Music & Dance
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Next Generation, Celebrating 25 Years, Influences the Lives of Young Traditional Irish Musicians
Call it a very happy accident. One day 25 years ago, Voorhees, N.J., Irish musician and teacher Kathy DeAngelo received a call from the Garden State Discovery Museum in Cherry Hill, asking if she could arrange a performance of some of her harp students “and stuff.” “I said, yeah, what are you looking for? An hour or something?” DeAngelo recalls. “They said, ‘Yeah, sure. We just want to bill it as part of our multicultural […] Read More
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Four Irish Dancers Who Share a Love of Dancing–and a Serious Disease
They call themselves the “Diabesties.” They’re four young dancers at McGough Academy of Irish Dance in West Chester who share more than a competitive spirit and a passion for Irish dance. All four, who range in age from 9 to 12 and include a brother and sister, have Type 1 diabetes, a relatively rare disease that’s seen a 30 percent increase in diagnoses since 2002, mainly in children and teens. It’s an odd fluke that […] Read More
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Dinner and Dancing “At the Crossroads”
Inspired by Janet McShain’s beautiful painting, that graces the stage at the Commodore John Barry Arts and Cultural Center, Pari Livermore and Kathy Magee Burns conceived of this event to benefit the Irish Center. The crossroads dance was a type of event popular in Ireland years ago, in which people would congregate at the large cleared space of a crossroads to dance. The tradition of the dance was continued in America at local Social clubs, […] Read More
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Looking for Some Craic? Face “The Consequences”
They call themselves “The Consequences,” but this exciting young Irish trad group could have called themselves “The Champions.” Because they all are. Lexie Boatright is a multiple All-Ireland award winning harpist and concertina player. Jake James is a two-time All-Ireland fiddle champion. Cara Wildman is an All-Ireland champion bodhran player. And pianist and accordion player Ryan Ward is the current reigning Senior All-Ireland Accompaniment Champion. They come from all over: Lexi from the Washington, DC, area, […] Read More
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The Best Seat in the House: A Dance Judge Takes You Behind the Scenes
By Kate O’Neill Wosczyna In the fall of 1974 when I was four, my Mom started me in Irish dancing. Being a first generation Irish American, my Mom felt it was important that I remain close to my Irish heritage. All four of my grandparents were from Ireland–Mayo, Donegal, and Tyrone. Along with the dancing, I attempted playing the accordion, fiddle, piano, and tin whistle. Needless to say (and for the betterment of everyone’s ears), […] Read More
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Cherishing Joanie Madden
By Frank Keel Many apt descriptors come to mind when one thinks about Joanie Madden, the world-renowned flute and tin whistle virtuoso and unquestionable leader of the acclaimed Irish-American trad band, Cherish The Ladies. Gifted. Visionary. Trail-blazing. All the terms fit. But, for this long-time fan of Cherish The Ladies and Joanie Madden, there is one descriptor that truly captures the essence of this remarkable musician and band leader. Indefatigable. Take a glance at her […] Read More
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RUNA and the Choctaw Nation: A Friendship Rekindled
Photo of RUNA with members of the Choctaw Nation by Brad Joe In 1847, members of the Choctaw Nation, who had lost one-sixth of their population in the forced resettlement known as the Trail of Tears only a decade before, did a remarkable thing. It was an act of kindness that would reverberate throughout 175 years of history and create a permanent friendship between two cultures an ocean apart. Members of the indigenous tribe met […] Read More