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Irish Music Cruises the music...
Irish Music Concerts at Sea: 2010 cruise
Cruise with the legendary Liam Clancy,
The Makem and Spain
Brothers, Archie Fisher, Evans & Doherty, The Irish Descendants, Gabriel
Donohue, Matt & Shannon Heaton, Hanneke Cassel, Eugene Byrne, Ciaran Sheehan. Enjoy ten nights
of Irish musical entertainment by your favorite Irish performers.
Sing. Dance. Laugh. Cry. You're in for a very memorable time.
It's a great chance to meet and be entertained by some of
today's best Irish traditional musicians. Listen to a sample
of each artist's music by clicking on a picture bselow.
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Liam Clancy of the famed Irish singing group The Clancy
Brothers and Tommy Makem, and the dynamic duo of Makem
and Clancy, headlines the onboard performance. Liam
spent many years performing to appreciative audiences
in America and Ireland after starting his singing career
in Greenwich Village in New York City with the likes
of Bob Dylan. Bob Dylan said of Liam, "He was just
the best ballad singer I ever heard in my life, still
is probably".
He now lives in County
Waterford, Ireland, and continues to record and perform
in concerts around the world. From 1996-1999, Liam
toured with his son, Donal Clancy, and his nephew,
Robbie O'Connell. The group, known as Clancy, O'Connell, & Clancy,
delighted audiences across North America and Europe.
Liam currently performs as a solo act at pubs, theatres,
and festivals across North America and Ireland. |
 Liam
also runs his own recording studio at his estate in
Ring, Co. Waterford.
Apparently, Liam's writing skills are
as good as his musical talents. His book, The Mountain
of the Women, an autobiography, has gotten very positive
reviews.
 Listen
to a sample sea shanty sung by Liam Clancy.
Listen
to a sample Irish ballad sung by Liam Clancy.
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 The
Makem and Spain Brothers
Shane, Conor and Rory Makem represent the third generation
in their legendary family of Irish-born singers. The Makem
Brothers, professional entertainers since 1989, have had the
unique opportunity to study first hand from many of the top
acts in Irish music, growing up at sing-songs and sessions
frequented by some of Ireland's best known and prolific singers
and musicians.
Mickey and Liam Spain grew up listening to songs at the knee
of their father in the mill town of Manchester, New Hampshire.
Influenced by such diverse acts as The Weavers, The Clancy
Brothers and Tommy Makem, Woody Guthrie and Doc Watson, The
Spains were able to take the common elements in all and fuse
them into a style all their own. Mickey's baritone voice is
strong and pure, and his deft work on the guitar and bodrhan
provide this duos sturdy framework. Around this, Liam's endless
skills on the guitar, banjo, mandolin and harmonica finish
the picture as only a true artist can. Together they produce
a sound that is original, yet still steeped in the song tradition.
Their live performances have been called an "energetic"
and "electrifying" mixture of Irish, Scottish, and
American folk songs.
Listen
to a music sample of The Makem & Spain Brothers. Read
more on The Makem & Spain Brothers
group below.
 Archie Fisher
Although Archie Fisher is a legendary figure in the Scottish folk music world -- everybody's favorite singer and an enormously influential presence both musically and philosophically -- he has remained largely unknown to the greater pop music mainstream. While the mainstream's a poorer place for that, one gets the idea it suits Archie Fisher just fine.
Fisher was born into a family of semi-professional musicians and learned to play the guitar at a young age. Fisher and his sister Ray formed a skiffle group in the mid-'50s, as most musically inclined young Britons did around that time. Eventually, the siblings formed a vocal duo, releasing their debut album Far Over the North in 1963. In the tradition of the Coppers and the Watersons, Archie and Ray joined with their parents and sister Cilla and her husband Artie Tresize to form the Fisher Family. Playing both traditional material and Archie's own compositions, the Fisher Family were fixtures on the British folk circuit through the mid-'60s and released the album The Fisher Family in 1965. The family group split up in 1966 when Ray married and moved to London and Archie began his solo career.
Fisher's first album, Archie Fisher, was released in 1968. Around that time, Fisher also began his decades-long association with the BBC; Fisher wrote original songs for BBC documentaries on subjects like rural island communities in the Hebrides, and also appeared on radio and television music programs with regularity. Eventually, Fisher began working regularly with the BBC as a producer of radio documentaries and features; in the '80s, he inherited the series Traveling Folk, which he now produces and hosts, from the previous presenter Robin Hall. Fisher's recorded output, for someone with such a long and prolific career, is surprisingly sparse, consisting of a handful of solo albums and a live duo album with Canadian fiddler Garnet Rogers. Fisher has been much more active both as a live performer at festivals and concerts around the world (he directed the much-respected Edinburgh Folk Festival from 1988 to 1992) and as a producer for other artists, including several albums by the duo of Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy and the phenomenal group Silly Wizard.
You can listen
to Archie Fisher here.
You can listen to another
clip by Archie Fisher here.
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Hanneke Cassel
"Exuberant and rhythmic, somehow both wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness," says The Boston Globe about Hanneke Cassel’s playing. Such charismatic fiddling has brought Hanneke Cassel many honors and awards. She is the 1997 U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion, she holds a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from Berklee College of Music, and she has performed and taught across the U.S., Scotland, Sweden, China, New Zealand, France, England, and Austria.
In addition to her solo act, Hanneke has played for the Cathie Ryan Band, and is a member of Boston-based fiddle bands Childsplay and Halali. She has made guest appearances with Cherish the Ladies, Alasdair Fraser, Matt Glaser and the Wayfaring Strangers, Ensemble Galilei, Aine Minogue, and Joey McIntyre (from New Kids on the Block). Her fiddling has graced the stages of Boston’s Symphony Hall (opening for Judy Collins), Mountain Stage, The Plaza Hotel, Lincoln Center, the Boston Hatch Shell, and the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage.
Listen
to a music sample of Hanneke Cassel.
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 The Irish Descendants
Since their formation in 1990, The Irish Descendants have garnered a loyal fan base in their native Canada, and captured the attention of an ever-growing international audience. The band’s award winning recordings range from lilting ballads to toe-tapping reels, and their high-energy, humorous live performances have made them a popular attraction at home and abroad. To date, the band has sold half a million albums.
Having toured extensively throughout North America, including headlining Celtic Festivals in Chicago, Boston and Cleveland, The Irish Descendants have performed at such prestigious venues as The Smithsonian in Washington D.C., and have played with many of the nation’s best symphony orchestras. They appeared on stage at The Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto in the theatrical production of Needfire, as well as headlining The International Festival of the Sea in England.
When Newfoundland celebrated its 500th Birthday, the band was selected to play at the festivities, entertaining European royalty and heads of state.
The 1991 release of their first album, Misty Morning Shore, quickly catapulted the band from pub circuit regulars to radio stars. This led to a contract with Warner Music, and the release of Look to the Sea in 1993.
In 1996, following the release of Gypsies and Lovers the previous year, The Irish Descendants were named Entertainers of the Year at the East Coast Music Awards, and received a Juno Award, the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy. By year’s end, the band’s first two albums were both certified Gold.
Over the next decade the band continued to evolve, touring every year and releasing albums including a Greatest Hits Package, So Far So Good, and The Gift, a Christmas album.
In 2004 the band released Across The Water for the New York based Kells Label. The album immediately cruised to the top of the North American Irish Charts, and drew rave reviews from the Irish media.
In 2007, they released a new CD, Southern Shore, produced by Great Big Sea’s Alan Doyle.
2009 will see the band back on the concert trail in Canada and the US and the release of a second greatest hits collection in the summer.
2010 will mark the band’s 20th Anniversary.
You can listen
to The Irish Descendants here.
You can listen to another
clip by The Irish Descendants here.
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 Gabriel
Donohue, another transplant from Ireland to the U.S., will be singing
and playing the guitar and the piano for us on the cruise. He was for
a time a part of Riverdance star Michael Flatley's ensemble and they
shared an interest in Flamenco which became part of the stage show. He
has performed with a group called Jigsaw with musical friends Eileen
Ivers and Joanie Madden and toured Europe and the USA with The Chieftans
and Paddy Maloney. In 1995 Gabriel had the distinct good fortune to be
selected to perform at The White House and he has played five times at
Carnegie Hall and he has appeared on many television shows as well.
You can
listen
to Gabriel's song here.
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 Kevin Evans & Brian Doherty have been an integral part of the East Coast music scene for twenty years. They have been together as Evans & Doherty for eighteen years. To capture the essence of an Evans & Doherty performance, take a lively blend of traditional, original and contemporary songs, add a liberal sprinkling of stories and humour, then sit back and enjoy these fine entertainers.
As well as performing front and center on stage, Evans & Doherty are involved with many aspects of the music industry. Brian owns and operates Eastern Entertainment Agency, a booking agency and production company which co-ordinates tours of Atlantic Canada for many Canadian and international acts. Kevin owns and operates Modtrad Music, a publishing company, through which much of the material performed by Evans & Doherty is published and licensed. Through Eastern Entertainment Agency, Evans & Doherty have produced recordings for a number of East coast groups, as well as three compilation recordings (A Taste Of The Maritimes, A Taste Of Atlantic Canada and An East Coast Christmas) for national labels.
Listen to a music sample of Evans & Doherty.
Upcoming Gigs for Evans & Doherty
May 23,24 Chicago Irishfest
June 14 - 28 Ireland
July 3-5 Stan Rogers Festival, Nova Scotia
August 7 - 9 Butte Montana Irish Festival
August 13-16 Milwaukee Irishfest
Sept 11 - 13 Pittsburg (tentative)
Sept 18 - 20 Michigan Irishfest
October 8 - 11 Celtic Colours and other dates in Nova Scotia
November 1 - 8 Ireland
Ciaran was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. After college, he settled in New York City, where he studied acting with Meisner disciple Kathryn Gately and legendary Broadway director Bobby Lewis.
Currently he is studying voice with David Jones in NYC.
After winning the role of Tom in Hal Prince's acclaimed play Grandchild Of Kings, Ciaran's talent was quickly recognized and rewarded by starring roles on Broadway in such prestigious productions as Les Miserables (Babet, Marius) and The Phantom Of The Opera (1,000 performances as the dashing young Raoul, followed by over 1,000 performances on Broadway and in Toronto, as The Phantom). Broadway stage work also includes Byzantium (W. B. Yeats), The Molly Maguires (James McKenna), and Pulitzer Prize winning author Frank McCourt's The Irish...and How They Got That Way, as well as a wide variety of productions at the Irish Repertory Theatre in New York City. Television and film work includes appearances on Law And Order, One Life To Live, Late Night With David Letterman, The PBS Presentation of The Irish...and How They Got That Way, Another World, and Married To The Mob. Ciaran's singing engagements include memorable and acclaimed performances on Broadway with such theater legends as Vanessa Redgrave, Angela Lansbury, Shirley Jones, and Rosemary Clooney. He touched the hearts of millions world-wide with his rendition of Danny Boy sung at the internationally televised Memorial Mass for John and Carolyn Kennedy, Jr. at Old St. Patrick's Cathedral in NYC.
Listen to a music sample of Ciaran Sheehan.
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Listen to another Makem-Spain song.
The Makem and Spain Brothers
During the winter of 2003 the Makem Brothers joined
forces with Irish music's Spain Brothers to form a quintet
as strong and unique as anything offered in Irish music
today. The result is a musical act far greater than
the sum of its parts and an electric onstage chemistry
that few acts ever achieve. Their sound comes from powerfully
backed, precise three-part harmonies, varied instrumentation
and a strong appreciation for the history and progression
of folk music. |
Eugene Byrne is first and foremost an entertainer. During his long career he has worn various performing hats, but in every guise, he remained, an entertainer.
Show business is not new to Eugene Byrne. He came to North America for the first time in 1967, playing Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, and a coast-to-coast tour of Canada and the USA with the Irish Rovers.
Later he became entertainment manager for Harp and Bard, Inc., a chain of Irish Pubs in the Boston area, and subsequently took over Harp and Bard productions, which represented Tommy Makem.
He worked with Tommy for almost 20 years—at Irish Festivals in the summer, concerts, cruises, and for many years he cohosted trips to Ireland with him.
Eugene Byrne's act is good, polished and professional. His performance is music and laughs, life and carousing, enthusiasm and careful consideration of a poignant lyric.
He is at his best in front of a live audience, and the key to his success is the pleasant and warm feeling he always generates in his audience.
Groups he's been
part of:
Blarney Folk
New Folk Trio
Garrison Brothers
Musicians he's preformed on the same bill in concert with:
Tommy Makem
Liam Clancy
The Dubliners
Clancy Brothers
Jim McCann
Breandan Grace
Freddie White
Cherish the ladys
Donal Lunney
Billy Connelly
Fury Brothers
Irish Rovers
Wolf Tones
Chieftains
Stan Rogers
Kingston Trio
Tom Paxton
Highway Men
Ian Tyson
Danny Doyle
Hal Roach
Phil Coulter
Paddy Reilly
Shaw Brothers
Schooner Fare
Barley Bree
Don McLane
Pete Seeger
Johnnie Cunningham
Battlefield Band
Christy Moore
Eileen Ivers
Concerts and Festivals
Garden State Arts Center
New Jersey
Plas D'Arts
Montreal
Madison Square Garden
New York City
Felt Forum
New York City
Carnegie Hall
New York City
Confereration Center Calgery and Edmonton
Royal Theater
Victoria, British Columia
Queen E Theater
Vancouver, British Columia
Milwaukee Irish Fest
San Francisco Irish Festival
Texas Irish Festival
Cleveland Irish Fest
New Orleans Celtic Fest
Television Appearances
Late Late Show
Dublin Ireland
Good Day Show Boston
A Time for Music PBS
Merv Griffin Show
To-Day Show
Boston
Makem Sing
BBC
Showband Show
RTE
Maritine Country
CBC
Barney Bree Show CBC
New Folk Trio Sings PBS
Albums
Away from Home
Well-Loved Refrains:
a tribute to the song writing of Tommy Makem
Recordings
Sound of Ireland
Blarney Folk
London International
Live at the Harp and Bard
Bard Records
Touch of Ireland
Blarney Folk
Decca
Let Those Irish Brown Eyes Shine at Me
London International
Ballads for Drinking and Craic
Tribune Records
A Wee Bit of Scotch and a Lot of Blarney
Bard Records
Introducing the New Folk Trio
Tugboat Records
Songs and Stories
Boot Records
Live at the Black Rose
Bard Records
People and Places
Finglas Tapes
Eugene Byrne "LIVE"
Finglas Tapes
Listen to a music sample of Eugene Byrne. |
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