Matt Ward will sing out at this year's singers' session.
The annual Philadelphia Ceili Group Festival is just a little over a month away, but the excitement is already building.
The festival runs from Thursday, September 8, through Saturday, September 10, at the Philadelphia Irish Center in Mount Airy. Planning continues now at something of a feverish pace for a jam-packed program of Irish music, dance and culture.
One of the highlights of this year’s festival is the Saturday night concert by three members of a superb Irish ensemble, The Pride of New York—Brian Conway, Brendan Dolan, and Billy McComiskey.
“(It’s) a great band out of New York City that usually includes Joannie Madden,” says the Ceili Group’s Anne McNiff. “Joannie will be out of the country in September and unable to join her bandmates for the festival concert. We were just thrilled to have “the boys” and know that everyone can look forward to a great show.”
The hot local band Runa, featuring singer Shannon Lambert-Ryan, is also on the bill, as are dancers from the Coyle School.
The long weekend opens with singers’ night, dedicated to the late longtime festival chairman Frank Malley. “The first singers night was held at the Mermaid Inn as a ‘prefest’ event and was such a success that he (Malley) brought it in as a regular part of the lineup,” says McNiff.
The great Irish singer Matt Ward, one of Malley’s favorites, is in this year’s lineup. Local singers include the well-known singing publican Gerry Timlin, together with longtime favorite Vince Gallagher and the talented Terry Kane, who sings in both English and Irish.
On the following night, a terrific band from Baltimore, Dan Isaacson’s Simple System, is featured in fireside concert.
For those who want to hone their Irish music performance skills, Saturday offers a wide array of workshops, taught by some of the best in the business:
- Brian Conway (fiddle)
- Billy McComiskey (accordion)
- Dan Isaacson (pipes and whistle)
- Danny Noveck (guitar)
- Matthew Olwell (bodhran)
- Terry Kane (Irish singing)
Other workshops include:
- Brendan Dolan – Irish Music: Gems from the Moloney Collection
- Tracing Your Irish Roots, the Ins and Outs of Genealogy with Lori Lander Murphy
- The true story of Duffy’s Cut, presented by Frank Watson
- A workshop on Sean Nos (old style) dancing with Kelly Smit for dancers at all levels
- An Irish Language workshop with Leo Mohan
- Knitting and spinning demonstrations
- An informational talk on Commodore Barry by Frank Hollingsorth and Billy Brennan
- “How to be Irish in Philadelphia” with Jeff Meade and Denise Foley
- Tin Whistle for Beginners with Dennis Gormley
- St. Brigid’s Cross making
- Irish Folk Tales for Children with Basha Gardner.
Also for the kids: face-painting and balloon animals.
Vendors also will be on hand with food, gifts, and more.
All of that, plus you never know when Irish music will spontaneously break out.
Tickets for the festival are on sale now. Visit the Philadelphia Ceili Group Web site for details.
