Irish Arts Center
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| At the wedding of Steve Scanley in the Harvard Club in Boston. I'm on the right. |
Upon arriving in New York, and with much more energy than I have now, I learned to play the violin. A fellow student, Jim Collins got me into Irish traditional music. (Jimmy's uncle was a well known flute player in those circles). Cathleen Collins, Brian Conway, Julie Lieberman, and Maureen Glynn have all tried to show me where my fingers go. The Irish music scene in New York is where I met my wife, and spent a considerable amount of time not painting.
I learned to play some tunes with Jimmy Divine, Chuck and Cathy O'Donnel, Tom Hourican, Steve Scanley, Jane Kelton, Alice Olwell and other assorted musical types, at the Irish Arts Center. I and others were highly influenced by the Clare and Galway styles of playing. It is played slower and with more feeling than the Sligo style, and tends to be modal. (In tune with the times and our ages, we all tended to value angst). We listened closely to Kevin Burke, Paddy Fahey, Bobby Casey, Paddy Canny, P.J. Hayes, and Junior Creehan, among others. We spent time thinking about how to cross Andy McGann with Joe Venuti.
) Music festival at Snug Harbor, S.I. Seated from right: Myself, Debbie Putnam, unknown, Maureen Dougherty, Jimmy Devine |
) Playboy of the Western World at the 18th St. Theater. Myself, Jimmy Devine, Tim Britton. |
Faces from the Irish Arts Center |
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) Brian Herron, founder of IAC, in Nova Scotia |
) Nye Herron, Brian's cousin and onetime Director of IAC, in Nova Scotia |
) Kathy Witty-O'Donnel in Boston |
) Susan Frank in Virginia |
) Jimmy Olwell in Nova Scotia. Theater. |
) Candy Donahugh-Gartley, singer, and Paddy Murphy, dancer |
) Tom Hourican, Chuck O'Donnel and Debbie Putnam in Boston |
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