By Paddy McCarthy
Happy Thanksgiving to all the readers of The Irish Examiner USA. You can visit us online at www.irishexaminerusa.com so pass that on to all your friends and family.
I am going to start this week’s Out&About with news of a very very interesting Christmas show coming up to get you all in the Christmas humor and the holiday spirit that is happening at the New York Irish Center. The New York Irish Center, now celebrating 20 years as a hub for culture and community enrichment serving diverse constituencies in Long Island City, presents its annual holiday concert, New York Croons for Christmas, on Friday December 13 at 7 pm. Tickets, which are $60 (with complimentary holiday refreshments throughout the evening start at 6 pm), can be purchased at newyorkirishcenter.org. NY Irish Center is located at 1040 Jackson Avenue in Long Island City.
The special 20th anniversary edition of the show features three leading lights in New York cabaret -singer-songwriter Carolyn Montgomery, the singer Jeanne MacDonald, and the actor-singer Kathy Kaefer. This year’s added treat is the rising star Madelyn Monaghan, who’s exquisite sean-nós singing style catapulted her to prominence on tik tok during the Pandemic.
Now an international Celtic festival favorite and electronic dance music phenomenon, Madelyn produced her first album in 2022, the acclaimed éist, a collaboration with Cullen Vance, and in 2023 she put out Follow the King, which she co-wrote with Ben Gold of Armada Music in Amsterdam.
Hosted by the two-time MAC Award-winning Colm Reilly, New York Irish Center’s warm-hearted holiday concert tradition mixes holiday songs from a range of international repertoires with a dash of fun originals from Montgomery, and the acclaimed guitarist Sean Harkness, who leads The Life of Reilly Band. Bandmembers include Jennifer Vincent (bass), Rob Mitzner (percussion), Sara Caswell (violin/fiddle), and Sean Harkness (guitar).
The show is staged immersivity as a holiday party in NYIC’s street-level storefront theater, the Reilly Room, named after NYIC’s beloved co-founder Paddy Reilly, Colm’s father. Complimentary refreshments, served throughout the evening, are included in the $60 ticket price.
Colm Reilly is a frequent performer and host at the NYIC, who has also appeared and headlined at The Town Hall, Symphony Space, The Iridium Jazz Club, Birdland, Feinstein’s/54 Below and at Carnegie Hall. He has also toured with the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland, and in theatre productions across the US, including “Forever Plaid, “Brigadoon, and “Hello Dolly!” One of his two MAC Awards was for Best Male Vocalist.
Carolyn Montgomery is the co-founder and executive director of the American Songbook Association, which promotes and preserves classic American musical legacies, as well as a multi-MAC, Nightlife and Bistro award-winning performer.
A much-admired cabaret vocalist in New York City, Jeanne McDonald has earned several MAC Awards, a NY Nightlife Award, a Backstage Bistro Award, and the coveted Julie Wilson Award for Excellence in Cabaret.
The Bistro Award-winning actress and singer Kathy Kaefer has appeared at Birdland, and Feinstein‘s at the Regency in the hit off Broadway show Our Sinatra. She has performed with the Tom Postilio Big Band at the famed Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center and debuted her award-winning show “I’ll Be Seeing You, Stories from the Homefront” at the Metropolitan Room in New York.
Sean Harkness composes and arranges music for solo guitar and for small ensembles, and accompanies many singers, musicians, and theatrical productions. Awards. Include a Bistro Award, a Broadway world Cabaret Award for Best CD Release, and six MAC Awards. Sean represents Walden Guitars.
The Annual Toy Drive will also return to The New York Irish Center for its 12th year on Saturday December 7 at 1 pm and NYIC invites you to support their drive to deliver 1000 gifts to 1000 children across our communities. On Saturday, December 7 dozens of volunteer elves transform the Center into a gift-wrapping workshop, with the goal of wrapping over 1000 individual gifts! Kindly supported by New York City Council Member Julie Won, they are benefiting local charities Hour Children, Woodside on the Move, Habitat for Humanity, and Ravenswood and Queensbridge Houses.
I also have to remind you that one of the biggest events that will happen here in New York City will be when the 2024 Armagh GAA Football All Ireland Champions be here with the Sam Maguire Cup on December 7th from 7 pm to 10 pm at the Tailor Public House (505 8th Avenue at 35th Street). Not seen very often here in the USA, this is your chance to view the Cup and get your photo with with players and coaches. All Irish Counties representatives here in the USA of America that have the GAA in their hearts should do their best to be there.
I will congratulate them even though Cork did not make it, ahh well, but I will be there to welcome the winning Armagh team, players and coaches, and of course the Sam Maguire Cup. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of this history when they arrive!
Finally, I am so sorry to announce the passing of a great Irish man and gentleman, Pat Donaghy, the founder of Structure Tone, one of the most successful construction business in North America. Pat, an 18-year-old Irish immigrant in the 1960s built one of the leading interior construction businesses in New York city in a very short period. He was born in Tyrone, RIP.
Happy Thanksgiving. Hope to see you all again next week when I am Out&About again…