MOHAWK VALLEY IRISH CULTURAL Volume 13, Issue 2 EVENTS NEWSLETTER Feb 2016 2016 GAIF Lineup Includes a Mix of Old and New The official lineup for the 2016 Great American Irish Festival was announced at the Halfway to GAIF Hooley held January 31 at Hart’s Hill Inn in Whitesboro, with a compact array of veteran GAIF performers and an equal number of acts making their first appearance at the festival, and styles ranging from the delicate to the raucous. Headlining the traditional stage at this year’s festival will be an act that has become a cultural phenomenon, Ireland’s Folk Band of the year and winners of Irish Music Award’s Top Traditional Performance Show, the High Kings. Boasting a musical pedigree that few can match, and fresh off record-breaking PBS showings, four musical powerhouses, Finbarr Clancy of the legendary Clancy family, Brian Dunphy, son of well-known singer, Sean Dunphy, Martin Furey of the famous Furey family of musicians, and renowned vocalist Darren Holden have come together to create the most exciting Irish ballad group to emerge since The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem electrified the worldwide folk revival of the 1960s. For those whose tastes are a bit more contemporary, back to headline this year’s festival for the 10th consecutive year will be high-energy festival favorites, The Elders. Joining them on the Contemporary stage will be Central New York favorites, Enter the Haggis, making their long-awaited return to the festival that helped launch them to prominence in 2005. Joining the High Kings on the traditional stage will be Philadelphia’s award-winning Irish roots band, Runa, and the band we predict is going to most open the eyes and ears of GAIF attendees this year, Dallahan; recently nominated for Best Up and Coming Artist of the Year at the Scots Trad Music Awards. Back again will be The Moxie Strings (with fiery fiddler Diana Ladio sharing time with her other band, the Elders), Canada’s Kitchen Party and Kennedy’s Kitchen from South Bend Indiana. And continuing the GAIF tradition of introducing new acts to Central New York, this year’s lineup also includes first timers The Fitzgeralds, a family act featuring three time Canadian Grandmaster Fiddle Champions and Ontario Open Step Dance Champions; The Gothard Sisters, a trio of award-winning multi-instrumentalist sisters from the Pacific northwest; Poor Angus, a progressive Celtic outfit from Ontario that is sure to turn heads at this year’s festival, Alana and Leigh Cline, a father-daughter duo from Toronto, and Rochester’s Celtic party band, Sisters of Murphy. Adding to the non-stop entertainment will be a variety of other local and regional performers, including Pat Kane and West O’Clare, Donal O’Shaughnessy, Kilrush and Craobh Dugan, plus Irish dancers throughout the weekend. In addition to the non-stop music, merchandise vendors from across the U.S. and Ireland, carefully selected from a list of applicants, will be selling Irish and Celtic merchandise, and a variety of food booths will be providing a taste of the Emerald Isle for festival-goers. Returning again this year will be the 5k run, bagpipe competition and Irish Mass. Campsites are also available. This year’s festival will be held from July 29-31 at The Herkimer County Fairgrounds, located just off Route 5s in Frankfort NY, just minutes from the New York State Thruway. For directions, tickets or more information, visit the festival web site at www.greatamericanirishfest.com. Mohawk Valley Irish Cultural Events - 1 Christopher McGrath Named Utica St. Patrick’s Day Parade Grand Marshal On Sunday, January 31st, the Grand Marshal of the Utica St. Patrick’s Day Parade was named at the annual Halfway to the Great American Irish Festival Hooley. From a GAIF press release: “It is truly fitting that Chris, a local businessman and community supporter, lead the lineup in this year’s parade. Born and raised in the Mohawk Valley, Chris is a 1974 graduate of Ilion High School, a graduate of Herkimer College and Simmons School of Embalming and Mortuary Science. A NYS licensed funeral director since 1977, Chris, with his wife Debbie, owns and operates Nunn and McGrath Funeral Directors, Myslinski Funeral Home and Surridge and Roberts Funeral Home, all located on French Rd. in Utica. He is a member of Tri-County Funeral Directors, William E. Burke Utica Council 189 Knights of Columbus, Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Justin F. Kelly Chapter, Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes. As true with most Irishmen, family means everything to him, especially his children, Ryan, Caitlin and Patrick. Chris resides in Deerfield.” Chris will be feted at the Grand Marshal’s reception in March, where he’ll receive the ceremonial shillelagh from last year’s honoree, Steve McMurray. The Utica St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be held on March 12, 2016 at 10 AM. Celtic Harp Kicks Off “Sunday Irish Music” Series Following a successful 2015 season, The Celtic Harp in Utica will be launching its 2015 Sunday Irish Music series on February 21st with the area’s premiere Irish band, The Blarney Rebel Band, with Donal O’Shaughnessey taking the stage the following week. The party starts at 1 PM. Make it a part of your regular Sunday… it makes winter at least 1/7th more enjoyable. The Celtic Festival of Imbolc Imbolc, also known as the Feast of Brigid, celebrates the arrival of longer, warmer days and the early signs of spring on February 1. It is one of the four major “fire” festivals (quarter days, referred to in Irish mythology from medieval Irish texts. The other three festivals on the old Irish calendar are Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain). The word Imbolc means literally “in the belly” in the old Irish Neolithic language, referring to the pregnancy of ewes (no, Autocorrect; it’s not “youse”). St. Brigid represents the Irish aspect of divine femininity in her role as patron of babies, blacksmiths, boatmen, cattle farmers, children whose parents are not married, children whose mothers are mistreated by the children's fathers, Clan Douglas, dairymaids, dairy workers, fugitives, Ireland, Leinster, mariners, midwives, milkmaids, nuns, poets, the poor, poultry farmers, poultry raisers, printing presses, sailors, scholars, travelers, and watermen. Here’s a busy saint! Brigid is said to walk the earth on Imbolc eve. Before going to bed, each member of the household may leave a piece of clothing or strip of cloth outside for Brigid to bless. The head of the household will smother (or “smoor”) the fire and rake the ashes smooth. In the morning, they look for some kind of mark on the ashes, a sign that Brigid has passed that way in the night or morning. The clothes or strips of cloth are brought inside, and believed to now have powers of healing and protection. Imbolc is usually celebrated by modern Pagans on February 1st or 2nd in the Northern Hemisphere, and August 1st or 2nd in the Southern Hemisphere, or at the solar midpoint between the winter solstice and spring equinox, which now falls later in the first week or two of February. Mohawk Valley Irish Cultural Events - 2 Cathie Ryan To Perform at Walton Theatre The best-chosen superlatives don’t even come close to describing the angelic voice and the elegant grace and beauty of Irish American songstress Cathie Ryan. With her crystalline vocals and insightful songwriting, she is an original and distinctive voice in Celtic music. Aside from her appearances at the Great American Irish Festival and the Kirkland Art Center in Clinton, there haven’t been many opportunities to catch Cathie in concert, but all that can change as she graces the stage at the Walton Theatre on Saturday, th February 27 for a magical night of song and musical intimacy. Cathie Ryan’s acclaimed seven year tenure as lead singer of Cherish the Ladies was just the start of a career that has seen her honored by Irish American News her as Irish Female Vocalist of the Decade. The Detroit born Ryan has established herself as one of Celtic Music's most popular and enduring singer- songwriters with four critically acclaimed CDs. A captivating and deeply affecting performer, she has built a loyal following throughout Europe and North America with steady touring and appearances on national and public television in the United States and Europe, including NPR’s Mountain Stage and Thistle and Shamrock, PRI’s The World, BBC2 in England, Radio Scotland, and RTE, RnG, and TG4 in Ireland. She was voted one of the Top 100 Irish Americans by Irish America Magazine, and the LA Times recently named her “…one of the leading voices in Celtic music.” For over twenty-five years, including five solo albums, countless musical collaborations, and multiple awards, Cathie has been in the vanguard of Irish music. She is blessed with a voice of luminous clarity and a gift for unearthing gems from Irish and American song traditions, and creating her own heart-stirring originals. Wrap this musical integrity into a consummate entertainer and it is no wonder the Wall Street Journal calls her music, “a revelation.” Her band represents unbelievable talent in itself. Patsy O’Brien (guitar, banjo, vocals) is “Ireland’s best kept musical secret;” Matt Mancuso (fiddle, trumpet, octave mandolin, guitar & vocals) is a star fiddle player from Lord of the Dance; Patrick Mangan (fiddle virtuoso) is a two-time all-Ireland fiddle champion, and Brian Melick (percussion) performs with groups ranging from Celtic to classical guitar. Tickets for the 7:30 show are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and $32 for a family, and they are available at the Walton Theatre Box Office, on-line, by phone (607) 865-6829, or via email [email protected].