MOHAWK VALLEY IRISH CULTURAL

Volume 15, Issue 6 EVENTS NEWSLETTER June 2018

Gaelic Storm Comes to The Stanley

Here’s your chance to meet the stars of the epic movie “Titanic.”

OK, so it’s not Leo and Kate. Not even former “Rat Patrol” villain Eric Braeden.

You remember the “Irish Party in Third Class,” the scene in the steerage section that you watched and thought, “Man, that band looks like fun. I wish I was there”?

Well, that band is fun. And now you can see them live.

The band, “Gaelic Storm,” is much more than a background band in a movie. They are arguably the No. 1 band on the Irish festival circuit. They have recorded eight albums that consistently have topped the Billboard world music charts. And they’re coming to Utica.

On June 6, Gaelic Storm hits the Stanley Center for the Arts stage for a 7:30 p.m. show that you’re not going to want to miss.

The Stanley has become a home for Irish music and with the Gaelic Storm appearance, looks to be taking that to the next level.

“This area loves Irish music and we’ve had some great Celtic shows here recently,” noted Stanley Executive Director Jerry Kraus. “The opportunity to bring in Gaelic Storm was one we couldn’t pass up and we’re looking forward to a great night here.”

Take it from someone who’s attended hundreds of Irish music performances, you have never seen a band like Gaelic Storm. Their humor, high-energy, audience interplay and technical proficiency set them apart from every other act on the Celtic circuit, and the meteoric rise brought about by their appearance in one of the most watched movies in history hasn’t altered any of that.

“The overall music-making concept of the band has never changed, it has always been to serve the song with no ego,” explains drummer/percussionist Ryan Lacey. “It’s our privilege to get to entertain for a few hours. We certainly never take that lightly.”

Gaelic Storm features co-founders Patrick Murphy (, spoons, bodhrán, harmonica, vocals) and (, , , lead vocals), together with Lacey, Grade 1 piper Pete Purvis on pipes and whistles, and Katie Grennan on .

Get your tickets now, because they’ll go fast. But be warned, you will find yourself dancing as if you were Jack and Rose in the steerage deck.

“We consider the audience as the 6th member of the band, so our goal every night is to make them feel as if they are one of us,” says Lacey. “We want to pump them up, make them laugh, all the while playing our hearts out for them.” “The fans are the ones that have given us this life,” agrees Murphy. “We’re here for them.”

Tickets range from $20 to $40 and can be purchased at the Stanley Box Office from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, or by calling 315-724-4000. Tickets also are available through Ticketmaster.com.

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Celebrate Joyce’s Legacy on Varick Street on “Bloomsday”

Varick Street in Utica will be transformed into Dublin for one day on Saturday, June 16, as the Utica NY Area Irish Coalition presents its second annual Bloomsday Pub Crawl! We’ll visit pubs along Varick Street in the city’s brewery district, sipping delicious drinks as we listen to dramatic readings by accomplished local actors, talks by scholars of Irish literature and history, and traditional Irish music by Craobh Dugan.

In James Joyce’s monumental classic “Ulysses,” (often cited as the greatest English-language novel of all time) June 16 is the date that the book’s protagonist, Leopold Bloom, undertakes his one-day sojourn through the streets of Dublin. Since the first two-man Bloomsday celebration in 1954, that date (or as near as practicable) continues to be celebrated in countries as far-ranging as Hungary, Italy, Australia and the Czech Republic, with a range of cultural activities including readings and dramatizations of scenes from the novel, (as well as the responsible partaking of adult beverages.) And this year Utica, NY, will once again play host to its own Bloomsday event.

It all starts at 11:30 AM with check-in and a brief gathering at Utica Brews, located at 809 Court St., Utica, and will proceed to the Saranac Brewery, Nail Creek Pub, the new Irish Cultural Center to see the progress, Lukin’s Brick Oven Pizza, and the Celtic Harp, finishing at 5:00pm.

Each stop will feature short dramatic readings from Joyce’s Ulysses, live Irish music and finger food. Drinks will be available for purchase. Participants will receive a special commemorative T-shirt and will also get a passport stamped at each stop to be eligible for prize drawings at the end of the crawl.

Tickets are $15 and are available at the UNYAIC website at UNYAIC.weebly.com and at Eventbrite. Due to space, only 50 tickets will be sold.

The Utica NY Area Irish Coalition consists of six Irish cultural groups in Central New York who have joined forces to host events in celebration of Irish culture, history, music and dance. Win a Trip for Two to Ireland!

The Great American Irish Festival is pleased to announce its first ever “Ireland Trip” raffle. That’s right, a one- week trip to the Emerald Isle – including airfare, hotels and coach transportation – could be yours, for a mere investment of $20.

The raffle, which will benefit the Great American Irish Festival and the Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley, promises a week of sightseeing, shopping and guided tours, covering the length and breadth of the island. Conveyance and tours will be facilitated by Go Ahead Tours.

In this 7-day/6-night trip, you’ll experience the sights and sounds of Galway, the splendor of County Claire’s awe-inspiring Cliffs of Moher and the Burren, the quaint town of Cobh, Blarney Castle, and places, old and new, in the beautiful city of Dublin. The trip is scheduled for Oct 14-21, but there may be flexibility based on availability.

Only 1000 tickets will be sold for this golden opportunity to experience the landscape, history and culture of one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Tickets can be purchased by contacting Sheila Knapp at [email protected]. The drawing will be held at the Great American Irish Festival, at 10 PM on July 28th, 2018.

The Great American Irish Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization.

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Announcing the 38th Annual Old Songs Folk Festival

The 38th annual 3-day Old Songs Folk Festival of Traditional Music and Dance will be held on June 22, 23 & 24, 2018 at the Altamont Fairgrounds, Rt. 146, Altamont, NY.

Discover the music of the people! Old Songs celebrates folk, Celtic, and roots music; from Ireland, Quebec, the Caribbean, New England, and more. Songs, both current and relevant, by contemporary songwriters are also heard at the festival.

Be ready to sing, dance, jam and listen at this participatory event for the whole family. Old Songs encourages audience members to join jam sessions, take part in learn-how sessions, sing sacred harp, move their feet to our great dance bands or take a Friday afternoon class.

On Saturday families will enjoy “La Cosecha/The Harvest” by Arm of the Sea Puppet and Mask Theater. In Spanish and English, this poignant drama features bold puppet figures, vivid mask characters, and Nueva Cancion music from Latin America.

Our participatory music program for kids ages 6-18 is called The Great Groove Band. Bring your voice and instrument for 3 days of group instruction by professional music coaches. Learn some folk songs and fiddle tunes.

The three main stage concerts are Friday at 6:30 PM, Saturday at 6:30 PM and Sunday at 3:30 PM in the leafy, open-air main stage area (rain site also provided). During the day on Saturday and Sunday there are 100 plus performances, dances and interactive workshops on eight stages. An extensive artisan area and diverse food concessions are also available.

Listen to featured performers, representing many regions and countries: Happy Traum & Jim Kweskin; Bon Debarras (Quebec) ; Low Lily; Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton; Alderson, Foley & Murray (Irish); Choc’late (Caribbean) ; Elizabeth Laprelle & the Family Band; Beppe Gambetta (Italy); Joel Mabus; Christine Lavin; Peter Mayer; Ellis; Confluence; 3 Ravens; Máire Ní Chathasaigh & Chris Newman (Ireland/England); Stu Fuchs; Joe Jencks; Anne Hills; John Roberts; John Dickson; Roger the Jester; Rare Spirits; Fennig’s All Stars; Peter & Mary Alice Amidon; Stefan Amidon; Windborne, and more!

Enjoy all day and evening dancing on a wooden floor, Contras, Family, English Country and traditional dances with music by Maivish and The Gaslight Tinkers with callers Sarah VanNorstand and Sue Rosen.

Tickets are on sale now online at festival.oldsongs.org, by phone at (518) 765-2815, or at the festival gate. All- festival camping tickets and All-festival tickets are discounted if purchased in advance. Hooley at the Hall!

On Saturday, June 2, from 6 to 11 PM at the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) Hall, 375 Ontario St., Albany, five well-known musical acts are offering their talents for a Hooley to raise money for the Irish American Heritage Museum. The performers include Kevin McKrell, Kilashandra, Jeff Strange, Jimmy Kelly and Don Kelly. Tickets for this fundraiser are $20. Enjoy Irish craic, music, food, drink, dancing, raffles and more! All proceeds to benefit the Irish American Heritage Museum.

The Irish American Heritage Museum is a permanently chartered 501(c)3 non-profit with an educational mission.

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“Find Your Way Home” (An Irish Musical)

On June 24th, “Find Your Way Home” returns to Albany’s Palace Theatre, with a one-time screening of their sold-out Broadway performance. Recorded by a multi-camera crew, this film captures the original Irish cast in the show from last July that everyone is still talking about! There will also be a Q&A with the show’s creators, Albany’s own Jeff Strange and Jimmy Kelly.

After debuting in Dublin, Ireland to rave reviews, “Find Your Way Home” traveled to NYC with the original 26 person cast for a one night only performance on July 25, 2017. Led by internationally known performer Alexandria Sharpe (Celtic Woman/West End) and Musical Director David Hayes (Riverdance/The Voice Of Ireland), this musical drama set in 1910 Ireland and America has brought crowds to their feet with an emotional journey of a family as they encounter unexpected tragedies and joys in the face of economic hardship.

The play features 17 original songs, many of them in the Irish idiom. “But there are scenes where it comes to America,” co-creator Kelly said. “There’s Appalachian influences, there’s blues influences, there’s American musical influences.”

Tickets for the 4 PM showing are $20. Also available are $50 VIP admission tickets, which include pre-show VIP reception (starting at 2:00 PM) with the writers - includes complimentary drinks and snacks & priority seating in the first ten rows for the movie screening. Click here for more ticketing information.

From the Irish Kitchen (recipes suitable for clipping)

This month’s recipe… “Strawberry Flummery” - by Margaret Johnson If you don't feel like baking, this colorful make- ahead dessert is just the ticket.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup quick-cooking (not instant) McCann’s 1 1/4 cups heavy (whipping) cream Irish oatmeal, toasted and cooled 2/3 cup plain yogurt or sour cream 4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled 1 tablespoon Irish whiskey 5 tablespoons sugar 1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Method:

Chill four 8- or 9-ounce stemmed glasses. To toast the oatmeal: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread it out on a baking sheet. Bake, shaking the pan at 5-minute intervals to prevent burning, for 15 minutes, or until toasted. Remove from the oven and let cool. Put the hulled strawberries in a large bowl and mash, or pulse a few times in a food processor. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the sugar.

Whip the cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold in the yogurt or sour cream, the remaining 4 tablespoons of sugar, the whiskey, and oatmeal. Spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of the strawberries into the bottom of each glass. Spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of the oatmeal-cream mixture over the berries. Repeat the layers. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, or until set. At serving time, divide the blueberries on top of each. Serves 4.

If you try this recipe, feel free to share your experience with all of us; and of course, if you have a recipe you’d like to share, please contact Beth Loftis at [email protected]

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“Distress Signals” -- Book Review by Mark Sisti

We’ve all read these blurbs a thousand times: “Can’t put it down.” “Will keep you up all night.” “A real page-turner.” But how many times do those statements hold up? Well, in the case of Cork-born Catherine Ryan Howard’s debut thriller, “Distress Signals,” believe the hype. This is a remarkable first novel, tense, taut and thoroughly original. Adam Dunne appears to have a perfect life and it’s about to become perfect-er. Adam, a struggling screenwriter, has recently sold his first script, and it looks like he may finally be able to pop the question to Sarah, his girlfriend for the past ten years. But everything changes when Sarah leaves for a work conference in Barcelona. Adam is at first surprised, then concerned when she fails to contact him and doesn’t answer his calls and texts. Finally, when she is not aboard her scheduled return flight, Adam comes to the realization that something is drastically wrong. A handwritten note soon arrives at Adam's home, along with Sarah’s passport, the note containing simply the words “I'm sorry _ S.” The local Garda are unconcerned, so Adam has no choice but to investigate on his own. Adam discovers that – as is the case throughout the novel – nothing is at it appears: there was no work trip, and in fact, Sarah had embarked on a cruise, perhaps not alone. But there her trail ends. Internet research uncovers the fact that this particular cruise ship had been the site of a number of suspicious incidents, including a woman’s disappearance eerily similar to Sarah’s. After contacting the woman’s husband, Adam books passage for them both aboard the same cruise ship and they try to retrace Sarah’s steps. Eventually their investigation puts Adam’s life in danger and he finds himself forced to deal with situations that go well beyond anything he could have written in a screenplay. He eventually arrives at the truth, but will it be a truth he can live with? The story is told from the alternating points of view of three characters, Adam, Corinne (a crew member) and a French boy/man named Romain, whose narrative is disturbing and affective in so many different ways. As mentioned, this is Catherine Ryan Howard’s debut novel, but I should have said it’s her first PUBLISHED novel. There is simply no way this accomplished and polished work is the first book she’s ever written. She writes confidently, her characters are believable and relatable and her writing style is so unaffected and unforced that you almost forget you’re reading. The separate sub-plots are all fascinating and suspenseful in their own right, and they tie together logically and naturally. The plot is complex but not convoluted, and the conclusion is surprising but makes perfect sense. Despite the fact that no real action occurs until several hundred pages in, the suspense is palpable, as Ryan Howard reveals just enough details at each turn to ratchet up the psychological tension. The book opens with a prologue that inexorably draws the reader in, and once the pacing really kicks in, it doesn’t let up, with nary a car chase, explosion or shooting involved. Sometimes intelligence and good writing can do the job. Ryan Howard uses the cruise ship setting to perfection, both in terms of establishing a claustrophobic tension and as an essential plot device. Apparently, if you want to kill someone, a cruise ship is the perfect place. Who knew? Not only do you have the ideal spot to dispose of the body, but, more important, under maritime law any investigation into a death or disappearance on a ship in international waters is the responsibility of the country where the ship is registered, unless an American citizen is involved, in which case the FBI automatically has jurisdiction. This means that by the time investigators from the country of origin arrive (in this case, Barbados) the ship is many miles away and the ship’s clean-up crews have (deliberately or inadvertently) destroyed any evidence that may have been present. I would strongly recommend picking up this book; it’s smart, meticulously plotted, well researched and, yes, it is one that will find yourself saying, “OK, just one more chapter.” However, I might advise against bringing it with you on a cruise.

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RANDOM RAMBLINGS

“Nuacht as Craobh Dugan” ---news from the Dugan Branch Chris Hoke writes: “Performances this month include: Jun 1 - Ceili Dance Class, Seton Center, 7 PM; Jun 3 – “Irish & Erie” Presentation at Mansion House, 170 Kenwood Ave, Oneida, 3 PM; Jun 5 - Open Session, Nail Creek Pub, 7:30 PM; Jun 8 - Ceili Dance Class, Seton Center, 7 PM; Jun 15 - Ceili Dance Class, Seton Center, 7 PM; Jun 19 - Open Session, Stockdale’s, 7:30 PM; Jun 22 - Ceili Dance Class, Seton Center, 7 PM; Jun 29 - Ceili Dance Class, Seton Center, 7 PM.”

“Irish and the Erie” On the heels of several well-received performances, musicians from Craobh Dugan will be presenting their “Irish and the Erie” program on Sunday, Jun 3rd, at the Oneida Community Mansion House. Tickets for the 3 PM show are $5 for OCMH members, $10 for non-members, $3 for students (12 and up), and 12 and under are FREE. Proceeds go to raise funds to help defray the costs of keeping up this historic building.

Celtic Club Calendar Finally, here’s the Irish Musical and Cultural calendar for June:

Jun 2 Get Up Jack The Parting Glass Saratoga Springs 8 PM $12 Jun 2 Hooley at the Hall Hibernian Hall Albany 6-11 PM $20 Jun 3 Traditional Irish Breakfast Sheri’s Eastside Diner Utica 7 AM-2 PM $10.95 Oneida Community $10; $5 OCMH Jun 3 “Irish and the Erie” Oneida 3 PM mbrs; Students $3, Mansion House 12 and under: FREE Jun 5 Nail Creek Sessions Nail Creek Pub Utica 7:30 PM Free Jun 6 Gaelic Storm Stanley Theater Utica 7:30 PM $20-$40 Jun 9 Traditional Irish Session Kitty Hoynes Pub Syracuse 2-5 PM Free Jun 9 Gaelic Storm The Egg Albany 8 PM $34 Jun 9 Kilashandra The Parting Glass Saratoga Springs 8 PM $5 Jun 10 Donal O’Shaughnessey Coleman’s Irish Pub Syracuse 4-7 PM Free Jun 15 Blarney Rebel Band Piggy Pat’s Washington Mills 7-10 PM Free Jun 15 Old Friends Kitty Hoynes Pub Syracuse 8 PM Free Jun 16 “Bloomsday Pub Crawl” Varick Street Utica 11:30-5 PM $15 Jun 16 Syracuse Irish Session Funk’n Waffles Syracuse 2-5 Free Jun 19 Traditional Irish Session Stockdale’s Oriskany 7:30 PM Free Jun 21 Forthlin Rd The Parting Glass Saratoga Springs 7 PM $5 Jun 21 The Druids w/Kevin McKrell The Parting Glass Saratoga Springs 7 PM $10 Jun 17 Traditional Irish Session Irish Amer Ass’n Albany 2:30-6 PM Free Jun 22-24 Old Songs Folk Festival Fairgrounds Altamont, NY Varies, see website Varies, see website Jun 23 Traditional Irish Session Kitty Hoynes Pub Syracuse 2-5 PM Free Jun 24 “Find Your Way Home” Palace Theater Albany 4 PM $20-$50 Jun 28 The McKrells The Parting Glass Saratoga Springs 7 PM $10 Jun 29-30 Lewington-Downie Kitty Hoynes Pub Syracuse 8 PM Free

If you have anything you want to share with us, feel free to send it to us ([email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]), and we’ll be happy to include it. As always, while we strive for accuracy, we’re often overturned upon official review. It always makes sense to call ahead for some of these further-out events. And don’t forget Father’s Day on June 17th. Next to your mother, your father is one of your most important parents…

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