An Irish kick line: Keiran Jordan and Siobhan Butler, joining Bernadette and Caitlín Nic Gabhann.
Fans of traditional Irish music got a super treat Saturday night at the Philadelphia Irish Center.
The band is called NicGaviskey—a kind of mooshing together of the band members’ names: Sean Gavin, flute; Bernadette Nic Gabhann, fiddle; Caitlín Nic Gabhann, concertina; Sean McComiskey on accordion (he’s the son of celebrated box player Billy McComiskey).
Gavin is from Detroit and McComiskey is from Baltimore; the ladies are from County Meath. They met at Catskills Irish Arts week in upstate New York in 2009, and sparks flew. In time, they collaborated on a CD, “Home away from Home,” recorded both in Miltown Malbay, West Clare, and Baltimore.
The band brought many of those tunes to the Irish Center, playing to a packed house.
And as an added treat … there was dancing. First, the Nic Gabhanns; and then the Nic Gabhanns, joined by acclaimed sean nos dancer Keiran Jordan, a Philly-area native now in Boston, with Siobhan Butler, also of Boston.
We’ve put together a photo essay of the night’s doings right here.
And, as you can see above, we offer four very cool videos to give you a sampling of the band’s superb playing.