#celtic-women

#celtic-women

Moya Brennan, born Máire Ní Bhraonáin in 1952, was the lead singer of Clannad, a group that brought Irish music to a global audience with their iconic theme tune to Harry's Game.

The Irish Baroque Orchestra and their conductor Peter Whelan bring Messiah back to Dublin, the city of its 1742 premiere, attempting to recreate the version heard at its first performance.

Amano De Londra Miura showcased her stunning sean nós talents live on TV, putting the Irish language back on the map and highlighting its cultural importance.

This weekend such a moment occurred. I never knew I wanted to see Harry Styles channel Lord of the Dance Michael Flatley in a silk blouson shirt and headband and canter around a stage.

Dolores possessed a voice that could reach deep into your soul. A voice that could carry a sense of joy, but also sorrow in each and every note. Her music was synonymous in every kitchen, pub and dance hall the length and breadth of the country. Dolores was also so popular, simply for her unrivalled sense of wit and kindness that touched the lives of so many.

Keepers of the Steps, the living archive and cultural program at the United Irish Cultural Center dedicated to preserving generations of Bay Area Irish dancers, teachers, and families. Through stories, images, and lived experience, we'll reflect on how dance carries lineage, identity, and community forward.

In frightening times, it makes a huge difference not to feel alone. Creating art with others in community enhances agency and strengthens self. Creativity requires an open heart; love enhances hope and diminishes fear.

People all saw that there is something new is being attempted here that you've just got to see. I think that is its own reward. In an era where New York's storied Met Opera has faced layoffs, pay cuts, postponed productions, and a controversial financial agreement with Saudi Arabia, forward-thinking artistic direction becomes essential for survival.

I've never had a sense of direction. In a family where everyone knows where they're going, I'm the one who gets lost. When my son Charlie was small, he would listen as I outlined the day's itinerary-grocery store, library, post office-then interrupt. "Mama," he'd say, "I have a better way." And he did. He was five, and already knew where he was going.

Food and Drink - An International Food Court! An expanded Irish menu will feature corned beef sliders; Irish bangers and mash; Guinness-marinated tri-tip on Irish soda bread; boxty; and, of course, fish and chips! Traditional festival favorites like kettle corn and corn dogs, along with international choices, such as teriyaki chicken and beef kabobs, will also be served. Shopping - Over 250 Booths! The Irish Marketplace will feature unique Celtic artwork, Irish tartans, hand knit wool sweaters, shawls, beautiful Celtic jewelry, and more!

The Irish government will give 2,000 artists unrestricted weekly stipends in a program officials described as a "recognition, at government level, of the important role of the arts in Irish society." After a successful three-year pilot, the Irish government made its basic income program for artists permanent. Similar pilots have been launched here in the United States, but they're supported primarily by the nonprofit sector.

Taj Mahal looked out at his fans and stated the obvious: This is off the charts. Indeed, it was a very special night for the legendary Berkeley-based blues musician, who was being honored by an numerous high-profile musicians in concert at The Masonic in San Francisco on Saturday (Feb. 21). The role call featured a number of other Bay Area greats including Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Joan Baez and Van Morrison as well as many other notable artists

I managed, coached, a really top-quality side here 20-odd years ago who had loads of spirit, loads of resilience, loads of ability,

The mixture of old world and new inside a pub that also features a dark, polished wood bar, feels just right for Corrib Theatre's variety show An Scéal (The Story), which combines traditional storytelling and music with modern movement to celebrate the Celtic feast day Imbolc and the return of the sun as well as the Irish National holiday St. Bridgid's Day, both of which are on February 1.

Places to socialise are a key part of the culture in our towns and cities

Raised in Scotland's remote and sparsely populated Outer Hebrides, folk singer Jule Fowlis was immersed in Scottish Gaelic language and traditions.

"My father spent most of his waking and sometimes sleeping hours in there...he'd ramble in and stumble out. I wrote this song after he passed at the fair young age of 62. The kind of tribute song he would have approved of. My father was a proud man. Loved his family and his drink in equal measure. My father showed his love shoulder to shoulder, not face to face."

"It always happens at some point," Rob Pursey says in reference to "twee," a descriptor that has dogged he and partner Amelia Fletcher's bands for 40 years. It was a word often used as derogatory by music journalists, but like a lot of genres - shoegaze, trip-hop - it's become accepted and embraced by many who have listened to their band Heavenly in the nearly two decades between breaking up and reforming in 2023.

Ireland's Call. Rousing battle cry or jaunty inanity? Essential compromise or cultural fudge? Uniting a people or pandering to the Nordies?