The Philadelphia Ceili Group

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Comment by Rosaleen McGill on September 9, 2009 at 9:28am

The Festival, this year, starts off on Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. with a concert, Tim Britton and Friends in Concert. Tim Britton is best known for his virtuosic and expressive playing of the uillean pipes, a rare Irish bagpipe: quieter and sweeter and more versatile than the better known Scottish pipes. Born into a family central to the Philadelphia folk scene, Tim is always a local favorite when he returns to Philly.


On Friday there are two events, something for everyone starting at 8:00 p.m., with a Ceili/Set Dance being held in the ballroom with music by the local and always popular, McGillian Family. The Fireside Room will feature A Night of Irish Song, hosted by Courtney Malley, with such notable singers as Len Graham, Brian O’hAirt, Jameson Sisters, Matt Ward and other special guests. These events will be followed by a traditional music session with all musicians and singers welcome.


Make Saturday an all day and night affair by signing up for one or more of the many instructional workshops. SIGN UP FOR WORKSHOPS IN ADVANCE AND GET AN ONLINE DISCOUNT! Workshops will be provided by some of the leading nationally and internationally known Irish Traditional musicians, dancers, and cultural experts. MORE INFORMATION AT: http://www.philadelphiaceiligroup.org/philadelphia_ceili_group/2009-festival-information.html

At 7:00 p.m. the Ballroom becomes the stage for a concert featuring Len Graham and Brian O’hAirt, Cruinn - a local trad band that includes Rosaleen McGill, Augie Fairchild and Tom O’Malley, and BUA, the Irish “Super Group” from Chicago. The Irish Music Magazine says of BUA, “a throwback to the playing of the 1960’s and 1970’s, keeping the music down the path of the traditional. BUA is the essence of a superb band.” The concert will also feature Paraic Keane, brilliant fiddler from Dublin, Ireland, son of Chieftains fiddler Sean Keane and 6 year old Haley Richardson who won first place at the Mid-Atlantic Fleadh Cheoil in Pearl River, N.Y. and is going to travel to Tullamore, County Offaly, to match skills with under-12s from throughout the world in the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann—the all-Ireland music festival. She has been playing violin since she was 3 years old and fiddling for almost 2 years. Haley knows over 100 tunes, and should not be missed. At 10:00 pm until the wee hours a very special traditional House Party honoring local musician, Frank Malley, who recently passed away, will be held in the Fireside room featuring popular local traditional singers such as Courtney Malley and Jen Shonwald, musicians and dancers and a special guest host. An evening of Irish Traditional Music, Dance and Stories, it will be great “craic!” (that’s great fun to the non-Irish speakers!)

SEE YOU THIS THURSDAY, FRIDAY AND SATURDAY FOR SOME GREAT IRISH CRAIC!

Comment by John Brennan on August 12, 2009 at 11:31pm

I will be hosting the Plough this sunday with Tom OMalley,hope o see you all there!! JJB

Comment by Rosaleen McGill on February 18, 2009 at 6:30pm

Announcing Upcoming Concerts and Events






Slide - February 28, 2009 at the Irish Center, 6815 Emlen St. Philadelphia, PA 19119



Hailed by Ireland’s RTE, Radio 1 as ‘the future of Irish music,’ the four original, greatly gifted musicians & composers of Slide first came together in 2000 to play at The Cobblestone in Dublin, a night that shook that venue from brick to rafter & has since become known as ‘The Wobble in the Cobble.’ Still with the band today, these four musicians had accumulated numerous awards for individual musicianship; Aoghan Lynch on concertina & whistles, whose cousins are box maestros Seamus & Brendan Begley, was Ireland television station TG4’s Young Traditional Musician of the Year in 1999, Eamonn De Barra on flute, whistles, keyboards & bodhran was winner of that same award in 2000, Daire Bracken was the original fiddler of the famed ensemble Danu & Mick Broderick on bouzouki, cittern & mandolin is a member of notable musical family from East Galway, of which flute player & composer Vincent is perhaps the best known (at the moment). These four recorded to much ballyhoo Slide’s first album, ‘The Flying Pig,’ which led to be their named by Irish Music Magazine as ‘Best Traditional Newcomers’ in 2001, which in doing so declared, They can sing, they can write, they can dance across fingerboards and piano keys, buttons and bows and by crikey can they play.’ With the recent addition of former lead singer of De Dannan & LiveIreland.com’s Male Vocalist of the Year, Andrew Murray from the island of Inishbofin, Co. Galway, Slide are poised to become a tour de force on the world’s Celtic music stages. Winners of the ‘Young Musicwide Award’ in 2006, whose panel of judges was led by Donal Lunny, who wrote, ‘This band is taking Irish music to a new place. Their music will touch people far beyond the realm of traditional music.’ From mesmeric trance to nail biting energy, Slide entice the listener on a journey of musical exploration which will undoubtedly leave you on a high while taking you from sorrowful reflections to points of high spirited in between. As John O’Regan in Folk Roots observed, ‘There’s plenty of action and flamboyance in Slide’s music… takes the Dervish/Bothy Band/De Dannan formula and turns it 360 degrees on its head successfully merging youthful arrogance and swagger with traditional expertise.’ By whatever measurement or calculation –Slide rule!

For more, visit; www.slide.ie

Tickets are $15, $13 for Ceili members.

Concert information at http://www.philadelphiaceiligroup.org, or call (215) 248 0502.

Tickets available online - go to: Download concert-tickets.html

Comment by Marianne MacDonald on June 18, 2008 at 11:44am

Good work, Rosie, putting this out there...

Comment by Rosaleen McGill on June 17, 2008 at 10:46am

i guess we'll post it once its approved, even though rumor has it, it is set already. once the rest of us get it we'll put it up.

Comment by Mary Malone on June 14, 2008 at 1:06am

Hey, Rosie! Thanks for the invite.

Comment by Tim Hill on June 12, 2008 at 4:08pm

when will you guys post the schedule fro the fest?

Comment by Rosaleen McGill on June 11, 2008 at 4:09pm

hey guys! thanks for joining up! ;)

Comment by Jim McGill on June 11, 2008 at 11:55am

One of these fine days we will have a party at Ballyphilly.

Comment by Denise on June 11, 2008 at 8:40am

Thanks for the invite! I don't sing, dance, or play an instrument, but I'm a helluva toe-tapper.

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