The World According to Linda

Linda MacDonald-Lewis (A.K.A. The Bard at Large) - A true Scot at heart

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Holiday Season Events Around the Northwest

What: Irish Christmas in America - The Show

Where: Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland

When: Friday, November 26, 2010, 7:30PM

Who: All family, community, Holiday entertainment

Cost: $22/$28 adv, $27/$33 Day of show, www.boxofficetickets.com

Notes: Starting the six annual, 15 show tour here in Portland, the only show in the NW


Interviews are available directly with Oisin Mac Diarmada by contacting Sam Keator to arrange time and date

Celebrating its sixth year, the hugely popular holiday show “Irish Christmas in America” tours throughout the USA with some of Ireland's top traditional artists.  This fascinating performance features Irish music, song, dance and stories of seasonal Irish traditions.   An accompanying CD, “Irish Christmas in America,” is also now available.

2010 Show

Produced by Oisín Mac Diarmada of award-winning Irish group Téada, the atmospheric Irish Christmas in America show once again features top Irish singer & accordion-player Séamus Begley in the 2010 touring line-up. After an incredible reaction from audiences during the 2009 tour, Séamus Begley from West Kerry, rejoins a host of top musicians and dancers on stage for an engaging performance rich in history, humour and boundless energy. He will joined for the National Geographic show in Washington DC on December 10th by Kerry vocalist, Éilis Kennedy. The magic of the Irish harp and uilleann pipes from leading exponents Gráinne Hambly and Tommy Martin augments the rhythmic pulse of Brian Cunningham's stunning old-style Irish dance. 



This family-friendly performance features evocatively-sung Irish ballads and holiday carols, lively fiddle tunes and thrilling Irish dancing. Narration brings to life ancient customs and stories, while evocative photographic images provide a backdrop of rich historical context. Take a memorable glimpse into the enchanting spirit of Christmas, as some of Ireland’s finest traditional artists bring you on a distinctively Irish journey during the holiday season of 2010.

Show Origins

The holiday show was first conceived in 2005 by Oisin Mac Diarmada of Téada, a renowned fiddle-player from County Sligo.  Past tours have featured such stellar guest vocalists as Karan Casey, Cara Dillon, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Cathie Ryan and Michael Londra.  Mac Diarmada enthuses about the program as a way to bring traditional and often unknown Irish customs to the States.  "One of the most heartfelt themes of Irish Christmas is emigration," says Mac Diarmada.  "Music was a way that people stayed close to home."  
A sparkling tradition among holiday events, Irish Christmas in America is a special show to see this season. 

“Captivating” Irish Music Magazine
“Lively and reflective...a powerful evocation of the season” Folk Wax

“A celebration of family and good times at the winter season” Gather.com

Performance Venues 2005-2009 include* Cerritos Performing Arts Center  Los Angeles CA * The Dana Center  Manchester NH * National Geographic Live! (5th consecutive year) Washington DC  *  Fox Theater, Tucson AZ *  The Egg Albany NY * Annenberg Center  Philadelphia PA * Kimo Theater, Albuquerque NM

Individual Biographies


Oisín Mac Diarmada – producer/fiddle

From Co. Sligo, a part of Ireland famous for its rich fiddle tradition, Oisín Mac Diarmada, is widely regarded for an individual and subtle stylistic approach to Irish fiddling. In 2003, following the release of his solo album, ‘Ar an bhFidil’ (On the Fiddle) on the Green Linnet label, the Irish Echo’s Earle Hitchner called him “one of the most gifted and creative traditional fiddlers playing today.” A graduate in Music Education from Trinity College Dublin, Oisín went on in 2001 to found Téada, currently one of Ireland’s best-known internationally touring bands, and currently is pursuing postgraduate research studies in the area of “Political Identity and Movement to Music”





Séamus Begley – vocals/accordion

Séamus Begley comes from one of Ireland’s most musically acclaimed families.  He is known for his sean-nós (“old style”) singing, hailing as he does from the Irish-speaking region of West County Kerry.  Equally brilliant on the accordion, Séamus plays with astonishing energy and spontaneity, belting out jigs, slides and polkas with rapid sprays of ornamentation. Begley has won numerous awards including Best Folk/Celtic Duo at the 2009 Ireland's Music Awards.  “Begley’s voice is buoyant…a joy” says The Irish Times.

Gráinne Hambly – Irish harp/concertina

Gráinne Hambly from County Mayo in the West of Ireland is an internationally recognised exponent of the Irish harp. In 1998 she completed a Masters Degree in Musicology at Queen's University Belfast, for which her main research topic was music collections and the harp in 18th-century Ireland. Since then, Gráinne has toured extensively throughout Europe and the United States, giving concerts, workshops and masterclasses, and has performed with ’Irish Christmas in America’ since 2005.


Tommy Martin – uilleann pipes/whistles


Originally from Dublin, now resident in St. Louis MO, Tommy’s rare musical talent and experience has brought diverse performances throughout the world varying from tutoring in New Zealand to performing with Riverdance in New York to recording with past members of rock band "Thin Lizzy". In January 2004 Tommy had the honour of performing a newly composed piece of music with the Chicago Virtuosi Symphony Orchestra and presently performs with the hit show, ”Celtic Woman”.


Tristan Rosenstock – narration/bodhrán

From Glenageary in Co Dublin, Tristan's bodhrán playing encompasses a distinctive musical sensitivity, evident on a number of recordings and tours with which he has had involvement in recent years. Prominent in Dublin musical circles, Tristan has also completed a Masters in Film & Television Studies from Dublin City University, and presently combines freelance media work alongside performing with Téada.




Brian Cunningham - dancer

Brian Cunningham is one of the most exciting sean-nós or 'old-style' dancers to have emerged from Ireland in quite some time. At 23 years of age, he has won all the major dance competitions in Ireland, and was honoured with an invitation by the President of Ireland to perform during an Official State visit to Japan and South Korea in 2005. Brian has appeared on Ireland's most popular television show, 'The Late Late Show' with vocalist Seán Keane, and currently produces his own show in Ireland called  ’The Cunningham Sound’.















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