{"id":30186,"date":"2024-11-27T11:18:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-27T16:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=30186"},"modified":"2024-11-29T11:23:31","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T16:23:31","slug":"outabout-302","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=30186","title":{"rendered":"Out&About"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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New York Croons for Christmas returns to The New York\u2008Irish Center on December 13 (Rory Duffy)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Paddy McCarthy<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happy Thanksgiving<\/strong> to all the readers of The Irish Examiner USA<\/em>. You can visit us online at www.irishexaminerusa.com so pass that on to all your friends and family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am going to start this week\u2019s 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<\/strong>. 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,\u00a0New York Croons for Christmas<\/strong>,\u00a0on Friday December 13 at 7 pm.\u00a0\u00a0Tickets, which are $60 (with complimentary holiday refreshments throughout the evening start at 6 pm), can be purchased at newyorkirishcenter.org<\/a>. NY Irish Center is located at 1040 Jackson Avenue in Long Island City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The special 20th\u00a0anniversary edition of the show features three leading lights in New York cabaret -singer-songwriter\u00a0Carolyn Montgomery<\/strong>,\u00a0the singer\u00a0Jeanne MacDonald<\/strong>,\u00a0and the actor-singer\u00a0Kathy Kaefer<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0This year\u2019s added treat is the rising star\u00a0Madelyn Monaghan<\/strong>, who\u2019s exquisite\u00a0sean-n\u00f3s\u00a0singing style catapulted her to prominence on tik tok during the Pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now an international Celtic festival favorite and electronic dance music phenomenon, Madelyn produced her first album in 2022, the acclaimed\u00a0\u00e9ist,\u00a0a collaboration with Cullen Vance<\/strong>, and in 2023 she put out Follow the King, which she co-wrote with Ben Gold<\/strong> of Armada Music in Amsterdam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hosted by the two-time MAC Award-winning\u00a0Colm Reilly<\/strong>, New York Irish\u2008Center\u2019s 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\u00a0Sean Harkness<\/strong>,\u00a0who leads The Life of Reilly Band<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0Bandmembers include\u00a0Jennifer Vincent<\/strong>\u00a0(bass),\u00a0Rob Mitzner<\/strong>\u00a0(percussion),\u00a0Sara Caswell<\/strong> (violin\/fiddle), and\u00a0Sean Harkness (guitar).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The show is staged immersivity as a holiday party in\u00a0NYIC\u2019s street-level storefront theater, the Reilly Room, named after\u00a0NYIC\u2019s beloved co-founder Paddy Reilly<\/strong>, Colm\u2019s father. Complimentary refreshments, served throughout the evening, are included in the $60 ticket price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colm Reilly\u00a0is a frequent performer and host at the NYIC, who has also appeared and headlined at\u00a0The Town Hall, Symphony Space, The Iridium Jazz Club, Birdland, Feinstein\u2019s\/54 Below and at Carnegie Hall.\u00a0\u00a0He has also toured with the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland<\/strong>, and in theatre productions across the US, including \u201cForever Plaid, \u201cBrigadoon, and \u201cHello Dolly!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0One of his two MAC Awards was for Best Male Vocalist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carolyn Montgomery\u00a0is 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,\u00a0Jeanne McDonald\u00a0has earned several MAC Awards, a NY Nightlife Award, a Backstage Bistro Award, and the coveted Julie Wilson Award for Excellence in Cabaret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bistro Award-winning actress and singer\u00a0Kathy Kaefer\u00a0has appeared at Birdland, and Feinstein\u2018s at the Regency in the hit off Broadway show Our Sinatra. She has performed with the Tom Postilio Big Band<\/strong> at the famed Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center and debuted her award-winning show \u201cI\u2019ll Be Seeing You, Stories from the Homefront\u201d at the Metropolitan Room in New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sean Harkness\u00a0composes 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Annual Toy Drive<\/strong> 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!\u00a0Kindly supported by New York City Council Member\u00a0Julie Won<\/strong>, they are benefiting local charities Hour Children<\/strong>, Woodside on the Move<\/strong>, Habitat for Humanity<\/strong>, and Ravenswood and Queensbridge Houses<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/strong> be here with the Sam\u2008Maguire Cup<\/strong> on December 7th from 7 pm to 10 pm at the Tailor Public House<\/strong> (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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019t miss this opportunity to be part of this history when they arrive!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, I am so sorry to announce the passing of a great Irish man and gentleman, Pat Donaghy<\/strong>, the founder of Structure Tone<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happy Thanksgiving. Hope to see you all again next week when I am Out&About again\u2026 <\/p>\n

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