A Christmas with special meaning - how Superstorm Sandy was defied by Irish music

Sandy gives new meanings to the holidays in New York

Daly was on to something, she realized. After all, there’s something about Christmas that has always spoken deeply to the Irish. It’s probably because it’s a time of year when you find yourself reflecting on the year that has passed (and all the years that have passed). The Irish can’t resist that. It’s no surprise that James Joyce set his most heartfelt and accomplished story in the heart of it. 

The uniqueness of Daly’s album is that the artists she’s selected aren’t generally known for Christmas tracks of any kind. 

“When people found out I was doing this album their managers called me. So we were kind of select about what we chose. I had to love the song and the artist,” she says.

“The truth is it was a vanity project because I love what I do and I want this album to reflect the career I’ve been pursuing for 17 years. This is what I like.”

There are well known names on Together for Christmas like the Celtic Tenors (whose specialty is their innovative spin on traditional Celtic, classical, and popular works) Larry Kirwan (the legendary Black 47 front man), Dempsey and the High Kings, but there are also terrific newcomer acts like the Wild Colonial Boys and Dave Browne and the Temple Bar Band. It’s the kind of lineup that keeps things fresh, and it’s an example of Daly’s longstanding approach.

Next up on December 13 there will be a public fundraiser and launch for Together for Christmas at Connolly’s (six of the acts on the album are scheduled to appear) with a portion of the proceeds going to support the communities in Long Beach and the Rockaways. 

“I know there are places that aren’t even on the TV that are still suffering, like Broad Channel and Howard Beach,” says Daly. 

“These are places where I have friends and relatives. These are places that people are ignoring. We want to help them on the night.”

So as she focuses on launching the album Daly is also focusing on getting her own life back on track after the storm. Although one job is taxing enough, two is really pushing it. But she doesn’t complain.

“To tell you the truth I don’t know how I’m doing it. We’re safe, we’re in our apartment together with our two cats, and the album is a labor of love for me. Life can’t stand still,” she offers.

“Some people I know are flipping out after the storm and they need help. I think you just have to go on.”

Daly adds that she feels she owes something to the Irish and Irish American artists she has worked with on Together for Christmas because they have all been working on its final lineup for the past year and a half or so. 

“I feel like I owe it to everyone who put time and energy into it to get it out there. It’s great exposure for newer Irish and Irish American artists and it’s worthwhile for the more established acts too.”

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Nster.com