CEOL AGUS CRAIC :
Annual Mid-March Madness Means Party Time on the Rain Coast!
By ERIN MULLAN
Ceol binn a bhaint as an saol! Some of us are fated to be Irish all year round. Each year, come mid-March, a whole whack of other fine folk join the Gael tribe for the annual St. Paddy's bout of revelry, music and mayhem.
Concert listings
The multi-instrumental Irish/Scots duo Pipeline make their Vancouver debut on March 11 at St. James Hall........CelticFest Vancouver 2006 will be taking it to the streets, pubs and clubs of downtown Vancouver March 15 to 19 with tons of free events and great music........The Beats Without Borders DJ collective puts a Celtic spin on global grooves with From Delhi to Dublin on March 16 at the Plaza Club as part of CeltFest........Pogues fans will not want to miss the film If I Should Fall From Grace: The Shane MacGowan Story at Pacific Cinémathèque March 16 and 18........The Commodore will be the place to party for the Biggest and Best St. Paddy’s Night Out featuring The Paperboys and The WhiskeyDicks.......Cape Breton fiddle ace Troy MacGillivray will be playing sets on the daytime free stages at CelticFest as well as an evening gig at the Atlantic Trap & Gill on March 18........Drop by and say hello if you like during the The Great Big Session. I'll be hosting with the good folks from Blackthorn on March 18 at Tom Lee Music Hall from 2-5PM........For CeltFest details check out www.celticfestvancouver.com ........On March 31 Bill Bourne and Eivor Palsdottir from the Faroe Islands play St. James with New England fiddler and singer Lissa Schneckenburger as the opener........The North Shore and Coquitlam Celtic Ensembles have a yet-to-be-confirmed show slated for April 30........Look for west coast dates this summer for Cape Breton singer Mary Jane Lamond........The lovely Scottish singer Karine Polwart will be touring in July or August ........Quebec's Le Vent du Nord will be back this summer.
Local motion
The next Irish célí dance is March 18 at the Victoria Drive Community Hall with tunes by Tempus Fugit. All the steps are taught and all the dances are called, with no partner needed and children very welcome. Details: www.vcn.bc.ca/ceili........The next Scottish ceilidh dance is March 31 at the Scottish Cultural Centre. Lesson 7 PM, dance 8 PM, for easy dances taught to live fiddle music with no partner or experience required. Info: (604) 436-3193........For information on Scottish Country Dance classes at the Scottish Cultural Centre or on other Scottish Country Dance groups around the Lower Mainland: (604) 224-6838 or www.rscdsvancouver.org........The Irish Heather has an Irish traditional session on Thursday nights........The Wolf and Hound hosts traditional sessions on Monday and Wednesday nights.
Recording news
Next month, look for the 10-year anniversary album from the terrifc Irish American band Solas: Reunion: A Decade of Solas........Former Solas member and concertina whiz John Williams is joined by guitarist Dean Magraw on a new disc called Raven........The Old Simplicity is the name of the latest from wonderful Irish singer Niamh Parsons. As with her last record, the album was produced by guitarist Denis Cahill ........Danú singer Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh has a solo CD out later this month called Daybreak: fáinne an lae.......Irish-American musician Mick Moloney’s latest is McNally's Row of Flats.
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