IT certainly hasn't been smooth sailing for the ambitious Broadway production of The Pirate Queen produced by John McColgan and Moya Doherty.

It has managed to stay afloat despite the nearly universal pans from the professional critics while entertaining a number of people who have seen it and given standing ovations to the cast.

From my own informal sampling and I have seen it twice myself I sit squarely in the middle on its achievements plus and minus. The cast, though, has been well-chosen in my opinion, and does the very best with what they have to work with which seems to be the bone of contention for the critics who had a field day floating through the flaws in the material.

In particular, from the musical side of things the choice of sean

nos singer Aine Ui Cheallaigh, piper/whistle player Kieran O'Hare and fiddler Liz Knowles appear to be the hidden assets that give the play some of the Irish authenticity and dramatic impact.

Actually, to say that Ui Cheallaigh is hidden in any way is misleading because her character Evleen commands the stage at times of high significance like the death of Grace O'Malley's father Dubhdara at the close of the first act.

Back in Ireland she is the principal of an Irish language school in An Rinn in the Waterford Gaelthact, and she has a masters in medieval chant from the University of Limerick, so she was uniquely qualified to offer probably the first song in Irish on the Broadway stage that anyone can recall.

A native of Belfast, Ui Cheallaigh returned to her Ring roots where her mother is from and has taught for 20 years there. In 1992, Gael-Linn released her CD Idir Dha Chomhairle (In Two Minds) which reflects the bi-lingual sensibilities of the Irish, and it first brought her to Bill Whelan's notice when he looked for Riverdance performers, and she appeared in the first production at the Point in Dublin.

Riverdance producers McColgan and Doherty sought her out again for The Pirate Queen, and it gave her a good opportunity for a career break from teaching and to explore other possibilities while shining in the glow of the bright lights of Broadway.

Ui Cheallaigh is regarded as one of Ireland's foremost sean nos and Irish singers, and her beautiful crystal clear voice is unforgettable in this play and beyond.

Piper Kieran O'Hare from Kansas City works from the obscurity of the orchestra pit, though his haunting pipes and whistle playing punctuate the Irish storyline and thus help elevate the musical level of the play's score.

Long considered one of America's finest uilleann pipers with a similar reputation on the whistle and flute, he studied at Trinity College and became one of the first Americans to play

the pipes at Ireland's National Concert Hall in Dublin in the Ace and Deuce of Piping series in 1994.

Blessed with a keen sense of humor and intelligence, O'Hare had to work extremely hard to master the complex musical notation and arrangements to fit in with The Pirate Queen orchestra pit, which he appears to have mastered to the betterment of the show.

Married to pit mate fiddler Liz Knowles since 2001, his Broadway appearance is definitely a case of who you know. Knowles is a Riverdance alum who auditioned last year for The Pirate Queen in Chicago, where the couple lives, and when asked if she knew any good pipe/whistle players, piped up, "I'm living with one."

No idle boast, as O'Hare is well regarded on the festival circuit and summer schools in America as a talented teacher and performer, with appearances in the film Road to Perdition and the Seamus Egan/Jean Butler production of Dancing on Dangerous Ground.

Kentucky native Knowles began in classical music before venturing into contemporary and eventually Irish music. She has toured with a number of performers and did a stint in Cherish the Ladies.

She appeared frequently with Liz Carroll and

is a member of the "

String Sisters" ensemble with Liz, Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh, Catriona MacDonald, Annbjorg Lien and Emma Hardelin of Celtic Connections fame.

Knowles' role in The Pirate Queen orchestra is well-suited for her given her diverse musical background because of the demanding and rapid musical shifts that the score entails. Like her husband, she is in demand at Irish festivals and summer schools and part of a very important Midwest tribe of traditional musicians who keep the music flowing and respected in Chicagoland.

She is also recognized as being in the vanguard of young musicians in America who made a successful passage from classical music to Irish trad, and who have helped paved the way for understanding both as part of music education.

Like their close knit colleagues in The Pirate Queen cast who have hung together to weather the critical storm, Ui Cheallaigh, O'Hare and Knowles appreciate the chance to perform at the Broadway professional level. Given the opportunity to work on a regular basis for some extended on the tourist-swelled Great White Way doesn't come along to everyone, and they were well-placed to meet the challenge.

They are excited about where it might lead them in their own artistic endeavors and projects, and if you ever have the opportunity to see them perform outside The Pirate Queen world, you will be glad you did. Let's hope they have some opportunities away from Broadway while they are in town.