6 1 e g a P / 1 2 0 2 , 4 Y A M - 8 2 L I R P A An Arts And Culture First / o h c E By Ray O'Hanlon h s i Malachy McCourt, who will be presented with The awards will be highlighted by a special r I / the Seanchaí Award. supplement that will appear in next week's m Irish America’s Aos Dána - artists and actors, o Guest speaker at the event will be print issue of the Echo out on Wednesday, c . o poets and performers, step-dancers and Democratic Congressman Conor Lamb from April 28. The supplement will also be posted h c e scribes - will be feted this Friday April 23 at h Pittsburgh, a tireless advocate for all things live at www.irishecho.com this Friday, April s i r i . the inaugural Irish Echo Arts & Culture Irish American. Tickets ($9) for the Arts & 23, in conjunction with the online event. w w Awards. Culture awards can be obtained via our w The virtual event (from 6 p.m. Eastern) will website at www.irishecho.com where you can pay homage to forty honorees who used Irish also vote for your Arts Hero of the Pandemic. arts and culture to keep spirits high during the Voting closes at noon on Friday, April 23. first long year of the pandemic. There will be a Sponsors of the event, which will be special shout out for literary luminaries, coordinated from studios in Ireland, include novelist Alice McDermott from Washington, Foras na Gaeilge, Ancient Order of Hibernians, D.C., and poet Thomas Lynch from Michigan. Irish American Partnership, Culture Ireland, The recipients of the Irish Arts & Culture Aer Lingus, and the NI Bureau. Special awards Medal represent a veritable who’s-who of Irish from Foras na Gaeilge, for the person or group American endeavor including singer Ken which did the most to promote the Irish O’Malley of Los Angeles who has staged a free language during lockdown, and from the virtual concert every Sunday for the past year; AOH for the best community-orientated Megan Derrig, occupational physiotherapist nominee, will also be presented. from Chicago who uses Irish music to Said Irish Echo Publisher Máirtín Ó empower older people; Tony Reilly of Muilleoir: “Over the past year, our artists Portland, Maine, founder of the American across the U.S. stood between the Irish Irish Repertory Ensemble, whose recovery American community and the Covid-19 from a horrific road crash inspired a one-man chasm. play; Elizabeth Stack of Albany, NY, who led "Their determination and exuberance in the move of the Irish American Heritage these most testing of times pulled the Museum during the worst of the pandemic community through. This Arts & Culture and ensured activities continued unabated celebration allows all of Irish American to over the past year. acknowledge their tireless efforts and to thank Novelist Alice McDermott. Another honoree will be the incomparable them for keeping spirits high.” We congratulate all our Award Winners Alex Boatright Eamonn Wall Maureen Kennedy Helen O’Leary Elisa Jensen Megan Derrig Kyle Darcy Elizabeth Stack Natalie Nugent & Cormac O'Se Barry Stapleton Elizabeth O’Reilly Niall O'Leary Bill Reilly & Tami Ellen McLaughlin Freia Titland Patrick Redmond Brian O’Donovan Hilary Beirne Rodney Dickson Caitlin Warbelow & Chris Ranney Jean Haney Soraya Hanzus and The New York Carson Elrod John Nolan & Sean McMenamin Studio of Irish Step Dance Catriona Weafer Ken O'Malley Tim Martin Christina Schaudel Ken Fleming Tony Reilly Christopher Cooke Marcus Robinson Turlough McConnell Ciaran O'Reilly & Charlotte Moore Maria Deasy Malachy McCourt Darrah Carr Mary kay Heneghan Thomas Lynch Dawn O'Doherty & The Aisling Irish Mary Sue Connolly Alice McDermott Center Ceili Band and Ballad group Maura Mulligan Morgan Bullock Diane V. Byrnes P a g e 1 7 / I r i s h E c h o / A P R I L 2 8 - M A Y 4 , 2 0 2 1 Just a note to say / w w w . i r i s h e c h o . c o m THANK YOU H Aisling Irish Community Center, Teachers Dawn Doherty & Frankie McCormick, for this wonderful opportunity to be part of something special in the community. H Thank you to our Sponsors, James Trading Group & The Tara Circle From the families and all the members of the AISLING IRISH COMMUNITY CENTER CEILI BAND & BALLAD GROUP 8 1 e g a P / 1 2 0 2 , 4 Y A M - 8 CAITLIN WARBELOW 2 L I R P Profession : Violinist, fiddler, and A entrepreneur. In non-Covid times, I'm the / o violinist/fiddler for the Tony Award- opportunities h c E winning Broadway show "Come from so that we all can continue to play and h s Away". In March 2020, my partner Chris enjoy music while physically apart. i r I Ranney and I founded Tune Supply / (https://tune.supply) to keep the riginally from Alaska, Caitlin now m o c traditional music community vibrant, . serves as the violinist/fiddler in the o h supported, and connected, and to keep Tony Award-winning Broadway c e O h traditional musicians working, during musical "Come From Away". An All-Ireland s i r i . the pandemic. winner and New England Fiddle Champion w w How have you continued to practice who holds degrees from Columbia w your art during the pandemic? While University (M. S., Urban Planning) and my career used to be primarily focused Boston University (B.A., Anthropology and on my own performances in various B.Mus., Violin Performance), Caitlin’s venues, since the pandemic started it expertise lies not only in music, but also has been increasingly focused on using business and activism. Caitlin is on the what resources I have to keep the trad performing on virtual concerts and professional or not!) to continue doing faculty at the Iris h Arts Center and the music community going as a whole. This teaching group and private classes. But what they do (and paying the bills) when Swannanoa Gathering and maintains a has involved a lot more logistical and what I'm most proud of is the work that all venues are closed, and pubs aren't private teaching studio. Caitlin performs as managerial work, and a lot less playing, Tune Supply has done to help others holding sessions. My creative energy a symphony soloist and with numerous unfortunately!! But through it all, I've continue to practice their art. It's been during the pandemic has shifted away ensembles including Warbelow Range. managed to keep leading virtual sessions near impossible for performing artists and from personal performance, and towards With Chris Ranney, Caitlin is a co-founder every week (66 so far), as well as session musicians (whether they are building platforms, networks, and of Tune Supply. ALEX BOATRIGHT KYLE DARCY HELEN O' LEARY Profession : Performing artist, teacher, and Artistic Profession : Profession: Producer of vivid colorful Profession : Artist and Professor of Art PSU Director of the Baltimore-Washington Academy of Irish pictures inside people’s minds using only black ink on How have you continued to practice your art during Culture. white paper. the pandemic? I am currently in central PA, where I How have you continued to practice your art during How have you continued to practice your art during teach and sometimes live, having moved here from the pandemic? I have been teaching groups, private the pandemic? The pandemic prevented the release of Jersey City last March. I have spent Covid living in my lessons, and festivals all via zoom until recently when UNDER THE IMPRESSION from being promoted with barn, and making pigments and dyes from plants we could do door to door mini concerts outside with the book signings and public library events. Fortunately, within my immediate environment. I grew an extensive BWAIC students. however, supporters of literature and the arts, such as dye garden and am exploring sustainable materials for I founded the nonprofit school (BWAIC) with Mitch the IRISH ECHO have done an awesome job elevating my practice. I have used the lockdown to immerse Fanning during the pandemic to provide the local kids the KYLE DARCY brand. Receiving this award is truly myself into the work, and to explore rural PA for with Irish language, dance, and music classes in a humbling, because the worthiest recipients are the content. Lots of exhibitions have been cancelled, my central space and to provide them with instruments to hard-working staff of the IRISH ECHO. gallery in NY closed permanently, but I am working try for free via coordinating an instrument library for towards shows in NY this summer, solo at Patricia them. yle Darcy was born and raised in Belfast, Sweetow in San Francisco in the fall, and Limerick City Most of my quarantine work has been facilitating Northern Ireland, but has called Boston, Gallery in 2022. I am very much looking forward to learning despite the circumstances online- whether KMassachusetts home for over thirty years. His being able to travel home once all of this is behind us. adults or kids, groups or solo. 2010 debut novel, UNDER CURRENT CONDITIONS, made the BOSTON GLOBE BESTSELLERS LIST and elen O’ Leary was born in Wexford she attended ashington DC based concertina and harp created a loyal fan base with an appetite for more. NCAD and earned a BFA and MFA at the School player, Alex Boatright, is the Artistic Director of Darcy’s responded in June of 2020 with the prequel, Hof the Art Institute of Chicago, IL.