Kevin McGillian, the heart and soul and accordion player of most ceili bands in the Philadelphia region, will be honored with a lifetime achievement award on Saturday night by the Delaware Valley Division of the Comhaltas (Coal-tus) Ceoltoiri Eireann, an international organization that promotes Irish music and culture.
McGillian, a native of Legfordrum, County Tyrone, who has lived in the Philadelphia area for about six decades, was previously inducted in the Mid-Atlantic CCE Hall of Fame. A shy, soft-spoken man, McGillian moved to Philadelphia at the age of 26 where he met and married Mary Boyce. The two raised six children, all of whom play instruments.
It’s not unusual to see McGillian with two of his sons, Jimmy and, John, to either side of him, playing at the annual Philadelphia Ceili Group Festival, the St. Patrick’s Day event at the Plough and the Stars in Philadelphia, and at sessions throughout the Delaware Valley. Though seriously ill and unable to play at this year’s Ceili Group Festival, he did make an appearance to listen to his son, John, and daughter Kathy, entertain at the Rambling House event.
All-Ireland accordion champ Bill McComiskey will join a host of local musicians to honor McGillian on Saturday at the MacSwiney Club, 510 Greenwood Avenue in Jenkintown. There will be ceili and set dancing.
Lovers of Irish traditional music will be in their glory this week. Several top notch performers are swinging by, starting with Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul at Montgomery County Community College on Saturday night. The daughter of Irish immigrants, Ivers grew up in the Bronx, NY, and began fiddle lessons as a child with the legendary Martin Mulvihill. Her spirited fiddling has been called “the future of Celtic fiddle.” She’s a nine-time All-Ireland fiddle champ.
You don’t have to be Irish to enjoy The Gloaming, five master musicians, not all from the Irish tradition, who will be appearing at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia on Sunday. They’ve been described as “Irish traditional music meets the New York downtown scene.” The Gloaming brings together frequent duo fiddler Martin Hayes and guitarist Dennis Cahill, with fiddler Caoimhin O’ Raghallaigh, and pianist Thomas Bartlett, along with Iarla O’ Lionaird on vocals.
If you’re not into trad—even progressive trad—there are the Young Dubliners who will be rocking it out at the Sellersville Theatre on Sunday night. You can go there after you’ve been to the 32nd Annual Hamilton Irish Festival in Hamilton, NJ.
But on Wednesday, the trad continues with Clare fiddler Oisin MacDiarmada and his wife, Samantha Harvey, a pianist, who will be playing a house concert in Ambler. See our calendar for details on how to reserve your spot. We just heard this week that MacDiarmada will be bringing his popular Irish Christmas in America show to the area again this holiday season. Stay tuned for more details.
On Friday, grab your dancing shoes and head down to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware for a weekend of Irish Set Dancing.
Coming up: A tea party at the Painted Tea Cup in Upper Darby to raise money for the Divine Providence Village Rainbow Irish step dancers, a group of developmentally disabled women who have formed an step dancing troupe that has appeared in the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade and at Irish Night at the Phillies and the Camden River Sharks. That takes place on Saturday, October 17. See the calendar for reservation information.
Also: A Corker of a night with Cork performers Donie Carroll and Jimmy Crowley—two amazing voices—who will be appearing in the living room of musicians Gabriel Donohue and Marian Makins on October 22. Again, you must call ahead to reserve a spot.
