Seamus Kennedy – AcousticMusicScene.com

Celtic Classic Returns to Bethlehem, PA, Sept. 24-26

Michael Kornfeld — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 12:41:19 +0000

The 2021 Celtic Classic highland games & festival is set for Friday-Sunday, September 24-26 in downtown Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Presented by the nonprofit Celtic Cultural Alliance, the free annual event is a celebration of the Irish, Scottish and Welsh cultures and heritage and will feature five stages of continuous entertainment – including traditional Celtic music, Celtic rock and folk.

Billed as the largest free Celtic festival in North America, the Celtic Classic has drawn nearly 300,000 people in past years. Now in its 34th year, the festival did not take place in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Celtic Cultural Alliance is adhering to all federal and state guidelines with respect to the pandemic this year. Festival hours are 4-10 p.m. EST on Sept 24, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sept. 25, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sept. 26.

Artists slated to perform include Barleyjuice, Blackwater, Celtic Aire (the U.S. Air Force’s Celtic band), Chambless & Muse, Chivalrous Crickets, Emish, Fig for a Kiss, House of Hamill, Seamus Kennedy, Kennedy’s Kitchen, Kilmaine Saints, Moxie Strings, Rogue Diplomats, RUNA, and Gerry Timlin.

Other musical attractions during the weekend include pipe band, fiddle and drum major competitions. Irish dancers from the O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance also will take part in the festivities.

North America’s largest highland games take place during the Celtic Classic for the 14th time. The U.S. National Highland Athletic Championships feature events that trace their origins back to medieval Scotland; these include the lifting of heavy stone, throwing 16 and 22-pound hammers, and sheaf and caber tossing. Border collie exhibitions, The Showing of the Tartan parade; a Haggis Bowl (in which whoever eats one pound of Scotland’s national dish wins); a Celtic Heritage Hollow featuring children’s activities, Celtic societies and clans tents, blacksmith demonstrations, and cultural competitions; and a Celtic marketplace featuring crafts, merchandise and collectibles also are on tap.

More information on one of the most popular events in northeastern Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, including daily schedules, may be found at celticfest.org.

Michigan Irish Music Festival Hosts Virtual Celebration, Sept. 17-20

Michael Kornfeld — Sun, 13 Sep 2020 18:00:32 +0000

The COVID-19 pandemic and the social distancing guidelines associated with it prompted cancellation of the Michigan Irish Music Festival that is held annually at Heritage Park in Muskegon. Determined to help keep Irish in y(our) hearts during the “weekend that would have been,” festival organizers have arranged a virtual celebration featuring special online musical and cultural performances that you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home, Sept. 17-20, 2020.

Local, national and international touring artists whose performances are slated to stream @ https://facebook.com/michiganirish over the extended weekend include (in alphabetical order) The Alt, An Dro, Blackthorn, Ruth and Max Bloomquist, Bohola, Daimh, Doolin’, Ian Gould, Shane Hennessey, Seamus Kennedy, The Kreelers, One for the Foxes, Peat in the Creel, RUNA, Scythian, Sharon Shannon, Trout Steak Revival, and Uneven Ground. Singer-Songwriter Ashley Davis will host a songwriters circle featuring Dave Curley, Doolin’, Colin Farrell, and Shane Hennessey, while Shannon Lambert-Ryan, RUNA’s lead vocalist, will host a family-friendly presentation on “Baking with Babies.”

The schedule for the virtual festival appears below. Videos may also be posted on the festival’s Facebook page for replay later if you miss or want to see any of the acts again.

Thursday
5-7 pm Sounds Like Ireland Radio Program
8 pm Runa
9 pm Seamus Kennedy
10 pm An Dro

Friday
6 – 9 am Michael Patrick Shiels The Big Show radio show broadcast live from downtown Muskegon
5 pm Ruth and Max Bloomquist
6 pm Ian Gould
6:30 pm Songwriters Circle with Ashley Davis (featuring Colin Farrell and Dave Curley)
7 pm Dave Curley
7:50 pm Five Farms
8 pm Best of Scythian on Dan’s Wedding Day!
9 pm Shane Hennessy
10 pm The Kreellers

Saturday
12 pm Conklin Ceili Band
1 pm Peat in the Creel
1:30 pm Cathy Jo Smith Storyteller – Seanín the Piper
2 pm Kennedy’s Kitchen
2:30 Bob Harke with Kennedy’s Kitchen
3 pm Baking with Babies
4 pm Songwriters Circle with Ashley Davis (featuring Doolan’)
5 pm the Alt
5:30 pm Cathy Jo Smith – Questions about the Irish Wake
6 pm Friel Sisters
7 pm One for the Foxes
8 pm Daimh
9 pm Doolin’
10 pm CrossBow

Sunday
11 am Uneven Ground
11:30 am Deb O’Carroll’s Irish Magic Show
12 pm Runa featuring Eamonn and Cormac de Barra
1 pm Songwriters Circle with Ashely Davis (featuring Shane Hennessy)
2 pm Trout Steak Revival
3 pm Bohola
4 pm Best of Sharon Shannon
5 pm Blackthorn

Celtic Classic Returns to Bethlehem, PA, Sept. 27-29, 2013

Michael Kornfeld — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 14:05:44 +0000

The 2013 Celtic Classic highland games & festival is set for September 27-29 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Presented by the nonprofit Celtic Cultural Alliance and now in its 26th year, the free annual event is a celebration of the Irish, Scottish and Welsh cultures and heritage and will feature several stages of continuous entertainment.

Artists slated to perform include Barleyjuice, Blackwater, Brownpenny, Burning Bridget Cleary, Dublin 5, The Elders, Emish, Four Leaf Clovers, Full Set, Glengarry Bhoys, Jamison, Seamus Kennedy, Kilmaine Saints, Long Time Courting, Makem & Spain Brothers, Carl Peterson, Piper’s Request, Poor Angus, RUNA, Slainte, Craig Thatcher & Nyk VanDyk, and Timlin & Kane. Other musical attractions during the weekend include pipe band, fiddle and drum major competitions. Irish dancers from the Irish Stars School of Irish Dance and the O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance also will take part in the festivities, as will several Irish and Irish-American comedians.

North America’s largest highland games take place during the Celtic Classic. The U.S. National Highland Athletic Championships will include the lifting of heavy stone, throwing 16 and 22-pound hammers, and tossing of the sheaf and caber. Border collie exhibitions, a “Showing of the Tartan” parade, a Guinness “Pour a Perfect Pint” contest, a new children’s tent, instructional contra and ceili dancing, clan tents, and a Celtic marketplace featuring crafts, merchandise and collectibles also are on tap.

The festival grounds are located along the banks of Monocracy Creek and adjacent to downtown Bethlehem’s Main Street shopping area. More information on one of the most popular events in northeastern Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, including daily schedules, may be found at www.celticfest.org.

Celtic Classic Returns to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Sept. 23-25, 2011

Michael Kornfeld — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 14:52:56 +0000

The 24th annual Celtic Classic highland games & festival is set for September 23-25 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Presented by the nonprofit Celtic Cultural Alliance, the free event is a celebration of the Irish, Scottish and Welsh cultures and heritage and will feature four stages of continuous entertainment.

Solas

Artists slated to perform are Blackwater, Burning Bridget Cleary, Jil Chamblis & Scooter Muse, Comas, Emish, Girsa, Ontario’s The Glengarry Bhoys, The Jameson Sisters, Seamus Kennedy, David Kincaid, Makem & Spain Brothers, Paul McKenna Band, McPeake, Mick Moloney, Screaming Orphans, Solas (in a special ticketed concert), Timlin & Kane, and button accordionist John Whelan. Other musical attractions during the weekend include pipe band, fiddle and drum major competitions and an open Celtic music seisun. Irish and Highland dancers also will take part in the festivities.

North America’s largest highland games take place during the Celtic Classic. The U.S. National Highland Athletic Championships will include the lifting of heavy stone, throwing a 22-pound hammer, and tossing of the caber. Border collie exhibitions, a “Showing of the Tartan” parade, a haggis eating contest, a whiskey tasting event, a kids craft tent, clan tents, and a Celtic marketplace featuring crafts, merchandise and collectibles also are on tap.

Celtic Classic On Tap for Sept. 24-26 in Bethlehem, PA

Michael Kornfeld — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 14:21:53 +0000

Throngs of people are expected to converge on Historic Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Sept. 24-26, for the 23rd annual Celtic Classic. Presented by the nonprofit Celtic Cultural Alliance, the free event is a celebration of the Irish, Scottish and Welsh cultures and heritage.

Brian McNeil

The 2010 Celtic Classic will feature performances by Barleyjuice, Blackwater, Bua, Burning Bridget Cleary, Enter The Haggis, Ontario’s Glengarry Bhoys, The Jameson Sisters, Seamus Kennedy, Makem & Spain Brothers, Brian McNeil (The Scots songwriter and founding member of Battlefield Band), McPeake, The Outside Track, The Red Hot Chili Pipers (who close out the festivities on Sunday night with a mix of traditional pipe tunes and contemporary anthems), Timlin & Kane, and Robert Watt, Lee Lawson & Mark Wilson. Other musical attractions during the weekend include The Celtic Classic Invitational Pipe Band Competition and fiddle and drum major competitions. Irish and Highland dancers also will take part in the festivities.

The Celtic Classic also features North America’s largest highland games. The U.S. National Highland Athletic Championships will include the lifting of heavy stone, throwing a 22-pound hammer, and tossing of the caber. Border collie exhibitions, a “Showing of the Tartan” parade, a haggis eating contest, and a Celtic marketplace featuring crafts, merchandise and collectibles also are on tap. A Kids Craft Tent will be in operation on Saturday and Sunday, as will a new family-oriented Celtic Crossroads featuring theatre, dance, painting and film.

The festival grounds are located along the banks of Monocracy Creek and adjacent to downtown Bethlehem’s Main Street shopping area. Hours for the Celtic Classic are 4 to 11 p.m. on Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, and 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. For more information on one of the most popular events in the northeastern Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, visit www.celticfest.org.

Irish Music Awards Presented

Michael Kornfeld — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 05:16:36 +0000

The second annual Irish Music Awards were presented by the Irish Music Association on January 27 at O’Malley’s Pub in Weston, Missouri. Harpist and singer Orla Fallon, formerly of Celtic Woman and Anuna, won awards in all four categories in which she was nominated. Irish folk musician Donal Lunny — who has been a part of such groups as Planxty, The Bothy Band, Moving Hearts and Mozaik, played on a number of Christy Moore albums, and has produced albums for other artists — was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. A complete list of award recipients follows:

Top Solo Performer in Concert: Orla Fallon
Top Solo Performer in a Pub Venue: Seamus Kennedy
Top Duo in Pub, Festival, and Concert: Ellis Island
Top Group: Celtic Woman
Best New Irish Music Artist(s): Cara
Top Celtic Rock Band: Screaming Orphans
Best Irish Tenor (individual): Anthony Kearns
Best Female Vocalist (individual/traditional): Orla Fallon
Best Sean-nos Singer: Brian O’hAirt
Top Traditional Performance Show: The High Kings
Top Traditional Group – In Festival, Pub & Concert: Bua
Tommy Makem Award: Orla Fallon
Top Harpist: Orla Fallon
Top Uilleann Piper: John McSherry
Top Fiddle: Maired Nesbitt
Top Button Accordion: John Whelan
Lifetime Achievement Award: Donal Lunny

The Irish Music Association produces, promotes and perpetuates Irish music through sponsored events, festivals, concerts, pub shows, and an annual network production, according to its website.

In other Celtic music news, singer-songwriter Tommy Sands’ Let The Circle Be (Appleseed Recordings), which also features Moya and Fiona Sands, was recently named the 2009 Celtic Connections “Album of the Year” by Bryan Kelso Crow, host of the nationally syndicated public radio program that originates from the studios of WSIU at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

Nominees Named for Irish Music Awards

Michael Kornfeld — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:19:02 +0000

Online voting continues through January 8 on nominees in 17 categories for the second annual Irish Music Awards presented by the Independence, Missouri-based Irish Music Association.

Harpist and singer Orla Fallon is nominated in four categories, while Luka Bloom, Martin Hayes, The High Kings, Van Morrison and The Wolfe Tones each received two nods. Names and photos of the winners will be posted at www.irishmusicawards.com on January 28.

Irish Music Awards nominees for 2009 include:

Top Solo Performer in Concert: Van Morrison, Luka Bloom, Christy Moore, Orla Fallon

Top Solo Performer in a Pub Venue: Luka Bloom, Harry O’Donoghue, Seamus Kennedy

Top Duo in Pub, Festival, and Concert: Ellis Island, Wild Colonial Bhoys, Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill, Stephens Green

Top Group: Gaelic Storm, The Chieftains, The Wolfe Tones, Celtic Woman

Best New Irish Music Artist(s): Cara, Connachttown, The Rum Brothers

Top Celtic Rock Band: Bad Haggis, The Indulgers, Seven Nations, Screaming Orphans

Best Irish Tenor (individual): John McDermott, Anthony Kearns

Best Female Vocalist (individual/traditional): Mary Black, Deidre Shannon, Orla Fallon, Maria Doyle Kennedy

Best Sean-nos Singer: Iarla O Lionnaird, Brian O’hAirt, Brid Ni Mhaoilchiarain

Top Traditional Performance Show: Dublin City Ramblers, The High Kings, Switchback, Slide

Top Traditional Group – In Festival, Pub & Concert: The High Kings, Bua, Cherish the Ladies, The Beer Mats

Tommy Makem Award: John Doyle, Orla Fallon, Jimmy Crowley and Mairtin de Coagain

Top Harpist: Patrick Harvey, Darren Raleigh, Orla Fallon

Top Uilleann Piper: Tim Britton, John McSherry, Eric Rigler

Top Fiddle: Liz Carroll, Natalie MacMaster, Maired Nesbitt, Martin Hayes

Top Button Accordion: John Whelan, Liam O’Connor

Lifetime Achievement Award: Van Morrison, The Wolfe Tones, Donal Lunny, Bill Whelan

The Irish Music Association produces, promotes and perpetuates Irish music through sponsored events, festivals, concerts, pub shows, and an annual network production, according to its website.