The musicians who made being Irish "cool." The year was 1985. At roughly about the same time that U2's Bono was stage-diving into the massive crowd gathered for Live Aid, the charity concert organized by former Boomtown Rat Bob Geldof to help eradicate world hunger, the first issue of Irish America was being prepped to roll off the presses. It's been a wild 15 years for … [Read more...] about Music: Rockin’ 15
Irish Music
We’re Here and We’re Irish
By Patsy Murphy July August 1992
There is a creative wave happening in Ireland that is stretching all the way across the Atlantic and washing up on the shores of America. Patsy Murphy examines this phenomenon. Across many a billboard in New York and, I presume, throughout this great land, you can see the poster for Universal's blockbuster movie Far and Away starring Mr. and Mrs. Cruise. It's the story of a … [Read more...] about We’re Here and We’re Irish
Music Review: Nashville Finds Its Irish Roots
By Jim Kelton November 1992
The Chieftains are the most Irish of all commercial bands and, therefore, the most universal in spirit. They embody their musical heritage with such fierce allegiance to its true origins that nothing compromises their integrity. They work with ballet companies, symphony orchestras, classical Chinese ensembles, and even hard-edged rock stars with miraculous consistency. No … [Read more...] about Music Review: Nashville Finds Its Irish Roots
Women in Irish Traditional Music
By P.J. Curtis July August 1992
In a small, dimly lit pub in a West Clare village, a group of attentive listeners gather around an elderly woman seated in a corner. The year is 1958 and some of the people gathered have travelled from as far away as Dublin City to sit in the presence of one Mrs. Crotty, who sits smiling but unmoving; except for her nimble fingers, which dance effortlessly across the keys of a … [Read more...] about Women in Irish Traditional Music
Music Q&A: A Wake Up Call
The Cranberries performed to a small audience at the Bowery Ballroom in downtown Manhattan on August 22 to promote their new CD Wake Up and Smell the Coffee. Less than a month later New York would be the focus of the world's attention with the horrible events of September 11. Drummer and founding member Fergal Lawler talks to Elizabeth Raggi about violence, new life and … [Read more...] about Music Q&A: A Wake Up Call