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Irish Music &

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January 2020

Eanáir

The mission of the Irish Music and Dance Association is to support and promote Irish music, dance, and other

cultural traditions to insure their continuation.

Harpist Strives to Learn the Fiddle

By Jan Casey

Harpist Hannah Flowers of Forest Lake feels that the harp chose her at birth. Born prematurely, Hannah “lived” in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for a very long time, where harp music calmed her and helped regulate her vitals. Hannah also tells us that “music came as naturally as breathing” for her; she played several instruments while growing up (piano, violin, harp), and now harp is her primary instrument.

Hannah is a previous IMDA Educational Grant recipient (2015), where she used her grant to refine her playing of the lever harp. Hannah’s newest grant will enable her to study fiddle, expanding her skills as a musician with the goal of becoming accomplished enough to play fiddle in sessions and increase her understanding of tune playing and ornamentation as a traditional musician. Hannah explains that “the harp as both a tune-playing and accompaniment instrument often falls into its own special category and the way you understand tunes as a harp player is very different than playing a melody instrument alone.” Hannah tells us that “learning fiddle has given me a whole new perspective on the shape and form of traditional tunes.”

An active professional musician performing on harp and voice, Hannah also teaches both at the Center for Irish Music. Having studied both lever harp and wire-strung harp as well as the Irish language both here in Minnesota and in Ireland, as Hannah hopes to pursue a Master’s degree in Traditional Irish Music in Ireland.

Hannah’s various experiences studying traditional music and language have led her to pursue Irish music as a career path. She feels strongly “that learning another instrument, the fiddle, to a high level will help me gain a deeper knowledge of dance tunes and melody playing and improve my musicianship. It will also have a positive side effect of improving my harp playing and singing to help me become the kind of well-rounded and accomplished traditional musician I strive to be.”

The Irish Music and Dance Association is delighted to help this dedicated musician continue to expand her skills and enjoyment of music and continue to contribute to our community.

Jan Casey serves on the IMDA board and coordinates the IMDA Educational Grant Program

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New Cross-Cultural Performance

IMDA Annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration 2020

Landmark Center

Immigration and diversity are topics that continue to receive a fair amount of attention, not all of which is positive or progressive. From the middle of the 19th century to the early 20th century, Irish immigrants frequently encountered prejudice and discrimination as they attempted to adapt to American culture and society. Today, their descendants all too often see other races and ethnicities being treated in a similarly inhospitable manner. The IMDA believes that exposure to the music, dance and customs of ethnic groups other than one’s own can help bridge gaps, foster understanding and promote mutual respect. To that end, in 2017, the IMDA initiated new “cross-cultural” initiatives designed to encourage Irish and non-Irish musicians and dancers to seek out and collaborate with one another. These efforts resulted in two well-received cross-cultural performances in each of the last two years as part of our St. Patrick’s Day festivities at the Landmark Center in St. Paul. This year, the IMDA will have the pleasure of presenting another completely new cross-cultural performance on St. Patrick’s Day. The presentation will explore the intersection of the traditional rhythms of West African drumming with the traditional melodies of Irish dance music and song. This is an outgrowth of a collaboration between a group of traditional Irish musicians and two master drummers from Guinea, West Africa. The collaboration is the brain child of musician Sean Egan, who has long been intrigued by the creative possibilities of a synthesis of West African and Irish music, both from a personal perspective and in his role as a music educator. (Sean teaches at the Center for Irish Music.) The musical partners for this project are three instructors from the Center for Irish Music — Sean Egan, long-time traditional musician and member of several Celtic music groups, fiddler Mary Vanorny and multi-instrumentalist Cory Froehlich — with West African drummers Fodé Bangoura, artistic director and lead drummer for Duniya Drum and Dance and Alhassan “Sana” Bangoura, lead dancer and choreographer for Duniya Drum and Dance. The participants are just beginning work on the project and look forward to learning more about each other’s traditions. They also hope that the project will foster connections between the communities. The IMDA is proud and excited to be able to present this diverse, creative and artistic cross-cultural performance for this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Irish Celebration!

The IMDA Board is:

President: Julia Rogers

Vice President: Jan Casey

Treasurer: Maureen Engelhardt

Secretary: Cindy Ladany

Board Members: John Concannon Kathie Luby Amber Ladany Aja Beers Gemma Forbush Editor: Kathie Luby

IMDA Board Meetings are open to the membership. The Board meets regularly on the second Tuesday of each month at 6:00 pm at the Dubliner Pub, St. Paul. Members are encouraged to verify the time and location shortly before, as meeting times and locations can change.

Contact Information

E-mail: info@irishmusicanddanceassociation.org

Newsletter Submissions We welcome our readers to submit articles of interest, news, and notices of events to be published in the newsletter. The deadline is the 18th of the preceding month.

Send to: editor@irishmusicanddanceassociation.org

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IMDA Memberships and Donations

The Irish Music and Dance Association wishes to thank these members who have already renewed their membership support for 2020:

John Concannon Peter and Karen Erickson Bob Ford and Susan Bedor Rince na Chroi Irish Dance Tim and Kim Scanlan

IMDA memberships are based on the calendar year. Please renew now. All of our new and renewing supporting 2020 members will receive the following:

A one-year (January to December 2020) subscription to the IMDA’s monthly Newsletter via email.

“Priority listing” for bands, organizations, pubs and businesses in our popular on-line Community Resources Directory, used by people who are seeking local Irish musicians, bands, dancers and entertainers for performances, ethnic festivals, and other events.

Public recognition in a “New or Renewed Members” section of future IMDA newsletters and in related posts to the IMDA web site and Facebook page.

The Irish Music and Dance Association wished to thank these donors for their generous support through Give to the Max Day 2020:

Joan Reddy Bruce Larson Maggie Mackaman Julia Rogers Tricia Gallahue Norah Rendell Jan and Mike Casey Paul McCluskey

This support will help us with our work on updating the IMDA website.

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As I write this, we're having a bit of a fuaraíocht,that is, a "cold snap." Fuar is the Irish adjective for "cold," both in the sense of temperature and in many other uses. When "It's cold out," we simply say, Tá sé fuar. Since sé can mean either "it" or "he", Tá sé fuar could also refer to a person who is shivering (fuarchrith, "cold shaking") from this weather, simply saying "He is cold." On the other hand, the statement, Ní duine fuar é, "He is not a cold person," means "he is not sensitive to the cold," that he doesn't mind this weather. A "cold" in the sense of feeling ill is a slaghdán, and you do not "have" a cold (or any other sickness) in Irish. Rather, I might say Tá slaghdán orm, "A cold is on me." Fuacht is the noun form of "the cold (weather)." When we get a day with a high temperature that stays below zero, we can complain of an fuacht feanntach, "the bitter cold." Just don't use that "bitter" for the taste of something, that would be searbh. In the bitter cold, your feet might feel pretty frozen, and the most common phrase for that is cosa préachta. Cosa means "feet," and that word préachta comes from a verb that means "to perish." But it doesn't necessarily mean to die, but more just a typically colorful Irish expression, "to be perished with the cold." Letting your feet cool can even be a good thing when we say to someone, Tabhair fuarú do do chosa, "Give your feet a cooling." We're really saying, sit down, put your feet up, give them a rest. While your feet may be literally cold, other parts of you can be figuratively cold. You could be "coldhearted" or fuarchroíoch. You might even be a called a fuaránach, "a cold-blooded, unemotional sort," if you will. But when you say, "She gave me the cold shoulder" in Irish, it doesn't involve a shoulder at all. For that expression, you would say, Dhún sí a súil orm, "She shut her eye on me."

As in English, "cold" can suggest death, literal and figurative. Nuair a bheas siad fuar literally means "When they are cold," but it implies death. We might say, Tá na sean-nósanna ag fuarú, "The old ways are going cold," they are

dying out.

Similarly for a "cold trail." There's a saying, Is tú fead ar fuarlorg, literally, "You are whistling on a cold track." We pull out that saying when you're too late to do something, or when you are pursuing a useless task. "Cold praise," what we would call "damning with faint praise" in English, is fuarmholadh.

And to complain that something is "cold comfort," say brachán ó aréir é, another phrase that does not actually use any "cold" words. Brachán refers to "porridge," and "porridge from last night" is cold comfort indeed.

We had a great time at out annual Christmas Dinner, brilliantly organized by Suin and Maureen. It was wonderful to see family and friends who support, or at least tolerate, our Irish obsession all year long. Martin, Pete, Dáithí and Laura provided the tunes, and congratulations to Maureen for taking home the infamous traveling trophy for a second time!

Want to learn some Irish? Registration is now open for two classes. Irish Gaelic 1 is our introductory class that gets you into our ongoing lessons. The class will run four sessions starting January 27.

And if you are going to Ireland this year, sign up now for our May class in Irish for Travel. You'll learn about things like Irish language place names and signs, knowledge that is sure to enrich your travel experience.

You can sign up for both classes now through Community Education. Go to our website at www.gaelminn.org for more information and convenient links to their site.

Is annamh earrach gan fuacht. "It's a rare spring without some cold," that is,

Young love has its ups and downs

The Gaelic Corner By Will Kenny

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Winter classes now available at CJAC's Irish College of Minnesota

Irish Language Classes History and Literature Classes Celtic Arts Classes

Free Colloquium with Fintan Vallely: Clattering feet and thumping the bodhrán - the percussive impulse in Irish music. Friday, Jan. 10 from 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm in CJAC's Eoin McKiernan Library Join Irish musician, writer and researcher Fintan Vallely for a free heavily-illustrated talk exploring the (surprisingly short) history of the popular Irish drum, the bodhrán, and how it came to join Irish dance as a percussive element in Irish music.

Norah Rendell and The Lost Forty Friday, January 31, 2020 @ 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm $16 in advance / $20 at the door / senior discount at door / free to Youth 18 and under Featuring Live Ireland’s “Best Irish Vocalist of 2011, 2012 and 2016”, Canadian singer, Norah Rendell heads up a powerful song-based trio with top-notch multi-instrumentalists, Brian Miller and Randy Gosa. Inspired by Celtic traditions from Newfoundland to Minnesota, Norah Rendell and the Lost Forty unearth heirloom songs with Irish-American and Canadian roots and perform them with passion and nuance.

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International Celtic Artists Performing in the Twin Cities

Celtic Music at the Cedar!

Thursday, January 9 – Le Vent Du Nord with Uskudar Eclectic Hailing from Quebec, Le Vent du Nord is a robust force in in the Francophone folk movement. Mixing button ac-cordion, guitar, fiddle, and hurdy-gurdy, they create intense, joyful, and dynamic live performances that expand the bounds of tradition in striking directions, calling on the Celtic diaspora. Uskudar Eclectic to open. Tickets: $18 Advance, $22 Day of Show www.thecedar.org

Thursday, February 20 – An Evening with the High Kings Well-beloved by fans, The High Kings return to The Cedar, continuing to keep Irish ballad music thriving. Per-haps the most important part of a High Kings show is how they make you feel like a special part of something big-ger. Tickets: $28 General Admission, $38 Center Section - www.thecedar.org

Sunday, March 8 – Socks in the Frying Pan with special guest Socks in the Frying Pan? Their name hints at the humor, coziness, and spark of liveliness that the multi-award winning trio from County Clare, Ireland have become known for. With dynamic vocal harmonies, onstage wit, and virtuosic guitar, accordion, and fiddle, Socks in the Frying Pan create innovative, Irish roots music. Tickets: $20 Advance, $25 Day of Show - www.thecedar.org

Sunday, March 15 – An Evening with We Banjo 3 (Irish Fair MN 2019 Favorite) An Irish, bluegrass crossover group, We Banjo 3 has earned widespread praise for their incredible live shows. If you don’t know them, know that their music stirs something special within listeners’ hearts. What they do best, they do better than anyone else. Tickets: $25 General Admission / $35 Center Section - www.thecedar.org

Celtic Music Around Town

Sunday, March 1 – Karan Casey at the Celtic Junction Karan Casey in concert! Karan has long been one of the most innovative, provocative and imitated voices in Irish traditional and folk music. Her career has spanned twenty-five years from the early days as a jazz performer in George’s Bistro in Dublin to her heady days in New York with the band Solas to her now well-established solo career and she has sold over half a million albums. Tickets: $25 Advance, $30 at the door. Seniors $20 Advance, $25 at the door. Free to youth 18 and under. celticjunction.org

Tuesday, March 17 – Gaelic Storm at the Fitzgerald Gaelic Storm has mastered the art of evoking the traditionalism of Irish folk music and balancing it with the primi-tive sparse sound of rising folk artists such as Monsters of Men and Mumford and Sons. Tickets: $41 to $46

Tuesday, March 17 and Wednesday, March 18 – Altan at the Dakota With a career in Irish music for 35 years, Altan has achieved legendary status in a genre that has been equally shaped by the band’s influence and genius. No Irish traditional band in the last dozen years has had a wider impact on audiences and music lovers throughout the world than Altan. Tickets: $50, $45, $40 with premium seating available with beverage voucher. www.dakotacooks.com/event/altan/

Friday, March 20 – Danú at the Ordway Hailing from counties Waterford, Cork, Dublin, and Donegal in Ireland, Danú is one of the leading traditional Irish ensembles of today. The band formed in 1995 as part of Ireland’s delegation to Lorient Inter-Celtic Festival in Brittany, France (an annual event that is the biggest gathering of Celtic nations in the world). Danú takes its au-diences on a musical journey to their native Ireland, offering a moving and memorable concert experience. Tickets: $32 - $42. Danú will also present school performances March 19 and 20. boxoffice.ordway.org/Online/

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Northwoods Songs: Irish Songs from Lumberjacks and Great Lakes Sailors By Brian Miller

Northwoods Songs features a new song each month pulled from my research into old songs collected in the pine woods region that stretches from New Brunswick west through northern Minnesota. In the 1800s, a vibrant culture of singing and song-making developed in lumber camp bunkhouses and on Great Lakes ships. The repertoire and singing style were greatly influenced by Irish folk repertoire and Irish singing styles. Many singers in the region had Irish background themselves.

Each installment of Northwoods Songs is also published online at www.evergreentrad.com. My hope is that others will learn some of these songs and make them their own as I have. -Brian Miller

The Peddler

Oh of all the trades that’s going sure a peddler’s my delight, For if he rambles all the day he’ll comfort you at night, With his little pack upon his back he’ll travel to and fro, And he’s called the jolly rover wherever he will go.

He roams throughout the nation his pleasure to divert, With youthful recreation for to delight his heart, And courting pretty fair maids through market-town and fair, His life it gaily passes free from all strife and care.

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He’s a weaver in Londonderry-o, a shoemaker in Strabane, Hair merchant in Limavady and a brewer in Coleraine, Where he does brew good humming ale and love a pretty maid, And when he gets in to Belfast, he’s a butcher by his trade.

In Lisburn he’s a joiner, a glazier in Lurgan town, In Dromore he’s a brazier and a smith in Portadown, In Armagh he's a piper, a merchant in Newry town, And when he comes to Drogheda he draws good ale that's brown.

Oh as he does roam the nation, his fancy to pursue, Changing his occupation for every place that’s new, Oh kissing pretty fair ones wherever he will roam, And still at night his love is true when he’ll return home.

This month’s song comes from a 1938 recording of Andrew E. Gallagher (1878-1939) of Beaver Island, Michigan. There were multiple Gallagher families on the island including that of the great singer Dominick Gallagher whose songs I’ve written about before and whose father came from Arranmore Island, Co. Donegal. Andrew’s father and mother (a Roddy) both came from Rutland Island (aka Inishmacadurn), a smaller island between Arranmore and the mainland. The musical Bonner family on Beaver Island also originated from tiny Rutland Island.

“The Peddler” appears as “The Jolly Rake of All Trades” in a London broadside published before 1844 and was printed later in the 1800s in Dublin. I have found no evidence of the song being collected from a singer anywhere other than Beaver Island. It is similar to, and may even have been the inspiration for, the more popular “Dublin Jack of All Trades.” Unlike that locally-focused song, the “Jolly Rake/Peddler” travels, works and womanizes all around Ireland. Gallagher only sang verses one, three and five above. Several more verses covering the breadth of Ireland appear in broadsides available online through the Bodleian Library and I chose two (“He roams…” and “In Lisburn…”) to fill out the version here.

Visit a full archive of all Northwoods Songs columns and songs online at www.evergreentrad.com

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

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Smidirini* (*Irish for ‘Bits and Pieces’)

By Copper Shannon

Have you heard? UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has recognized Irish harping as a part of the world’s “living heritage” and for a place on its representative list of “the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.” UNESCO said Irish harping is “at the heart of the identity of the people of the island of Ireland.” Minister for Culture and Heritage Josepha Madigan noted that “The harp is Ireland’s national symbol and has been played in Ireland for more than one thousand years. This recognition by UNESCO is a true tribute to the generation of harpers, who have ensured the transmission of Irish harp music for this and future generations.” We are so fortunate to have our own harpers nurturing the tradition here in Minnesota: IMDA honoree Ann Heymann, Chad McAnally, Katie McMahon, Mattie Ernst and IMDA Educational Grant recipients Karin Swenson, Becky Bollinger, Ava Sackaroff, and Hannah Flowers.

Comhghairdeas léi (Congratulations) and Best Wishes! to Jacquie Berglund, founder of Finnegan’s

Brewing Company. Jacquie has been nominated for the 2020 Charlie Award’s Community Hero Award. The Charlie Awards are a local ‘People in the Hospitality Industry’s Choice Award’.

From our friend Jim Brooks of the Irish Gazette: “The St. Paul St. Patrick’s Parade Association has a call

out for candidates for Ms. Shamrock for the 2020 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in St. Paul. To sign up go to the St. Paul St. Patrick’s Day Parade Association website (http://www.stpatsmn.org/) and fill out an application. The Minneapolis St. Patrick’s Day Parade is also looking for candidates for Ms. Blarney and you will find an application on their website as well (www.mplsstpats.org/). This is a fun experience and if you are a wee bit Irish and over 21 go for it. You will find lifelong friends and also have a story to tell your kids.”

Looking for the IMDA Community Calendar?

The IMDA Community Calendar is your go-to place to find out what’s happening in Irish music, dance, liter-ature and cultural events in the Twin Cities and beyond.

Find it at www.imda-mn.org/calendar.

The calendar on our website is updated often – and is “searchable” for your favorite artist, venue or type of

event.

Check it out – and return often!

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Rince na Chroi

From the Stage to Your Heart Tickets are currently on sale for Rince na Chroi’s annual “From the Stage to your Heart” performance at The O’Shaughnessy on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020. The performance will feature all 200+ Rince na Chroi danc-ers, plus wonderful music from the Two Tap Trio dance band and the Wild Colonial Bhoys. Get your tickets now: https://oshag.stkate.edu/event/rince-na-chroi-irish-dancers-from-the-stage-to-your-heart/

Summer Dance Camp Registration is now open for Rince na Chroi Summer Dance Camp! Camp is a great way for kids to try out Irish dance, learn about Irish music and culture, and have a lot of fun! There is plenty of time to register, but there are some great discounts available if you register and pay before the end of the year! https://rincenachroi.com/summer-dance-camp/

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Ceili Corner By Bhloscaidh O’Keane Check www.lomamor.org for all up-to-date Irish folk dancing information.

IMDA Membership

Demonstrate your support of live Irish music, dance and cultural activities by becoming a member of the Irish Music and Dance Association. Become a supporting member by making a financial contribution. Member bands, businesses and organizations receive priority listing in the IMDA Community Resources List. All IMDA members receive the newsletter by e-mail.

Name: Today’s Date:

Address: Where did you hear about us?

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Individual $20 ______ Family $25 ______ by US Mail $35 ______

Band/Organization/Business $25 ______ Name ____________________________________________________ (Name of Band/Organization/Business)

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E-mail Address: __________________________________________ Phone Number: __________________________

Your monthly newsletter is delivered electronically via e-mail. Please advise us at info@IrishMusicandDanceAssociation.org if your e-mail address changes .

Supporting members who contribute at least $35 annually may receive their newsletter by U S Mail. ___ Request US Mail

Revised 11/201

Tear out the above form and send it with a check made out to “IMDA” to: The IMDA Membership Coordinator c/o Jan Casey 400 Macalester St. St. Paul, MN 55105

Or visit the IMDA website (www.imda.org) to pay electronically.