20 at the door. $16 advance tickets available at celticjunction.org. Free for kids 18 & under!

Ireland's Mundy in Concert, Nov 17 Mundy, one of Ireland’s most exciting live performers joins us in Saint Paul on November 17. See him per- form his platinum selling hits such as “Mexico,” “July,” his version of Steve Earle’s “Galway Girl,” “To You I Bestow” from Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo & Juliet, and more. Music starts at 8pm. Admission is $25 at the door. $20 advance tickets available at celticjunction.org. Free for kids 18 & under!

Researching Irish Ancestors on the Internet, Nov 18 Just how much research on an Irish ancestor can you do online? In this overview of Irish genealogical websites, learn about some of the basic as well as more specialized online resources for identifying Irish ancestors. Get some tips and hints for your on-going research. Presented by Ann Eccles 10:30am to noon at the Eoin McKiernan Library (EML). $15 for IGSI members, $20 nonmembers. To register, please write [email protected].

Famous Irish Authors Visiting Minnesota: Lord Dunsany, Nov 18 A free lecture presented by literary historian, Patrick O'Donnell, on November 18 at 2pm in the EML. Lord Dunsa- ny (1878-1957), the great pioneering Anglo-Irish author of twentieth century cosmic fantasy fiction, visited Minne- sota on a lecture tour in 1919. Celebrated for his inspirational influence on authors as varied as H. P. Lovecraft and J.R.R. Tolkien, and writing in a variety of genres over five decades, Dunsany is arguably the founding "grandfather" of speculative imaginative fiction. What is beyond dispute is that he is easily one of the most extraor- dinary - and little known - geniuses in the Irish Literary Renaissance. This event is part of the Fall Colloquium Series: Free lectures held in the Eoin McKiernan Library.

The Celtic Junction Arts Center located at 836 Prior Ave North, Saint Paul, 55104.

YULEFEST X December 2nd

Share your good fortune this holiday season by attending this annual event put on by some of the best Twin Cities musi- cians.

All the proceeds go the THE FOOD GROUP, a local non- profit organization that not only supplies food to food shelves but also deals in education centered around food.

Celtic Junction, 836 N Prior

www.IMDA-MN.org Irish Music & 11 Dance Association

An Leabhragan (The Bookcase) Pull Me Up Dan Barry W.W. Norton

New York Times columnist Dan Barry had what we in Minnesota call a "different" childhood growing up in a tract house in Long Island. His mom vacuumed the living room singing at the top of her lungs along with Johnny Cash on the hi-fi. His dad frequently piled all the kids in the car and hared off at midnight to chase UFOs. But this is an Irish-American boy's memoir we can all relate to: singing Clancy Brothers songs with his family at Christmas, shooting baskets by streetlight with his friends, learning the craft of writing as a small town reporter. As Dan Barry grows older he pursues his Irish roots with a youthful passion and a grow- ing awareness of his family legacy of sacrifices, long journeys and literary traditions. Barry faces loss and se- rious illnesses in his family, including his own battle with cancer (his chapter on being a frustrated and some- times uncooperative patient should be required reading for all hospital care providers). He has a rocky start establishing himself as a professional writer, finally landing a plum job with the New York Times after years of slog-work.

As our man Dan matures in his craft, his awareness of the birthright of Irish word-craft and family con- versation grows and deepens into his own works of lyricism and joy, shining with emerald light. Just another lucky Long Island kid with some talent and a few breaks, says Dan Barry of his success. I say this is one of the funniest, most compassionate and intense memoirs I have come across. It's an excellent read on a cold au- tumn night.

Sherry Ladig is a Saint Paul-based trad musician and a former reviewer for the late Hungry Mind Bookstore's newsletter, Fodder. Sherry welcomes suggestions of books of Irish and Irish-American interest for her to review---or, write a review yourself!Sherry may be reached at [email protected]. Happy autumn reading!

www.IMDA-MN.org Irish Music & 12 Dance Association

Northwoods Songs: Irish Songs from Lumberjacks and Great Lakes Sailors By Brian Miller

Northwoods Songs features a new song each month pulled from my research into old songs collected in the pine woods region that stretches from New Brunswick west through northern Minnesota. In the 1800s, a vibrant culture of singing and song-making developed in lumber camp bunkhouses and on Great Lakes ships. The repertoire and singing style were greatly influenced by Irish folk repertoire and Irish singing styles. Many singers in the region had Irish background themselves.

Each installment of Northwoods Songs is also published online at www.evergreentrad.com along with a video of me singing the song of the month. My hope is that others will learn some of these songs and make them their own as I have. -Brian Miller

THE RAFTSMAN

JPEG of tune

I’ll tell you of a raftsman right from the pinery, And how he loved a lady, she was of a high degree, Her fortune was so great it scarcely could be told, And still she loved the raftsman because he was so bold.

One day when they had been to church and were just returning home, They met her old father and several armed men, “Oh daughter, oh daughter, oh daughter I pray, Is this your good behavior, or is’t your wedding day?”

“I fear,” cried the lady, “we both shall be slain,” “Fear nothing at all,” said the raftsman again, “Now, since you’ve been so foolish as to be a raftsman’s wife, Down in this lonely valley I will quickly end your life.”

“Hold,” cried the raftsman, “I do not like such prattle, Although I am the bridegroom, I’m all prepared for battle,” He drew his sword and pistol and caused them for to roar, The lady held the horses while the raftsman battled sore.

The first man came to him, he ran him through the main, The next one stepped up to him, he served him the same, “Let’s run,” cried the rest of them, “we all shall be slain, To fight this gallant raftsman is altogether vain.”

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“Stay,” cried the old man, “you make my blood run cold, You shall have my daughter and five thousand pounds in gold,” “Oh no,” cried the lady, “the fortune is too small, Fight on, my bold raftsman, and you shall have it all.”

“Oh raftsman, oh raftsman, if you will spare my life, You shall have my daughter for your beloved wife,” He took them home unto his house, he made him his heir, It wasn’t out of love but it was from dread and fear.

Come all you rich maidens with money in great store, Never shun a raftsman, although he may be poor, For they’re jolly good fellows—happy, fresh, and free, And how gallantly they fight for their rights and liberty.

A few months ago I came across a remarkable series of blog posts by folklorist Stephen Winick about the ballad “Arthur McBride” – the one that was so beautifully rendered by Paul Brady on the iconic and Paul Brady album in 1976. Writing on the American Folklife Center’s Folklife Today blog, Winick tells us that Brady learned the song while living in New England, from a collection compiled by Carrie Grover of Gorham, Maine. Grover (1879-1959) was a singer herself who got most of her repertoire (which appears in her collection “A Heritage of Songs”) from her parents while growing up in Nova Scotia and Maine. She was part of the north woods singing tradition and that makes Brady’s “Arthur McBride” a northwoods song! What’s more, if you open Grover’s book to the Arthur McBride page, the facing page is her father’s version of “The Jolly Soldier”—also arranged and performed by Paul Brady on the album with Andy Irvine!

When I discovered the Grover-Brady connection, my mind went to an interesting song text collected in Wisconsin and published in Wisconsin Lore by Robert E.Gard and L.G. Sorden. Gard and Sorden’s “The Raftsman” is basically a version of “Jolly Soldier” with Raftsman swapped in for Soldier. It seems a little out of place for someone going down the river with a raft of logs to be packing both a sword and pistol but the character of the recklessly romantic hero does fit with the way raftsmen often portrayed themselves in other songs. Above I have paired the Gard/Sorden text (with a few small changes) with the melody (more or less) as published by Grover.

Visit a full archive of all Northwoods Songs columns and songs online at www.evergreentrad.com

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. www.IMDA-MN.org Irish Music & 14 Dance Association

Smidirini* (*Irish for ‘Bits and Pieces’) By Copper Shannon

. Comhghairdeas lenár gcairde a phós le gairid! (Congratulations to our friends who recently married!) to Mattie Ernst and Daniel Stumme. May they have many happy years together. Mattie is a previous IMDA Educational Grant recipient and teaches harp and concertina at the Center for Irish Music.

. Deepest Sympathy to Aja McCullough Beers and family. Aja is Events and Communications Coordina- tor for the Center for Irish Music and plays in CIM’s An Luan Ensemble. Aja’s mother, Anette McCullough Seaberg recently passed away. Beannacht Dé ar a hanam. (God’s blessings on her soul.)

. Keep an eye out for a Kickstarter project from harpist and traditional singer Hannah Flowers. We hear Hannah is planning her first solo CD!

. New band in town! Upset and Curl is a new collaboration from dancer and fiddler Danielle Enblom, harpist and singer Hannah Flowers and flautist and pianist Cory Froehlich! (All three teach at the Cen- ter for Irish Music!) Check them out on Facebook - www.facebook.com/upsetandcurl/. We’re hoping to see them in performance in the near future!

. Did you know? You can help the Wild Colonial Bhoys record a new live album! The Bhoys have an Indiegogo campaign underway to produce a live album from footage recorded at Irish Fair this summer. Check out the plan and the perks at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/wild-colonial-bhoys-new-live- album - /.

. Best wishes for a speedy recover to Eddie Owens following his recent hospitalization after a taking a spill while riding his bike. He expects a full recovery, and we hope it is a fast recovery!!

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Third Saturday Night Céilí - The Celtic Junction, 836 Prior Ave., No. St. Paul. Irish Dance Classes: Céilí Dancing - Wednesday Nights Dubliner Irish Pub - 2162 University Avenue in Saint Paul. Learn Irish dancing in a genuine Irish pub with a wooden floor that has known a whole lot of dancing feet. Steps and dances are taught by Paul McCluskey and Kirsten Koehler. Basic beginning steps are taught beginning at 7:00, with advanced lessons and dancing continuing until 9:30 PM. Year-round; no children, and must be of legal drinking age. Free.Set Dancing - Tuesday Nights Dubliner Irish Pub - 2162 University Avenue in Saint Paul. Set Dancing at 7:30 pm on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month, music by the Twin Cities Ceili Band. The cost is $5 for the band, beginners welcome, for more information call Geri at the Dubliner (651) 646-5551. Check www.lomamor.org for all up-to-date Irish folk dancing information. IMDA Membership

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