Did you know that throughout the month of March every year,
Irish History Month takes place? An initiative brought about by the
Irish Arts Foundation, it is now in its seventh year. Irish History
Month, a pioneering venture in Britain, exists to promote knowledge
of Irish History and experiences in Britain and beyond, its purpose
is to disseminate information on the many positive contributions
that Irish people have made to British society and also to
introduce new audiences to the vibrancy of Irish arts, heritage,
culture and history.See www.irishhistorymonth.com for further
detailsor email [email protected] note all details and
times are correct at the time of going to print.
SATURDAY 9TH MARCHTRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC SESSION2:00PM FREE
EVENTIn the first of this year’s Irish History sessions we feature
guest musicians Paul Daly (flute) and Manchester’s finest Danny
Cameron on the button accordion. The Grove is the spiritual home of
folk music in Leeds and has been for many years. Bring your
instrument or just come down to enjoy the atmosphere.The Grove,
Back Row Holbeck Urban Village LEEDS LS11 5PL
SUNDAY 17TH MARCHST PATRICK’S DAY PARADE11:00AM FREE EVENTThe
Leeds St Patrick’s Day Parade is in its fourteenth year and is a
celebration of all things Irish. This year’s Parade will be
followed by celebrations in Millennium Square and Leeds Irish
Centre, including live traditional Irish music and dancing, stalls,
food, displays and much more. This is a fantastic event for
families and friends of all ages, and all are welcome to join in
the fun. The parade will leave from Cookridge Street at 11am. This
year’s parade will be bigger and better with a stream of colourful
floats, followed by an afternoon of events in Millennium Square,
showcasing different aspects of Irish Culture.Leeds City
Centrewww.leedsgoinirish.com
Flip up this page to see the rest of the Irish History Month’s
events unfold...
Design: Made Upstairs™Cover Image: Emigration Journey, National
Journey by Bernard Canavan©2013 Irish History Month Limited
IRISH HISTORY MONTHEDUCATIONAL TOURThroughout the month a team
of tutors from the Irish Arts Foundation will visit four primary
schools in Leeds: St. Mary’s in Rothwell, St. Anthony’s in Beeston,
St. Urban’s in Meanwood and St Joseph’s in Otley during March to
deliver workshops on Irish Music, Dance and Arts. If you’re school
would be interested in hosting a workshop please contact
[email protected]
SH
ARO
N
SH
AN
NO
N
SEA
N
SEA
N
CA
MPB
ELL
CA
MPB
ELL
DÓ
NA
L D
ÓN
AL
DÓ
NA
L D
ÓN
AL
DÓ
NA
L D
ÓN
AL
CO
XC
OX
CO
XC
OX
CO
XC
OX
STE
PH
STE
PH
STE
PH
WES
TW
EST
WES
TW
EST
FRIDAY 8TH MARCHIn partnership with HeadingleyLitFest
2013Lecture from Dr. Sean Campbell DWELLERS ON THE THRESHOLD:
SECOND-GENERATION IRISH MUSICIANS IN ENGLAND8:00PM FREE EVENTSean
Campbell is Reader in Media and Culture at Anglia Ruskin in
Cambridge. He is the author of Irish Blood, English Heart:
Second-Generation Irish Musicians in England (Cork University
Press, 2011). His talk covers how second-generation Irish musicians
have played a major role in popular music in Britain. This lecture
explores the role of Irish ethnicity in the lives and work of these
musicians, focusing on three high-profile acts: Kevin Rowland and
Dexys Midnight Runners, Shane MacGowan and The Pogues, and
Morrissey/Marr and The Smiths. It explores the different ways that
they engaged with Irish issues and how they negotiated questions of
Irish-English identity. The lecture draws on extensive archival
research of audio-visual material as well as original interviews
with the key figures, including Rowland, MacGowan and Marr. The
lecture will be followed by a traditional Irish music session in
the café area in HEART. www.headingleylitfest.org.ukHEART, Bennett
RoadLEEDS LS6 3HN
FRIDAY 1ST MARCHSHARON SHANNON8:00PM TICKET EVENT £18.10BOXES
(TO SEAT 2) £42.20Sharon Shannon has music at her
fingertips....literally! The accordionist from Ireland has achieved
legendary status throughout the world and has made the
much-maligned accordion ‘cool’ in her home country. Renowned for
her collaborations, not just in Irish traditional music, but
through all musical genres, Hip-Hop, Cajun, Country, Classical and
Rap. Sharon has recorded and toured with a who’s who of the Irish
and Global Music Industry, including Bono, Adam Clayton, Sinead
O’Connor, Jackson Browne, John Prine, Steve Earle, Mark Knopfler,
The RTE Concert Orchestra, The Chieftains, The Waterboys, Willie
Nelson, Nigel Kennedy, Alison Krauss and Shane MacGowan — a list
that is testament to Sharon’s versatility as well as
talent.www.sharonshannon.comBox office 0113 243 0808
www.cityvarieties.co.ukLeeds City Varieties, Swan StreetLEEDS LS1
6LW
SUNDAY 17TH MARCHTRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC SESSION IN MR FOLEY’S
CASK ALE HOUSE 1:45PM (APPROX) FREE EVENTFoleys is a magnificent
Grade II-listed building, opposite Leeds’ impressive Town Hall.
Patrick James Foley (1836—1914) who founded Pearl Assurance on that
very site, and whose statue adorns the roof to this day, was a
successful financial entrepreneur and an Irish politician and
Member of Parliament for Galway Connemara (UK Parliament
constituency) from 1885 to 1895.Mr. Foley’s Cask Ale House159 The
Headrow LEEDS LS1 5RGTel. 0113 242 9674www.york-brewery.co.uk
SEVEN SUNDAY QUIZ 8:00PM FREE EVENTThe weekly quiz takes on an
Irish theme!Seven Arts Centre Harrogate Road LEEDS LS7
3PDwww.sevenleeds.co.uk
TUESDAY 19TH MARCHTUESDAY IRISH ELDERS CLUB12:15PM FREE
EVENTIncluding bingo and refreshments. This week features music
from irish Arts Foundation Musicians, Gerry Brownridge and Kevin
Mullowney.Contact the Leeds Irish Centre for details on how to
join.Tel. 0113 248 0887The Leeds Irish Centre, York RoadLEEDS LS9
9NTwww.theleedsirishcentre.co.uk
GOOD FRIDAY 29TH MARCHMARTIN HAYES & DENNIS CAHILL 7:30PM
TICKET EVENT £13.50County Clare’s Martin Hayes is widely regarded
as the absolute elite amongst Irish fiddle players — the finest of
a generation and the envy of a whole nation’s fiddlers (his
professional contemporaries included). His playing defies ordinary
description, reaching an elevated, almost cathartic level — as the
New York times put it, in a class of its own. Martin’s live shows
with musical partner, guiatarist extraordinaire Dennis Cahill, are
a thing of renown, exquisitely running the gauntlet of highs &
lows with mesmerising intensity, able to hold an audience of
thousands as if they were listening up close in a small backroom.
As one or other has always been based in the US, English
appearances are very rare (usually less than half a dozen every
couple of years) and they come to Saltaire for one of just 3 UK
shows en route back from Europe. So catch them while you can for
something special, very definitely not “more of the same” — playing
that is the very cream of its
crop.www.martinhayes.com......................................................................“In
a class of their own” New York
Times......................................................................Victoria
Hall, SaltaireSALTAIRE BD18 3JSTel: 01274
588674www.saltairelive.co.uk SUNDAY 31ST MARCHRICH MCMAHONTHE
IMAGINED NATION7.45PM FOR AN8.00PM START TICKET EVENT £7.00Rich
McMahon presents an Irish-themed show that explores ideas about
national identity, myth and prejudice in a way that is both
entertaining and thought-provoking. The Imagined Nation combines
spoken word, film collages and live music, including Rich’s
original songs and interpretations of classics from The Dubliners
to The Divine
Comedy.......................................................................‘a
unique songwriting talent’ Folk
Monthly......................................................................‘a
born entertainer’ Davey Arthur, Irish folk
legend......................................................................‘one
of those voices that many singers might envy’ The Irish
Post......................................................................Seven
Arts Centre, Harrogate Road LEEDS LS7 3PDwww.sevenleeds.co.uk
Front Cover Artwork: Emigration Journey, National Journey by
Bernard Canavan
TUESDAY 19TH MARCHIn association with Leeds International
Concert SeasonCLANNAD IN CONCERT WITH SUPPORT FROM BRIAN
KENNEDY8:00PM TICKET EVENT £28.50 In a career spanning four
decades, Clannad have made music that entwines the traditional and
the modern, the past and the future. With their haunting songs,
mesmerizing vocals, and captivating sound the group has sold over
15 million records worldwide. Clannad has won many prestigious
awards over the years, including Billboard’s World Song of the Year
in 1992, a Grammy for Best New Age Album in 1999, and they have
been the recipients of two Lifetime Achievement Awards at home in
Ireland. The acclaimed Irish group consists of family members who
began by drawing inspiration from their home in the remote
northwest coast of Ireland. Sister Enya Brennan played keyboards
for two of their early albums before leaving to pursue her own
highly successful solo career. Theme from Harry’s Game was their
first big break, topping the charts in Europe and also being used
in an American advertising campaign for Volkswagen. They also
created the music for the highly popular television series Robin Of
Sherwood, had music featured in movies such as Last of The Mohicans
and Patriot Games, and recorded In A Lifetime which features a duet
with U2’s Bono. For this close-knit group, their musical journey is
both remarkable in its personal accomplishment and historic in its
contributions to Irish culture. It is indeed fascinating to
consider that what today is so widely regarded as Celtic music was
first called Clannad music. Brian Kennedy is surely one of the most
accomplished performers to have emerged from Ireland in recent
years. Having worked with Van Morrison and Riverdance amongst
others, Brian’s voice, stage craft and ultimate ability as a
performer makes this night a ‘must see’
event.www.clannad.iewww.briankennedy.co.ukLeeds Town Hall, The
Headrow LEEDS LS1 3ADBox Office 0113 224 3801
www.leedsconcertseason.com
BRI
AN
KEN
NED
Y
THURSDAY 21 MARCH Acclaimed show from the 2011 Irish Writers
Festival, London JOURNEY TO THE FIFTH PROVINCE 7:30PM TICKET EVENT
£10.00A unique theatrical entertainment combining language and
music from Ireland’s rich heritage. Actor Dónal Cox and harper
Steph West lead the audience through a range of experience, humour,
emotion and history that is by turns personal, national or
universal. Drawing on the work of great Irish poets and writers
this show sheds new light on life, and on the inner Irish
experience. A joyful and perceptive look at where we have come
from, where we find ourselves now and what might inspire us in the
face of an uncertain future. Produced by www.
fifthprovinceproductions.org.uk
......................................................................‘remarkable
and entertaining… a professional theatrical experience that is
truly enriching’ Patrick Lennon, Irish Times International
Edition......................................................................‘already
a massive hit with audiences throughout Britain’ Graham Clifford,
Irish Independent
......................................................................lkley
Playhouse, Wildman StudioThe Playhouse, Weston Road ILKLEY LS29 8DW
Tel: 01943 609539www.ilkleyplayhouse.co.uk
FRIDAY 22ND MARCHOVER 55’S DAY CLUB3:00PM FREE EVENTLeeds Irish
Health and Homes are hosting this performance of Journey to the
Fifth Province at the Montague Burton Resource Centre to celebrate
Irish History Month. This is a unique and uplifting performance, in
language and music from Ireland’s rich heritage. See listing above
for more details of the show. For information and to book your
place please contact Jenny at Leeds Irish Health & HomesTel:
0113 262 5614www.lihh.org Montague Burton Resource CentreRoundhay
Rd, near St Aidan’s Church LEEDS LS8 5RU
SATURDAY 23RD MARCHTRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC SESSION2:00PM FREE
EVENTIn the second of this year’s Irish History sessions we feature
two guest musicians from Glasgow, Danny Boyle (flute) and Paddy
Callaghan (button accordion). Danny is Project Manager with the
Glasgow based registered charity The Irish Heritage Foundation. He
is also a member of Tir Conaill Harps GAA club and has taught and
performed with the Irish Minstrels branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri
Eireann for the last decade. Danny is the current Chairman of the
Glasgow St.Patrick’s Week Festival. Paddy is a fine exponent of the
button accordion and is a development officer for Comhaltas
Ceoltóirí Éireann, a non profit cultural movement involved in the
preservation and promotion of Irish traditional music. Paddy is BBC
Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year.The Grove,
Back Row, Holbeck LEEDS LS11 5PL
Area Management Teams: Inner/Outer South, Inner East, Inner
North East and Outer West www.leeds.gov.uk
IRISH HISTORY MONTH 2013 SPONSORS
RICH MCMAHON
