Remembering Banjo

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WHILE no one would confuse the hamlet of East Durham with Nashville's Music City, there is no denying that it has become a mecca for traditional music not only in the summer but now in October as it hosts two gatherings for the traditionally inclined.

Coming up this Columbus Day weekend is the second annual Joe "Banjo" Burke Festival from October 10-13 in memory of the great Kilkenny banjo player and ballad singer who succumbed to Parkinson's disease and other ailments before his time back in 2003.

In an attempt to keep his legacy alive and provide some funding for medical research and the arts in the upstate Catskills area, this festival was launched a year ago by Joe's widow, Bridget Burke (bridget@joebanjoburke.org or phone 607-225-9928) to also bring some business to the town as it winds down for the season.

Among the musicians scheduled to teach and/or perform are Brian Conway, Jimmy Noonan, Margie Mulvihill, Willy Kelly, Frank Claudy, Will Collins, Bill Meehan, Tom Dunne, John Reynolds, Cathy Clarke, John Nolan, John Whelan, Jimmy Crowley, Carol Thompson, Don Meade, Ged Foley, Donnie Carroll, Aine Meenaghan, Terry and Pat Kane, Ian and Erica Keane and Monsignor Charles Coen. There are music, singing, Irish language and dancing workshops on Saturday and Sunday (set dancing with Ron Bruschi and Marie Newman and ceili dancing with Pat Kane and West O'Clare).

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