Philadelphia Ceili Group Seanachie ~ September 2014 Special offer for Philadelphia Ceili The Meehan Avenue Crew Group Members Lori Lander Murphy Marybeth Clucas-Phillips & Stephen P. Phillips American Income Life Insurance ****************** Courtney & Bryan Malley Rosaleen McGill Free Fiddle Class with Hollis Payer for Ceili th The Mayo Association of Philadelphia Group Members, Tuesday September 9 7:30 – The Irish Center 8:45 p.m. at Commodore Barry Club Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann- Delaware Valley Culture Ireland Renowned local fiddler Hollis Payer will offer a Comcast-NBCUniversal free all-level fiddle class as a kick-off to The irishphiladelphia.com Philadelphia Ceili Group’s 40th Annual Traditional Irish Music and Dance Festival. ****************** Pick up a new tune, learn some tips, or polish Festival Line-Up By Day your technique. Clean the rosin off your fiddle and join the fun! Thursday, September 11th, Singers Night, 8:00pm For more information on Hollis, go to Matt Ward (Thursday night host - singer) http://hollispayer.com/irish-fiddler/ Growing up, there was Irish music in the Ward house. Matt’s father was a fine singer who sang The class takes place at the Commodore Barry the old sentimental ballads. His mother didn’t Club, “The Irish Center”, 6815 Emlen St., sing as well but she somehow seemed to know a Philadelphia, PA 19119 song about every village in Ireland! Matt considers himself lucky to have seen many of the great Irish singers in concert. He was always that ****************** loyal audience member who was willing to sing the chorus or harmony when instructed to do so. Although he has performed a bit over the years, A HUGE Thanks to our 2014 he’d rather be in somebody’s kitchen swapping Festival Sponsors! songs and telling stories about the great characters in traditional Irish music. Matt was a Austin J. McGreal big fan of Frank Malley and respected the fact Kathy McGee Burns that he fought so hard for the inclusion of singers Jane Cahill & Harry Stulting and songs. McGillian & Donnelly, LLC The Moran/Bailey Family Philadelphia Ceili Group Seanachie ~ September 2014 Page 1 of 15 Gavin Harding (Gavin Mac Giolla Deaca in woods. Dick has also set several poems to music Irish) was born in Drogheda, a port town 25 miles including The Old Figurehead Carver (Hiram North of Dublin, Ireland. He migrated to the US Cody), Blood on the Sails (Phil and June in 1994. Since then he has performed In Ireland, Colclough), and Spell to Bring Lost Creatures England, Detroit, Baltimore, New York and Home (Kathleen Raine). Click Here for a sample throughout Central Pennsylvania, where he lives. of Dick's singing For the past six years, Gavin has led two regular sessions that he started in Lancaster County. He Briege Murphy, from Co. Armagh. Ireland is an is part of a long vocal ballad tradition and is a Irish singer-songwriter. Briege is a singer of Irish collector of songs in both English and the original traditional songs as well as a writer of Irish. Gavin entertains his audience with songs contemporary folk music, mainly Irish-themed. and stories, fully engaging them in the She tells the story behind the songs, with plenty performance and making them a central part of of humor thrown in, and is regarded as a the show. 'storyteller' as well. Her songs have been recorded by Niamh Parsons (Cloghinne Winds ), Frances Dick Swain is a long-time student and performer Black ( The hills of South Armagh ), Rig the Jig , of traditional music and a librarian. He sings and Don Stiffe, Sue Matthews ( The Sea ), Anthony plays guitar, banjo, English concertina, button John Clarke, The Border Collies , The accordion and other instruments, and he loves Once (Canadian folk award winners ) Scold's learning and researching songs from the places Bridle ,and a few more, around the world. where he has lived -- which include the Philadelphia region of Pennsylvania, the Great She has four albums of her own songs released, Lakes Region (Rochester, NY, Cleveland, OH, and one of Irish traditional and American folk and Marquette, MI), and Maine. His covers. A track of one of her songs is on an Arts performances include materials gathered from council compilation, produced in association with conversations with traditional performers, field the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC. and commercial recordings, and research into the Briege has received a" keeper of the tradition" history and folklore of North America and the award for her contribution to the culture of my Anglo, Irish and Scottish traditions. He is county and country, from the late Tommy Makem currently Director of Library Services at West of Clancy brothers fame, and recently won "Best Chester University of Pennsylvania, and he was female Bard", at the Bard of Armagh, humorous also Director of the Pinewoods Folk Music Week poetry competition. for four years. Dick sung with Mick Maloney in Breige has performed at folk festivals like; Cork, Philadelphia at Commodore Barry Club for the Ballyshannon, Cambridge, Westport Arts, Oslo- Philadelphia Ceili Society and at the St. Malachy Irish, Cape Clear storytelling, Fiddler’s Green, School Benefit. He sings on Helen Schneyer’s Shetland, Queen's at Belfast, Tommy Makem album Somber, Sacred & Silly and has recorded festival ,Turning Wave, Gundagai, Australia, and sound tracks for a Public Television production many more. For more information on the Ohio Canals and a Northeast Historical go to www.myspace.com/briegemurphy Films documentary on lumbering in the Maine Philadelphia Ceili Group Seanachie ~ September 2014 Page 2 of 15 A Tribute Performance to Frank Malley and through song which belongs to another time and his Music On the fifth anniversary of his passing, place. By age fourteen he was a member of the local musicians Courtney Malley, Jen Leitrim Ramblers Ceili Band. Many summers were spent in the Connemara Gaeltacht where he Schonwald, Miles Thompson, and Wendy played with such local legends as Tomas Mc Fuhr celebrate the music and songs he performed Keown and Tony Molloy. He then joined a show so well. band called Magic which had numerous Top-Ten hits in Ireland. Here he got a taste of the Frank, the longtime Festival Chairman, was also entertainment side of music and appeared on Irish a highly regarded musician, folk singer and Television. America was calling and a kind Uncle recording artist who conveyed his personal and Aunt in Darien, Connecticut, made the young warmth and sincerity through every kind of music lad welcome. he touched. Near to his heart was the Irish Ballad and ancient maritime songs. Frank's musical Thus began what was to be a great love affair legacy has been passed on to his children and with New York City. Here he sought out grandchildren and all his friends who continue to traditional music legends like Andy McGann and keep the music he loved alive. Johnny Cronin and saw the sun come up on Second Avenue most Sunday mornings as the Friday, September 12th, Rambling reels and jigs, as well as the occasional song, House & Ceili Dance, 8:00pm flowed. In New York he studied finger style guitar, musical theater and voice and honed his Gabriel Donohue (Host Friday night Rambling skills as a music producer, eventually opening his House) own studio called Cove Island Productions. Construction was completed by accordionist/carpenter John Whelan. He has embraced many of the new developments in non- linear digital recording and editing while also utilizing vintage tube gear. He was for a time a part of the ensemble of Riverdance star Michael Flatley, with whom he shared a love of Flamenco which became part of the stage show. He spent many summers in Cape May, New Jersey, and performed regularly at the South Street Seaport in NYC and started a group called Jigsaw with musical friends Eileen Ivers and Joanie Madden. In 1995 Eileen and Gabe, along with Joe Derrane and Felix Dolan, performed at the White House to celebrate the historic Good Friday Accord. In the audience were Irish Prime Minister John Bruton, Gerry Gabriel was born in Athenry, a walled medieval Adams and Nobel Peace Prize winner John town in County Galway founded by Meyler De Hume. Bermingham in the 12th Century AD. Small wonder his music is filled with a strong sense of In 1999 he began to tour with Irish music legends history. Add to this his love of storytelling The Chieftains and added guitar piano and voice Philadelphia Ceili Group Seanachie ~ September 2014 Page 3 of 15 to their live performances in Spain, France, She has been a member with the world renowned Norway, Denmark, Italy, UK and many tours of band Beoga for the last 7 years with whom she the USA. He has performed five times at New has toured extensively and recorded 3 CDs, York’s Carnegie Hall. To celebrate the new including the Grammy short listed “The Incident” Millennium he boarded a ship in Terra del Fuego, in 2009 and the Irish Echoes number 1 album of Argentina, which would take an intrepid group of 2011, “how to tune a fish”. The Wall Street explorers to Antarctica. Inside a Volcano called Journal describes them as “the most exciting new Deception Island on New Years Eve he shared traditional band to emerge from Ireland this the ship’s stage with Art Garfunkel, Dan Akroyd, century.” Diana Krall, Natalie McMaster, and The Chieftains as they became the House band for Niamh has toured extensively on the world wide New Year’s revelries. In the audience was F.W. stage, both at home and abroad. Highlights have DeClerk, Robert Kennedy Jr. and a thousand of included Boston ICONS festival, Kansas City, America’s top CEO’s.