Open Workshops and Master Classes include Irish Music, Song, and Dance
Looking to unleash your inner Irish-ness? If that’s the case, then South Buffalo Roots makes it easy, as the group hosts the second annual South Buffalo Irish Festival Culture Circle (Fáinne Cultúrtha).
On Friday, August 26, from 4pm to midnight, the community is invited to partake in open workshops and master classes dedicated to Irish music, song, and dance. The event centers around “free cultural workshops, trivia, showcases, and jam sessions with festival main stage performers, culminating in a performance by The Spain Brothers and an open traditional Irish music session.”
The festival expands its cultural offerings in a commitment to providing an even deeper connection between the South Buffalo community and its Irish roots.
“We are thrilled to celebrate our South Buffalo Irish community more than ever this year by inviting our friends, family, and neighbors to explore our history and common culture through our new Culture Circle workshops,” said Kathleen Sullivan, President of South Buffalo Roots. “It’s a welcome addition to the South Buffalo Irish Festival, a day where we have always enjoyed bringing the South Buffalo community together while showcasing our unique heritage.”
The Culture Circle is the official kick off to the South Buffalo Irish Festival, held the next day.
Have you ever thought about playing the fiddle? Do you love Irish ballads? Have you wanted to try out a new dance routine? Well, you can do all of that, and more at this one stop shop for all things pertaining to Irish heritage. And if that’s not enough, the following day is the South Buffalo Irish Festival:
South Buffalo Roots presents the South Buffalo Irish Festival on Saturday, August 27 from 11:00am-10:30pm in Cazenovia Park. The free event showcases some of the top performers in the Irish music world including The Prodigals, The Drowsy Lads, and Kilrush along with beloved local bands including Crikwater, McCarthyizm, John Dady & Friends, Whiskey Thief, The Spain Brothers, Tom Keefer & Celtic Cross, The Blarney Bunch, Owen Ó Súilleabháin, Greater Buffalo Firefighters Pipes & Drums and the Rince na Tiarna School of Irish Dance. For more information, please visit www.southbuffaloirishfestival.org.
South Buffalo Irish Festival Culture Circle (Fáinne Cultúrtha) presented by South Buffalo Roots
Friday, August 26, 2022 from 4:00pm-12:00am
Buffalo Irish Center | 245 Abbott Rd | Buffalo, NY
FREE
The event is kid and family friendly, and open to all levels of skill and experience
www.southbuffaloirishfestival.org/copy-of-festival-kick-off
Program
Sean Nós Singing Circle
Owen Ó Súilleabháin, song leader 4:00pm, GAAA Library
Come and learn to sing a song in the Sean Nós style of Irish traditional music with singer, composer, and storyteller, Owen Ó Súilleabháin.
Beginner Fiddle Workshop
Charlie Coughlin, fiddle 4:00pm, Claddagh Room
What’s the difference between the violin and the fiddle? It’s all in the way you play it! Learn the fundamentals of basic bowings and ornamentation in the Irish style with Crikwater fiddle player Charlie Coughlin.
Intro to Irish Solo & Ceili Dancing 1
Katie Cunningham (TCRG) & Glenna Rankin 5:00pm, BIC Dance Studio, 2nd Floor
Ceili dancing is one of the oldest dance traditions in Ireland. Like contra or even square dancing, the social aspect of this group dance is just as important as the footwork. Bring a friend or make a new one with this introduction to solo and ceili dancing led by Katie Cunningham and Glenna Rankin of the Rince na Tiarna Adult Irish Dance team. No prior dance experience required.
Upstate Crossroads: Fiddle Music from Upstate New York
Tim Ball, fiddle & Max Newman, guitar 5:00pm, GAAA Library
Tim Ball explores the Celtic roots of fiddle music in upstate New York, from old-time square dance tunes to the intricate Sligo/New York style of Irish-American fiddle playing. Open to musicians and non-musicians alike!
Tunes & Ballads Workshop
John Dady, guitar/vocals & John Ryan, tin whistle/button accordion 5:00pm, Claddagh Room
Rochester-based musicians John Dady and John Ryan explore the intersection between Irish tunes and ballads. Open to musicians and non-musicians alike!
Intro to Irish Solo & Ceili Dancing 2
Katie Cunningham (TCRG) & Glenna Rankin 6:00pm, BIC Dance Studio, 2nd Floor
Ceili dancing is one of the oldest dance traditions in Ireland. Like contra or even square dancing, the social aspect of this group dance is just as important as the footwork. Bring a friend or make a new one with this introduction to solo and ceili dancing led by Katie Cunningham and Glenna Rankin of the Rince na Tiarna Adult Irish Dance team. No prior dance experience required.
Irish Music for Classical Players
Leah Rankin, cello 6:00pm, GAAA Library
You’ve practiced, practiced, and practiced but the tune still doesn’t sound Irish! It’s time to take that hard-earned classical technique and turn it loose Irish style with classical-turned-trad cellist, Leah Rankin. Open to all instruments, ages, and skill levels.
Intro to Irish Accompaniment
Matt Sperber, guitar 6:00pm, Claddagh Room
Crikwater guitar player Matt Sperber teaches simple harmony and backing rhythms that will allow you to accompany any Irish tune.
South Buffalo Irish Trivia with TE Caulfield
TE Caulfield, host 7:00pm, Claddagh Room
Learn some fun facts about South Buffalo’s fascinating Irish history as you test your knowledge with a game of South Buffalo Irish Trivia, hosted by South Buffalo’s own TE Caulfield!
The Spain Brothers
8:00pm, BIC Pub
Enjoy a performance of traditional and contemporary Irish folk songs by Liam and Mickey Spain.
Traditional Irish Music Session
9:00pm, BIC Pub
Put what you learned in today’s music and dance workshops into practice with a traditional Irish music session, open to all ages and levels.
*Program subject to change. For the most up-to-date schedule of events, please visit www.southbuffaloirishfestival.org.
Artists
About Owen Ó Súilleabháin
Eoin “Owen” Ó Súilleabháin is a singer, composer and storyteller with a deep-rooted belief in the creative power of art. Music, one might say, runs in his blood. Owen’s mother Noírín Ni Riain is a leading sacred singer and theologian, and his father Mícheál is a pioneering national composer and founder of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance. Along with his brother Mícheál ‘Moley’, Owen writes songs that aspire to “lift and apprentice the human heart to generosity and gratitude”, and has released five albums of both ancient and contemporary music, the latest released by Sounds True, called Fields Of Grace – Celtic Meditation Music from the Heart of Ireland.
About John Dady
Originally from Rochester, NY, John Dady and his brother, Joe Dady, have shared their unique variety of Celtic and American folk music in diverse venues around the country and abroad for more than forty years.
Self-styled singers, multi-instrumentalist musicians and composers, John and Joe possessed a solid command of many folk instruments including, but not limited to guitar, pennywhistle, fiddle,
banjo, octave mandolin, harmonica, uilleann pipes, bodhran and ukulele. Their wide repertoire ranges from Irish Traditional and Irish and American Folk to original and contemporary Folk, Bluegrass, and Acoustic Blues. Always at ease with their audiences, they had a knack for finding humor in the moment and sharing it spontaneously.
In May of 2019, Joe lost his battle with leukemia. John continues to carry on the music, performing solo or with a number of close friends. In 2020, the Dady brothers were inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame.
About John Michael Ryan
Growing up in the busy Irish music community in Rochester, New York, John Michael Ryan cut his teeth as a young teenager playing tin whistle and bodhran in the city’s many traditional jam sessions, absorbing countless tunes from Clareman Martin O’Keefe (fiddle), Kerry’s Jim Finucane (button accordion), and Galawayman Brian Clancy (whistle, sean nos singing)
This devotion to the old tunes and regional styles of playing carried over once John picked up the button accordion at the age of 17. Since then he has shared the stage with such Irish legends as Kevin Burke, Oisin Mac Diarmada and the Scahill and Howley Brothers (of We Banjo 3 fame). He can be found performing with John Dady, as well as sessions all over the region.
Rince na Tiarna Adult Irish Dance Team
Katie Cunningham (TCRG) has been Irish step dancing and teaching adults competitive and non-competitive Irish dance since 1980. Her dancers, including Glenna Rankin, have gone on to win gold at the Mid Atlantic Oireachtas in both solos and team dances as well as countless top placements at the North American Irish Dance Championships. Adult Irish dancers range in age from 18-65 with various levels of experience, some having danced since childhood and others learning to Irish dance for the first time. With a shared love for Irish culture and tradition, Katie and her team of adult Irish dancers joined the Rince na Tiarna School of Irish Dance in 2022. RNT promotes a welcoming, accepting community for dancers of all levels with classes that are composed of both competitive and noncompetitive dancers and offer both solo and ceili (group) dancing. Find out more on Facebook at @RNTIrishDance and @RNTadultirishdance, and online at www.irishdancewny.com.
About Tim Ball & Max Newman
After 20 years performing in Celtic and contra dance bands and a lifetime of playing traditional fiddle music, Tim Ball takes center stage with his upcoming solo release Upstate Crossroads. His playing breathes new life into nearly-forgotten tunes and old favorites from all corners of New York State, drawing repertoire and inspiration from the surrounding Irish-American, New England, Canadian, and Bluegrass traditions. From these deep roots in dance tunes and folk songs, Tim’s music tells stories about hard work, immigration, community, and simple pleasures.
Max Newman will join Tim for the South Buffalo Irish Festival, playing guitar, piano, and mandolin. A member of the nationally-known contra dance band Stringrays, Max’s playing is refreshing, fun, and creative, and has allowed him to collaborate with a great variety of traditional musicians. He’s made several albums with the Stringrays and others, and has also been profiled in Flatpicking Guitar Magazine. When not on the road, Max can often be found at his local contra dance in Concord, Massachusetts.
About Charlie Coughlin
With a brand new expression and expansion of folk music, Charlie Coughlin brings new life to old music and old sounds to new tunes. Born in Buffalo, New York, Charlie grew up playing violin and Irish fiddle from a young age. He now draws inspiration from the folk tales of Irish tradition, Old-time, and modern artists such as Kishi Bashi and Arcade Fire to create new Post-Trad/Indie Folk music.
Charlie Coughlin has played the fiddle/violin for over 10 years. He also sings in the sean nós Irish style and plays various other instruments including guitar, mandolin, button accordion, and whistle. As a solo artist and with groups like The Brothers Blue, Crikwater, and more, he has played venues and festivals including the Town Ballroom, Sportsmans Tavern, Duende at Silo City, Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, Old Tone festival, An Beal Bocht, Folkfaces Fest, the Buffalo Irish Festival, the South Buffalo Irish Festival, the Hornell Irish Festival, and other great locations and festivals. He has also taught master classes at SUNY Plattsburgh, Honeoye Highschool, the South Buffalo Music school, and more.
About Matt Sperber
Matthew Sperber has been instructing guitar in the Buffalo area since 2005 and is currently on the faculty at The Castellani-Andriaccio Guitar Studios in Snyder, NY where he teaches students of all ages in Suzuki and traditional guitar methods. He attended SUNY University at Buffalo where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music History in 2006 and a Master of Music in Guitar Performance in February 2010. There, he studied under world-renowned guitarist and teacher, Joanne Castellani. Matthew is guitarist and singer in Western New York’s premier Irish group, Crikwater. In addition he is a part of the group, Normal St. Entrance with members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Amy Licata and Brett Shurtliffe. They have performed on multiple occasions with the orchestra and were featured on the PBS special, “Live at the Kate” with Owen and Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin.
About Leah Rankin
Having recently relocated back to her hometown of Buffalo, NY from New York City, Leah Rankin is one of the leading cellists playing traditional Irish music today. Since studying cello performance with Alan Harris at the Eastman School of Music, and with renowned Celtic cellist Natalie Haas, she has played alongside some of the most reputable musicians in the Irish music world and has appeared on close to a dozen albums in a variety of genres. Notable live performances include The Ferryman on Broadway, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Irish Arts Center, The American Irish Historical Society, NYC Irish American Writers & Artists Salon, NYC Tartan Week, BB King Blues Club, Rockwood Music Hall, Fairport Music Festival, Dublin Irish Festival, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and all three stages at Carnegie Hall where she worked for nearly eight years.
About TE Caulfield
Thomas E. Caulfield is a lifelong South Buffalo resident and a charter member of the South Buffalo Irish Festival — formerly South Buffalo Irish Feis. He earned an MA in Irish Studies with a concentration in Political Conflict and a doctorate in Public Administration completing a dissertation in non-violent resistance in nationalist Northern Ireland during the Troubles. After a career working in both corporate America and local government, he keeps occupied working as a volunteer for various non-profit organizations. He is quick to acknowledge the joy of sharing an appreciation of Irish language, music, and culture with his wife, Nancy, his two children, Liam and Lauren, and the community at-large.
About The Spain Brothers
Liam and Mickey Spain are second generation singer / songwriters from the mill town of Manchester, NH. They grew up in a household steeped in folk music and musicians. Their father, Mike Spain, was a well known folk singer performing Irish and American Folk songs throughout the New England area. Mike, not only inspired the boys to perform, but he introduced them to the work of a myriad of artists, and educated them on the folk song tradition and its importance in society. The brothers have recorded with folk icons such as Tom Paxton, Noel Paul Stookey, Roger McGuinn, Dave Mallett and Bill Staines to name a few, and host an annual concert held in Liam and Mickey’s hometown called the NH Folk Extravaganza. Find out more about The Spain Brothers at www.spainbrothers.com.
Photo courtesy South Buffalo Roots
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