Search Results for 'American studies'

With over 10 free gigs, one headline event and a whole lot of foot stompin’, who needs a tent when you have Irish pubs? Top-class local, national and international folk and bluegrass acts will be playing a plethora of free gigs in venues throughout the beautiful town of Westport over the last weekend in June. Musicians and singers near and far are tuning up their instruments and soaking their vocal cords in honey (or whiskey) in anticipation of the annual Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival.

It is customary on St Patrick’s Day for the US president to speak glowingly of Ireland, invoking the name of the national saint and smiling when handed a bowl of shamrock. However, when President Obama this year made his remarks on St Patrick’s Day, he gave his audience a brief history lesson linking two remarkable men, one Irish and the other African American. The Irishman was Daniel O’Connell (1775-1847), the African American, Frederick Douglass (1818-1895).

THE TOWN Hall Theatre will resonate to the sounds of Appalachian, bluegrass, country and gospel when The Molly Hicks take to the stage.

THEY BEGAN busking on the street corners of Portland, Oregon, playing traditional old time and bluegrass, before graduating to square dances and bluegrass festivals along the west coast.

The Midlands will have a rare chance to catch the award-winning bluegrass band Carmel Sheerin & The Ravens at Hugh Lynch’s Lounge on Sunday September 12.

SOON TO be released album The New Farming Scene from Edinburgh band Southern Tenant Folk Union creates the first true crossover of the modern folk tradition with its not-so-distantly related bluegrass sound.

Explosive folk/bluegrass outfit Southern Tenant Folk Union brings its own unique brand of music to the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar on Wednesday September 1 at 8pm. Taking its name from a multi-racial union of sharecroppers and tenant farmers founded in Arkansas in the 1930s, Southern Tenant Folk Union delivers a heady brew of old-time, bluegrass, gospel and Celtic folk music. The band comprises the formidable talents of Adam Bulley (mandolin/guitar/dobro/vocals); Silas Child (double bass/vocals); Ben Ivitsky (fiddle/vocals); Ewan Macintyre (guitar/percussion/vocals); Chris Purcell (guitar/vocals); Jed Milroy (guitar/vocals); and Pat McGarvey (banjo/guitar/vocals). Southern Tenant Folk Union’s third album, The New Farming Scene, has just been released.

The Hugh Lane Centenary Print Collection, a prestigious exhibition of prints by 13 of the top names in Irish contemporary art, continues at the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar for the month of July. In a lasting tribute to Hugh Lane's centenary in 2008, the Gallery invited 13 artists to collaborate in creating a unique print collection. Mindful of the concept and the ethos of The Hugh Lane supporting contemporary practice, the resulting prints are as exceptional as they are rare. The Linenhall Arts Centre is delighted to partner with The Hugh Lane and host this unique collection. The work represents a collaboration between The Hugh Lane and artists Dorothy Cross, Willie Doherty, Barry Flanagan and Keith Milow, Louis le Brocquy, Ciarán Lennon, Anne Madden, Elizabeth Magill, Brian Maguire, Brian O'Doherty, Kathy Prendergast, Patrick Scott, Sean Scully and Seán Shanahan. The exhibition runs until Saturday July 31. The Linenhall Gallery is open to the general public Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm; Saturday’s from 11am to 5.30pm. Admission to exhibitions is free.

THE TOWN Hall Theatre will resonate to the sounds of Appalachian, bluegrass, country and gospel when The Molly Hicks take to the stage.

American bluegrass band Country Line will perform in Castlebar, Balla, and Westport this month.