Got
any newsy tidbits?
Let us know. E-mail them to: bernadette@celticcafe.comWe
started the "Buzz" section here at the Celtic Cafe as a means
of sharing some of the news and information posted to our associated mail lists,
which are devoted mostly (but not exclusively) to Irish dance and Celtic music.
For more detailed information, and to join in the discussion about "anything
Celtic," please sign up for our main list, large and very international.
Click on the following to learn more: Celtic
Cafe Yahoo Group • • •
Please
note:
A new page for Cafe Buzz items will appear approximately
every two weeks. The current page can always be reached through
the link from our main page at CelticCafe.com
Scroll
to the bottom of this page for links to the previous Cafe Buzz pages.
•
• •
October 9
JOHNNY AND PHIL CUNNINGHAM REUNION CONCERT -
Oct. 14 From the website of the World Music Institute:
Johnny and Phil Cunningham, two of Scotland’s leading traditional
musicians known for their musical wizardy and wry humor, will perform their first
concert together in New York since the late ‘80s. Johnny is a dazzling fiddler
acclaimed for his lightning fast reels and haunting Scottish airs; Phil is a virtuoso
accordion player who regularly tours with fiddler Aly Bain. Both are renowned
for their work with the legendary group Silly Wizard, which spearheaded
the Scots side of the Celtic revival in the ‘70s and ’80s. The brothers
also toured as a duo and with Relativity. Johnny Cunningham,
born in Edinburgh, Scotland, began playing the fiddle at the age of seven. In
addition to being a founding member of Silly Wizard and touring with his
brother, he has had a successful solo career, toured with Nightnoise, and
toured and recorded with Kevin Burke and Christian LeMaitre in the
Celtic Fiddle Festival. He is a sought-after record producer (Solas,
Cherish The Ladies), and created the music for the acclaimed play and soundtrack
CD, Peter and Wendy. He has also appeared with the likes of Bob Dylan,
Bonnie Raitt, Hall & Oates, Don Henley, and Warren Zevon, and collaborated
with Irish singer Susan McKeown since the mid-90s. Phil
Cunningham, born in Edinburgh, Scotland, began studying the accordion at the
age of three. He joined his brother Johnny in Silly Wizard in 1976 and added many
of his own compositions to the band’s repertoire. After leaving the band
in 1983 to pursue a solo career, he made two solo albums and produced recordings
for many popular traditional artists, including Dolores Keane and Altan.
Since 1989 he has toured annually with former Boys of the Lough fiddler
Aly Bain. In recent years he has worked as music director and composer for various
BBC Scotland series; composed The Highlands & Islands Suite, an orchestral
work which was performed at The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall; and toured with Bonnie
Raitt and Kepa Junkera. He runs his own recording studio, CAP Recording Studio,
outside Inverness in the Scottish highlands. Read more about
Johnny and Phil, thanks to Earle Hitchner, by clicking
here. Catch the shows on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 7:30pm & 9:30pm, at the
Peter Norton Symphony Space (Leonard Nimoy Thalia). The 180-seat Leonard Nimoy
Thalia theater is part of Symphony Space, Broadway and 95th St., not far from
Manhattan's West Side Highway. For tickets and more information, call the World
Music Institute at 212-545-7536 or the Symphony Space box office at
212-864-5400.
Official
Site:
WorldMusicInstitute.org •
• •
October 1
WEST ALONG THE ROAD: 10th Anniversary Celebration
of NYU's Ireland House - Oct. 6-12 From the website
at nyu.edu/pages/IrelandHouse: A
festival of music, dance and discussion celebrating New York as the crossroads
of Ireland and America. West
Along the Road is a weeklong festival of events to celebrate the tenth
anniversary of New York University's Glucksman Ireland House, and
to showcase New York as a cultural crossroads of Ireland and America. Events will
include a weeklong series of music recitals, an academic symposium on music and
identity, and a number of co-sponsored Irish-American performing arts and humanities
events throughout the city, all anchored by a major gala concert on Thursday,
October 9, at the new Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. Thursday's
gala performance will include traditional Irish music and dance, Appalachian music
and dance and contemporary Irish classical compositions and dance. An all-star
cast of over 60 performers will include composer and pianist Mícheál
Ó Súilleabháin and the Ithaca College Orchestra, fiddle
dynamo Eileen Ivers, ex-Riverdance
star dancer Colin Dunne, tenor
banjoist and vocalist Mick Moloney, master uilleann pipers Jerry O'Sullivan
and Ivan Goff, champion step dancer Donny Golden and the premier
Appalachian Old Time Music band Up South. Click
here for the full schedule of events. Tickets for the gala concert are
available through www.ticketweb.com, or
by calling 1-866-468-7619. Prices range from $30 - $75. Tickets for each concert
in the recital series can be reserved by calling 212-998-3950, and can be purchased
at the door for a $10 suggested donation. Click
here for the Celtic Cafe feature about West Along the Road.
Official
site: www.nyu.edu/pages/irelandhouse/west.html •
• •
September 30 THE
IRISH MUSIC MAGAZINE AWARDS - October 7, 2003 From the
National Concert Hall: The 4th Irish Music Magazine Awards Ceremony,
taking place at the National Concert Hall
at 7:30 p.m. on 7th October, will celebrate the best in Irish Traditional, Folk
and Contemporary Music. The Awards Ceremony is an occasion to celebrate
the achievements of some of Ireland's most gifted artists. Each winner will be
presented with a Waterford Crystal award on the night. Several of the award winners
will give performances on the evening, with a spectacular closing session organised
with all the artists on stage. This will undoubtedly be the most impressive
show to celebrate Irish Traditional and Folk music to have been seen in Dublin
in many years. Hosted by Breda Smyth, those performing include The Chieftains,
The Dubliners (including Ronnie Drew and Jim McCann), Dolores
Keane, Eleanor McEvoy and Mary Coughlan (A Woman’s Heart),
Kate Rusby, Mairead Nesbitt, Karan Casey, Teada and The Kilfenora Ceili
Band. Sinead O’Connor shall be making a rare appearance
and Damien O’Donnell (Heartlands and East to East) will be presenting
Kate Rusby. For more information, see the National Concert Hall
official site: NCH.ie
The IMM site is at: mag.irish-music.net •
• •
September 29
THE MENAPIA QUEST: The Search for the Oldest Celtic
Tribe Two thousand years of the Menapii: Seafaring Gauls in Ireland,
Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man, 216 B.C. to 1990 A.D. Who are the
Irish? Where did they come from? Norman
Mongan's book 'The Menapia Quest' follows the odyssey of the Menapii,
the oldest Celtic tribe in Europe. They are the only tribe for whom historical
evidence has survived in both Ireland and the Continent, and the only known Celtic
tribe specifically named on Ptolemy's 150 A.D. map of Ireland, where they located
their first trading colony -- Menapia
-- on the Leinster coast, circa 216 A.D. They later settled around Lough Erne,
becoming known as the Fir Manach, and giving their name to Fermanagh and Monaghan. Mongan
mac Fiachna, a 7th century King of Ulster, is the protagonist of several legends
linking him with Manannan mac Lir. They spread across, evolving into historic
Irish (also Scottish and Manx) clans whose descendants are found worldwide today: Mooney
- Meaney - Meeny - McWeeney - Monaghan - Monahan - Mannion - Manning - Mongan
- Mangan - Minogue - Minnock - Mannix - Manahan - Mongey - Mongavin - McMannion
- McMenamin - McMonagle - Marannan - Murnane The history of these Menapian
clans is traced here for the first time in this pioneer work. The author,
who spent 15 years resurrecting the long-lost saga of the indomitable Menapii,
sheds valuable new light on an unexplored period of Irish history, and its European
Celtic heritage -- a fascinating unbroken two-thousand-year perspective. Here
is a voyage to the root of Celtic roots. Click
here for our Celtic Cafe feature to learn more about Norman
Mongan and The Menapia Quest. • • •
September
28 KELTIKA MAGAZINE
- SEPTEMBER ISSUE We are honored that Alfredo
De Pietra and Keltika
Magazine of Italy are sharing with us some of Alfredo's fine work for
the Italian magazine devoted to Celtic Arts and Culture. Click
here for Alfredo's interview with Sean
Laffey, editor of Irish Music
Magazine, about Sean's "Imagine
an Ireland" project. More of Alfredo's interview and reviews are
coming to the Celtic Cafe shortly, and we couldn't be more thrilled, and thank
everyone at Keltika very much for their generosity -- now Alfredo's features as
Music Column Editor of Keltika can reach more English-speaking fans of
Celtic culture! Although the magazine is printed in Italian, the CD that
comes bundled with each issue appeals to everyone with an interest in Celtic music!
This month's CD includes tracks from:
Christopher Dean: "The
Gael"
Alyth McCormack: "An Lomall (The Edge)
Duncan
Crisholm: "The Door of Saints"
Fairport Convention: "Cropredy
2002"
Mike Hanrahan: "What You Know"
Grainne Hambly:
"Golden Lights and Green Shadows"
Brendan Power: "Plays
the Music from Riverdance"
Cathal McConnell: "Long Expectant
Comes at Last"
Filifala: "Zao"
Gildas Moal &
René Chaplain: "Fin 'Zun"
Alan & John Kelly:
"Fourmilehouse"
Strathisla: "Strathisla"
The
September issue features a book review of "The Celtic Fake Book"
as well as many other features about the history and culture of Celtic-origin
countries. For more information about Alfredo and Keltika, see an earlier Cafe
Buzz item by clicking
here. Keltika's official site is at: newsounds2000.it/keltika/ke_index.php
and Alfred De
Pietra's own site is at: http://members.xoom.virgilio.it/Alfstone/keltika.htm •
• •
September 27
DIXON SCOTTISH GAMES AND GATHERING - SEPT. 27 Named
as the best one-day Scottish games in the United States by the Scottish Athletic
Association of America, the annual Dixon
Scottish Games & Gathering takes place from from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
on Saturday, September 27, at the fairgrounds in Dixon, California, 19 miles southwest
of Sacramento and 62 miles northeast of San Francisco. The event is hosted by
the Dixon Scottish Cultural Association,
a non-profit, charitable organization that is dedicated toward the education and
enrichment of Scottish history and culture. Enjoy Scottish athletic competitions;
crafts, food, and beers of the British Isles; Scottish clan information booths;
a rugby tournament; living history and Scottish animal exhibits; a fire-breathing
dragon; children's activities; and the colorful pageantry of the festival's opening
and closing ceremonies. Scottish, Irish, and Celtic bands include Tempest,
The Browne Sisters, and Pangur
Ban. Of course there will also be Scottish Highland dancing, as well as
11 award-winning bagpipe bands. For more information, telephone the Dixon
Scottish Cultural Association at (707) 678-8814 or visit its web site
at dixon.scottish-games.com. The
Browne Sisters and
George Cavanaugh are one of the most popular groups performing in the
western United States. "Diane, Pamela, and Laura's lead vocals and haunting
harmonies are enriched by cousin George's rich, unaffected voice and original
guitar style. The addition of Scotland's own John
Allan on electric and acoustic guitars, bagpipes, and penny whistle, has
also allowed the group to move more in the direction of their own still-easy-on-the-ears
version of Celtic Rock. This, combined with their perennially popular arrangements
of traditional and modern Gaelic songs, Scottish and Irish selections as well
as original material, gives them a range of appeal and artistic expression unique
in the world of Celtic entertainment." As well as being a highlight
of the Dixon Scottish Games and Gathering
today, The Browne Sisters and George
Cavanaugh can also be enjoyed at the Seaside
Highland Games on October 10-12, at Seaside Park on the Ventura County
Fairgrounds. See the official site at: seasidehighlandgames.com Official
site for the Browne Sisters and George Cavanaugh: BrowneSisters.com •
• •
September 26
SEBASTOPOL CELTIC MUSIC FESTIVAL, SEPT. 25 - 28
The 9th Annual Celtic Music Festival in Sebastopol, in northern California,
is again one of the best places to be in late September. The line-up includes:
From Ireland: Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill, Dervish, Danu, Arty
McGlynn & Nollaig Casey, Shay Black; From Scotland: Dougie MacLean,
Tannahill Weavers; From Canada: Le Vent du Nord (Quebec), Vishten
(Prince Edward Island); From Wales: Sian James (Harpist and vocalist);
From California: Dockside, Molly's Revenge, James Joyce's Women, Healy
Irish Dancers, Santa Rosa Scottish Dancers, Apple Tree Morris & Swords of
Gridlock. We've heard great things about the workshops, too! Check
out the official site for more information: Monitor.net/Celtic •
• •
September 25
ROSHEEN AND THE JEANIE JOHNSTON ON SUNDAY, SEPT.
28 Rosheen is one of those
amazing "discoveries" -- a Celtic band out of Quebec that is not yet
known internationally, but after hearing their sound, you wonder, why not?!
We were knocked out first by the music clips on their site and then when RadioCelt
started playing their CD "Musique Celtique,"
it only confirmed that they should be a household name among fans of Celtic music!
Click here to go directly to the music clips page at Rosheen.net,
and to hear full tracks, tune in to RadioCelt.com.
Rosheen's founder, Lynn Vallières,
has a crystalline voice to equal the best in your Celtic CDs collection, and it's
a treat to hear lyrics in French as well as English. Along with traditional tunes
on Musique Celtique, a real standout is "The Crossing," an original
composition by Grégoire Painchaud,
the band's pianist/violinist/mandolinist/director. It's about the crossing
from Ireland to Grosse Île in Quebec during the great famine. If you listen
carefully you can feel the waves! It's very fitting that Rosheen were invited
to perform at the closing of the weekend of activities and tributes related to
the coming of the Jeanie Johnston,
a replica of the Irish Emigrant Ship, on Sunday, September 28 at 3 p.m. The 90
minutes of music they are performing includes guests the Shannon Irish Dancers,
and the concert takes place at Bassin Louise (Old Port) wharf #5. This is a special
highlight of the North American Voyage, as the original Jeanie Johnston was built
in Quebec in 1847, so this is a "homecoming." The ship will be open
for tours from Friday, September 26 to Sunday, September 28.
This is
the only tall ship that had no deaths reported. The crowning stone of the Celtic
Cross that was given to Quebecers by Ireland to thank them for welcoming Irish
emigrants is on board. It will be placed where it belongs on Sunday. Some
historical information from the Jeanie
Johnston website: The story of the Jeanie Johnston is the story of
one of the most momentous periods in Irish history – the era of the Great
Famine that swept the country in the middle of the 19th century. It is also a
tale of great humanity, remarkable courage and pioneering spirit on the part of
Irish people fleeing the dreaded famine, which decimated the population of Ireland
in a few short years. In 1847, the year of the ‘coffin ships’,
Gross Isle saw the worst of the tragedy. By mid-May, every ship arriving had lost
passengers at sea through typhus, dysentery or ‘ship-fever’, and many
more were landed in a state of distress. Over 12,000 people were in quarantine
and the tiny island, and its chief medical officer, Dr. George Douglas, did not
have the resources to deal with the crisis. The authorities in Quebec tried desperately
to cope but conditions deteriorated as more stricken ships arrived throughout
the summer. Over 5,000 people perished at sea and 5,424 were buried on
Grosse Isle. Thousands more, who had survived Grosse Isle, died in fever hospitals
in Quebec City, Montreal, Kingston, and Toronto. When those that died at the quarantine
station of Partridge Island in New Brunswick, and on the U.S. route (both at sea
and on arrival) are taken into account, it is likely that the combined death toll
amongst Irish emigrants to North America in 1847 was in the region of 50,000 people. It
can be truly said that the Jeanie Johnston – and the many similar emigrant
ships of the 19th century which it eloquently represents – paved the way
for Irish people to play a leading and distinguished role all over the world in
the intervening years. Click
here for information updated daily on the Jeanie Johnston and the recreation
of those voyages of long ago.
Jeanie Johnston official site:
JeanieJohnston.ie Rosheen official site: Rosheen.net •
• •
September 23
RUA AT PURTY KITCHEN ON THURSDAY, SEPT. 25 Not
too long ago we did a Cafe Buzz item about Rua
at the Lisdoonvarna Festival, and the following is an excerpt of the write-up
about this dynamic duo from the festival's official site: Rua features the musical
talents of Liz Madden & Gloria Mulhall.
Described as "a sort of Enya meets Puccini" by the Sunday Independent,
they are adding a new dimension to the music of Ireland with their unique 'Rua'
sound. Click
here for the full feature there, which also includes this: World-renowned
Irish actor Gabriel Byrne was so taken by the music of Rua that he agreed
to narrate a well known Yeats’ poem over an original Rua instrumental track
for their forthcoming album 'Dream-Teller'. This eagerly-awaited album,
with an abundance of fresh new material, was released in Ireland on September
19th, 2003 and will be available worldwide later this year. The musicians on the
CD are top notch... besides Liz and Gloria, you can hear folks such as Des Moore,
Paul Moore, Paul Byrne, Aine McCarthy-Kent, Tiernan O'Duinnchinn, Triona Marshall,
Jonathan Healy, Fionan de Barra, and more. Mixed and mastered by Brian Masterson. We
really enjoy linking folks up here at the Celtic Cafe, and a recent introduction
resulted in a very nice bit of collaboration between Liz and Gloria and the impressive
talents of three of the Anuna lads -
John McGlynn, Simon
Morgan and Garrath Patterson.
They recorded Jimmy McCarthy's "Hard Man to Follow," which was
part of the music featured last weekend at the International Sport Horse Show's
spectacular "Ride On" event at Punchestown. It is also included on the
'European Championships 2003' commemorative CD created for the event. This CD
includes tracks taken from both the Rua albums, along with new arrangements of
"Hard Man to Follow" and "Ride On" (an orchestral version).
Click here to
see a photo of the five new friends at the recording studio. Rua are playing
an "intimate gig" with a seven-piece band this Thursday, September 25th,
at Purty Kitchen on old Dun Laoghaire
Road in Monkstown. Purty's Kitchen is one of Dublin's best-known pubs and a popular
entertainment hotspot. Click here
for more information about the venue. We'll have much more information about all
this and more, when we do a major focus on Rua in October! Rua's official
site: RuaWorld.com •
• •
September 14
MICHAEL FLATLEY IN AID OF THE CHILDREN OF AFRICA
Those who have been following Michael
Flatley's illustrious career for any length of time know how many charitable
organizations he has lent his support to, and he's especially concerned about
children in need. This weekend he is visiting World Vision Aid projects
in South Africa, after meeting with the Honourable Nelson Mandela, the
former South African president and Nobel Laureate. Having spent several weeks
in Tanzania, Michael Flatley was profoundly moved by the scenes of poverty and
the work of the Nelson Mandela Children's
Fund, which was formed in 1994 to address some of the problems that face
children in South Africa. "Founded by the Chairperson, Nelson Rolihlahla
Mandela, on 29 November 1995, the Fund's aim is to provide support structures
that will improve the lives of children and youth and encourage them to participate
in their own upliftment and that of their communities. The Fund seeks to change
the way in which society treats children and youth." Nelson Mandela
asked Michael to dance for a charity benefit the first night of the Lord
of the Dance tour next March in Johannesburg, South Africa, and in return
he pledged to attend the re-opening celebration party at Michael's home Castlehyde
later this year, and it will surely be the party of the decade. This special "one-off"
performance next March will be his third appearance on stage since retiring from
touring with his shows in July, 2001. The first was in May of this year, dancing
before world leaders gathered in St. Petersburg for the Tri-centennial celebrations,
at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin, and on August 8 Michael
and his troupe performed at the Monte Carlo charity gala to raise funds for the
Red Cross of Monaco,
at the request of Prince Albert. As with any famous person, the good
he does by engaging in charitable acts goes beyond the direct financial aid --
so kudos to Michael Flatley for helping raise public awareness of those in need,
especially the children. Click
here for our Celtic Cafe feature about this. Official sites:
Nelson Mandela's Children's Fund: Mandela-Children.com
and World Vision at WorldVision.org •
• • To see our Buzz for August 26-Sept. 12, click
here.
To see our Buzz for August 3-12, click
here.
To see our Buzz for July 20-July 31, click
here.
To see our Buzz for July 6-July 19, click
here.
To see our Buzz for June 22-July 5, click
here.
To see our Buzz for June 8-June 21, click
here.
To see our Buzz for May 25-June 7, click
here.
To see our Buzz for May 11-24, click
here.
To see our first-ever Cafe Buzz items, click
here. •
• •
Feature: Bernadette
Price
Original Web Design: Alexander
Servas
| 
