RSS
Paul Keating


Home Page > Entertainment > Entertainment Columns > Paul Keating > Making Beautiful Memories in the Catskills
comment on article Make a comment
print this article Print
email this articleE-mail

PAUL KEATING

Making Beautiful Memories in the Catskills

By
Paul Keating

Published Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 3:13 PM
Updated Thursday, July 23, 2009, 5:18 PM

Share
Bookmark and Share

Mike Rafferty and Willie Kelly make magical music together in the Catskills
Photo by Timothy Rabb

When measuring the success of any event, it is sometimes helpful to gauge it later on in the “afters” period when the scheduled activities have finished and people have the luxury of enjoying the extra bits and assessing all that transpired. 

When the Andy McGann Traditional Music Festival drew to a close with the final set of the young promising GIRSA musicians from Pearl River at around 7:20 p.m. last Saturday night, people were sent forth into the East Durham night on their own. 

Many made their way directly to the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock on Route 145 where Monsignor Charlie Coen concelebrated the Saturday vigil for the first time with Irish traditional musicians from the Catskills Irish Arts Week (CIAW) staff in the beautiful church built by the Irish of East Durham where every seat was filled.

Many more headed off for do-it-yourself sessions at the Shamrock House, McGrath’s, McKenna’s and Furlongs, where the overtime sessions went right up to the Sunday a.m. GAA games from Ireland.

It was all indicative that the juggernaut that was the 15th annual CIAW could not come to a screeching halt after so much momentum and craic building all week, and needed the extra hours to allow people to unwind or go out in a blaze of reels, jigs and frivolity that would sustain them until next year.

It may come as a surprise to many who attend the week -- and a confession of sorts -- but even as the architect of the CIAW now for the sixth year as artistic director, I never really know what to expect until the week unfolds before us in the spunky little hamlet of East Durham that is the heart of the Irish Catskills.  

Like the chef who chooses all the right ingredients and readies them for a magnificent banquet, the proof is always in the eating, and based on that maxim and from comments from all the teachers, performers and students, the 2009 CIAW was a bountiful feast.  

It is even more extraordinary that it did so well in the midst of one of the most trying economic times in our history, proving that music is indeed good for the soul and that people need to be able to enjoy the simple things that bring us pleasure when our belts need to be tightened.

The present hard times did lessen CIAW registrations and attendance somewhat, but still, 500 people signed up for classes and countless more enjoyed 45 music sessions around the area roadhouses that opened their doors for the 2009 season. 

Rooms were scarce at the Blackthorne (and its newly acquired companion property, the Weldon House), Gavin’s, Shamrock House, McGrath’s, Rose Motel, Michael Dees and McKenna’s as the week went along.  

While numbers are very important for some in that very challenged community in the Catskills, it is far from the most significant barometer for tallying the impact of the historic week for Irish culture in America.  

Significant funding from myriad sources like the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council of the Arts, Greene County Tourism, Culture Ireland, Irish Institute of New York City,  Greene County Council for the Arts and smaller but genuine fellow cultural supporters like the Shamrock Irish Traditional Music Society, Irish American Association of North Jersey and the Michael Coleman Club of CCE all gave a firm foundation to this year’s programming ensuring it could go on even with diminished attendance.

1 2 3 Next page >

Vote now - Buzz this story up!


Making Beautiful Memories in the Catskills | Entertainment in Ireland and Around the World | IrishCentral


print this article Print
email this articleE-mail


Be the first to make a comment.







remember me on this computer
forget your password?     
IrishCentral.com is also home to Irish Voice and Irish America magazine