Irish Music All Stars

Irish Music All Stars

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Irish Music All Stars at the Michigan Irish Music Festival

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Michigan Irish Music Festival, 1071 Shoreline Dr, Muskegon, MI

The Irish Music All Stars are please to take part in this years Festival!!

Held annually in September, the festival features 7 stages of music, culture, dance and more. Shop the market, eat at the Celtic Kitchen, sip at The Pub, The Tavern or Whiskey Snug, catch the Highland Games or Wee Ones’ area.

Our mission: To produce a world class Music Festival that promotes Irish culture and heritage, enhancing the community as a destination through entertainment, tourism, education, and philanthropy.

Since 2008, over $266,000 in cash and 21,000 pounds of food have been donated by the festival to the community, to help those most vulnerable.

The United States has been at the forefront and the home-away-from-home of Irish Traditional music for nearly two hundred years with its standing fortified by the music and song of newly arrived musicians from Ireland and beyond throughout those years. The Irish Music All Stars collaboration brings together several immigrant Irish musicians who are are proud to be part of that great legacy and to represent the music: Pat Broaders, Pauline Conneely, Jimmy Keane, and Laurence Nugent.

This Irish Music All Stars collaborative draws from a deep well. The sons and daughter of traditional musicians and singers with years of experience of solo performances and with various bands including The Green Fields of America, bohola, Moloney O’Connell & Keane, Chicago Reel, Aengus, Open the Door for Three -- combine to share their passion and love for the music and the tradition they represent.
 

Pat Broaders grew up in Dublin, the son of parents from Wexford. He began his journey in traditional music at the age of eight, and attended the School of Music in Chatham Street in Dublin. He started out on the whistle, and later moved on to the uilleann pipes under the tutelage of Leon Rowsome. He took up the bouzouki in 1988, inspired by the sounds he grew up hearing from bands like Planxty, and the popularity of the instrument in Dublin’s vibrant traditional music scene. Pat’s singing began naturally enough. His father was a singer, and having grown up around Dublin’s singing tradition, it was a natural step for him. Pat’s repertoire today reflects his interest in the great songs of the Irish tradition as well as songs and ballads from the English and Scottish traditions.

Pauline Conneely was born in Bedford, England, the daughter of Irish parents from Connemara and Longford, raised in a family steeped in Irish music, dance and culture. As a young girl she achieved great success, becoming a champion Irish step dancer before turning her focus to music. Under the tutelage of legendary musician Brendan Mulkere, Pauline honed her love of the banjo, eventually earning her status as renowned banjo player.

Irish music accordion virtuoso Jimmy Keane was born in London of Irish-speaking parents from Connemara and Kerry. His late father Jimmy was a magnificent sean-nos (old style) singer, and along with young Jimmy’s mother Mary, actively encouraged him to take up traditional Irish music.

Jimmy’s accomplishments are far reaching. He has achieved astonishing and unprecedented success in competitive playing, having won five consecutive All-Ireland titles on the piano accordion. He has always been an avid collector and arranger of old tunes and is becoming increasingly known for his original compositions, many of which have become part of the mainstream of traditional Irish music around the world. He also has recorded and produced numerous albums

County Fermanagh's Laurence Nugent carries on a great tradition of virtuoso playing on both sides of the Atlantic. As a well-established performer and recording artist, he has performed with scores of top musicians including The Chieftains, Van Morrison, Martin Hayes, Arty McGlinn, Paddy Keenan. Laurence has toured extensively throughout Ireland, the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan. He has been a featured performer at most major Irish music festivals including: Milwaukee Irish Fest, San Francisco Irish Fest, the Glen Echo Festival in Washington DC, the Willie Clancy Summer School in Ireland, and the International Flute Festival De Cornouaille Quimper in France, etc. His playing has been heard extensively on the radio both the US and Ireland including: National Public Radio, A Prairie Home Companion, The Studs Terkel Show, and Ireland’s national radio network RTÉ.

patbroaders.com  paulineconneely.com  jimmykeane.com  laurencenugent.com

Irish Music All Stars