If Carolan were alive and living in New York City, he'd be giving house concerts to patrons of the Irish arts on Fifth Avenue. Rightly, Carolan's musical heirs--Irish traditional musicians--already have a home in the shadow of Washington Square arch at the venerable home of Ireland House, NYU's center for Irish studies and culture.

The townhouse in the middle of NY's preferred zip code became a sanctuary for Blarney Star Productions--the Friday night concert series organized forever by the Don of Irish music production in New York City, Don Meade. Meade has dedicated his life to ensuring that Irish traditional music has a quiet home for listening, and the Ireland House venue has long served as a magical spot for just that. Here's a snap shot of two ladies dancing to the music at Ireland House, from Friday night, when Seán McComiskey and Cleek Shrey performed--kicking off the 2010 Blarney Star season:

Don Meade never stops. Here's a shot of him on sound at the McComiskey/Shrey concert.

The Blarney Star concerts are not to be missed. I'll remind you as they come up, but plan now to be there for these upcoming shows:
February 19th: Cormac Breatnach & Mike Considine
March 12th: Kevin Crawford & Cillian Vallely
April 16th: Donie Carroll
May 14th: James Keane & Randal Bays