A Tribute to Harrigan & Hart

A Concert Featuring Mick Moloney and an All-Star Line Up featuring

Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks / The Green Fields of America (Athena Tergis, Billy McComiskey, Brendan Dolan, Niall O’Leary) / Dana Lyn / Susan McKeown / Poor Baby Bree / John Roberts / Murray Callahan / Chris Simmons / Maureen Murphy / The Washington Square Harp and Shamrock Orchestra

Thursday, October 13th @ 8 pm. Peter Norton Symphony Space (2537 Broadway at 95th Street)

In the 1870s, decades before George M. Cohan burst onto the Broadway stage, the songs of his hero Edward “Ned” Harrigan, Irish American tunesmith and playwright, were the toast of New York. Harrigan’s ballads of the working class immigrants—filled with lovable and good humored characters like Dan Mulligan and his wife Cordelia, John McSorley, the owner of McSorley’s Irish Ale House, Tammany Alderman Old Boss Barry, and Mary Ann, the schoolteacher—mirrored his own mercurial life, and provided the foundation for an entirely novel genre of musical comedy on the American stage.

On the hundred year anniversary of the death of the beloved Ned Harrigan, Mick Moloney and an all-star cast return to Symphony Space with a multi-media tribute to the Broadway legend, his partner Tony Hart, and musical collaborator David Braham. Through story, song and dance, the performance captures the excitement and humor of the times and salutes its importance in the formation and growth of American musical and theatrical culture.

Admission: Orchestra: $45 general / $35 members
Tier 2: $38 general / $30 members / $25 students
SymphonySpace.org or 212-864-5400

Click here to order tickets!

If you’re interested in ordering a copy for yourself, please go to one of the two links below:

Click here to get a physical copy from CD Baby

Click here to download a digital copy from iTunes

…and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook…

Happy listening!

If you’re a fan of that site, why not click here to go to our artist page and request – nay, demand! – that our music be played?

(c) 2011 Marilyn Stern / sternphoto.com

St. Patrick’s Day events plus our CD launch had the WSHSO strummin’ and singin’ all around town! We were heard on the airwaves. Our name appeared in newspapers and on the internet.  Our CD was listed by various distributors.  It was awesome!!  Just look at the magnitude of media coverage we received, all in one month!!

On March 2

The Irish Arts Center posted Sweet Dublin Bay, a track from our new CD, on YouTube.  A couple of weeks earlier the IAC had uploaded Arrah, Come In Out of the Rain Barney McShane as well.

Daniel Neely announced the arrival of our CD with a post on his blog, Daniel T. Neely | Ba uafásach an torann…

Since Maggie Dooley Learned the Hooley Hooley was listed on The Session.  For anyone not familiar with it, The Session is a website heavily used by people who play traditional Irish music.

On March 6

The WSHSO was the guest artist on the Ceol na nGael radio program on Fordham University’s radio station, WFUV, 90.7 FM.  We were on the air for about 25 minutes.  Click HERE to hear our portion of the program.

On March 10

The WSHSO performed in the Irish Heritage Concert at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue.

photo by Scott Spencer, used with permission

The photo above was taken during the performance.  The WSHSO rank and file is lined up in front of the high altar, behind (left to right) Daniel Neely, Jerry O’Sullivan, Dana Lyn, Billy McComisky, Mick Moloney, Athena Tergis, and Brendan Dolan.

Better pictures of us can be seen in the 3-minute video published on a website called Currents,  a daily online Catholic News magazine.  Mick Moloney is interviewed, and there’s footage of the WSHSO at the end.  Have a look!

An Irish Concert at St. Patrick’s Cathedral – 3/17/11 : Currents

CDBaby became the first distributor to offer Since Maggie Dooley learned the Hooley Hooley, both in “hard copy” and digital download.

On March 11

The WSHSO was part of the Tribute to the Famous McNultys at Symphony Space on Manhattan’s upper west side.  Paul Keating’s positive review of the McNulty concert appeared in the Irish Voice and on IrishCentral.com.

Gwen Orel also wrote a lovely post about the McNulty concert (which includes lots of photos) on her New York Irish Arts blog.

The WSHSO was included in the New York Times mention of the Tribute to the Famous McNultys in the Weekend Miser column.

Since Maggie Dooley Learned the Hooley Hooley became available on DigStation, another digital download site.

On March 12

The WSHSO provided music at the reception following the Gaelic mass at St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in Greenwich Village.  Note the CDs for sale on the banjo case!

Photo belonging to Lisa Farber, used with permission

The link below will take you to another 3-minute video from the Currents website with footage of the WSHSO and an explanation of the importance of a Gaelic mass.

A Mass in Ireland’s Mother Tongue – 3/17/11 : Currents

Deborah Kapchan, one of the WSHSO’s flute players, made a video of our performance as well.  Click HERE for a look at that video which was posted on our Facebook page.

Our appearance at St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral was also mentioned on a blog called Inside the Apple: A Streetwise History of New York City.

On March 18

The WSHSO launched Since Maggie Dooley Learned the Hooley Hooley in the Blarney Star Concert Series at Glucksman Ireland House.  Ireland House was packed to overflowing.  There was a reception before the concert, with more food and drink available at the break and at the end.  Lots of CDs were sold, and a great time was had by all.

(c) 2011 Marilyn Stern / sternphoto.com

In anticipation of the CD launch, Paul Keating wrote a rave review of Since Maggie Dooley Learned the Hooley Hooley.

Gwen Orel also said nice things about the Blarney Star CD launch concert on her New York Irish Arts blog.

Additionally, Gwen interviewed Daniel Neely in her March 18th podcast.

The WSHSO was pleased to see our CD launch concert at the top of the list of This Weekend’s Best Events – March 18-20 in The Daily News.

WSHSO flute player Linda Mason Hood published a post about the CD launch concert on her blog entitled truffles, turtles & tunes.

Naturally, we put up a post on our own as well.  It’s HERE.

Photographer Marilyn Stern took some wonderful pictures that night.  Here’s a montage that includes everyone in the group.

On March 20

Linda Mason Hood updated her blog’s summary of St. Patrick’s Day performances with pictures from each event.

On March 24

Since Maggie Dooley Learned the Hooley Hooley became available on iTunes!!

On March 25

Daniel Neely published a post on his blog about how to purchase Since Maggie Dooley Learned the Hooley Hooley … and in his own unique style explained why buying our CD is such a very, very good idea!!  Click HERE to read Dan’s amusing post.

On March 28

Irish Music, an online magazine, reported that the WSHSO had launched a new CD.

On March 30

The WSHSO Myspace site was updated with a tunes from our new CD.  Click HERE to go to our Myspace site.

On March 31

Since Maggie Dooley Learned the Hooley Hooley made its debut on on eMusic.

Ongoing Updates

Our Facebook page gets regular updates.  Everyone has full access to this page even if you don’t “do” Facebook.  (We tested it, and it’s true!!)  Click HERE to browse, and if you’re on Facebook and you didn’t LIKE yet, what are you waiting for?!

Yes, it has been a whirlwind month, and all of us have loved every minute of it.  We hope you were able to share in the fun in one form or another.  Thanks to all the journalists and bloggers who catapulted the WSHSO into the spotlight.  Thanks to all the photographers who took pictures.  Thanks to the Irish Arts Center for their hospitality at the McNulty concert and to Glucksman Ireland House for champagne after our CD launch. And heartfelt thanks to our families, friends, and supporters for attending our concerts, buying us drinks, buying our CD, and celebrating with us in a multitude of ways.  We have a few more gigs before we disband for the summer so, while the pace may be slowing down a bit, it ain’t over yet!!!

And hey, did you see the great review Paul Keating gave us in the weekly Irish Voice newspaper on Wednesday, March 9th? Well, if not, you’re in luck. The Irish Central website carried Paul’s review on Friday, March 11th. Please click HERE to check out the wonderful picture of our group as well as the lovely things Paul has to say about our music.  (Thanks, Paul!!)

Another exciting tidbit that needs mentioning is that the Irish Arts Center released two YouTube videos — well, YouTube “stills” really — of tracks on our CD. The video postings were used in their promotion for the Tribute to the Famous McNultys concert at Symphony Space on March 11th, but they mention our new CD and add to the launch festivities.

The first video contains a song called Arrah, come in out of the rain, Barney McShane. “Arrah” is a Gaelic expression indicating mild surprise. Apparently it was part of the slang of the 1920′s. Donie Carroll is the soloist, backed by the whole WSHSO.  Kate Bowerman supplies a delightful piccolo accompaniment, another throwback to the 1920′s when piccolos were common in the bands used in vaudeville shows and in Irish dance halls.

The second video contains Liz Hanley‘s lovely rendition of Sweet Dublin Bay. She’s accompanied on the uilleann bagpipe by Ivan Goff.

If you enjoy these videos, hop on over to CDBaby and order your very own copy of Since Maggie Dooley Learned the Hooley Hooley. Seriously, it’s not like anything else in your collection!!

3/4/2011 — The St. Pat’s For All Benefit Concert

Time: Pre-event reception at 6:00 pm, Concert at 7:00 pm.

The annual fundraiser in support of the inclusive St. Pat’s For All Parade taking place Sunday, March 6 in Sunnyside. St. Pat’s For All celebrates the diversity of the Irish and Irish American communities of New York. For tickets and more information, contact Brendan or Kathleen at info@stpatsforall.com

Irish Arts Center, 553 West 51 Street, NY NY 10019

3/6/2011 – WSHSO appearance on Ceol na nGael, WFUV, 90.7 FM

Time:  We’ll be on the air sometime between 12 noon and 2 pm Eastern time.

Tune in to 90.7 FM, or click HERE to listen to streaming audio via the internet.

3/10/2011 – St. Patrick’s Cathedral Irish Heritage Concert

Time: 7 pm

Free concert featuring St. Patrick Choir, Mick Moloney and friends, and the WSHSO.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral is located on Fifth Avenue between 50^th and 51^st Streets.  Come early, it’s a big place!

3/11/2011 – Tribute to the Famous McNultys

Time: 8 pm

The WSHSO joins Mick Moloney and friends to celebrate the McNulty family, the last of the great vaudevillians in America. For more info, click HERE.

Click HERE for tickets (only a very few left).

Symphony Space Peter Jay Sharp Theater, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street.

3/12/2011 – Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Time:  noon

WSHSO will play for the reception following the Gaelic mass at noon.  No charge, but donations will be accepted.

Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral is located at 263 Mulberry Street (between Prince and Houston Streets).

3/18/2011 – Blarney Star Concert Series:  WSHSO CD Launch Concert

Time: 9 pm (arrive early, it’s a small place)

Launch of our new CD, Since Maggie Dooley Learned the Hooley Hooley, which features a great selection of traditional tunes and songs, many from the Golden Age of Irish-American music-making in the 1920s and ’30s.

Admission $15 at the door. Free to members of Glucksman Ireland House and those with an NYU ID.

Glucksman Ireland House, 1 Washington Square Mews (Fifth Avenue just south of 8th St.)

The WSHSO has a Facebook Fan page!  Click on the image to go there, and friend us now!

We’re launching it in March.  Stay tuned for more info!

A Tribute to the Famous McNultys: The First Family of Irish Music

A Concert Featuring
Mick Moloney
and an All-Star Line Up

with

Julie Feeney | Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks | The Green Fields of America: Mick
Moloney, Athena Tergis, Billy McComiskey, Brendan Dolan and Jerry O’Sullivan | Courtney
Grogan | Dermot Henry | Dana Lyn and her String Quartet | The Niall O’Leary School of
Irish Dance | Mary O’Dowd | Jerry Timlin | The Washington Square Harp and Shamrock Orchestra

Friday, March 11, 2011, 8 pm

Peter Norton Symphony Space
2537 Broadway at 95th Street

The McNulty family—Ma, her daughter Eileen and her son Peter—were the most extraordinarily successful and acclaimed Irish entertainers in America between 1930 and 1960. Now, close to the 50th anniversary of their last performance in their beloved New York City, folklorist and musician Mick Moloney returns to Symphony Space to lead a tribute to this peerless trio – the last of the great vaudevillians in America.  Their combination of exuberant traditional Irish and Irish American song with tap, clog and Irish step dance set them apart from all entertainers of their era. The Famous McNultys filled theBrooklyn Academy of Music with their Irish Showboat Revue twice a year for close to twenty years. The concert will be a celebration of their magnificent, joyful artistry and will feature a program of music, song and dance against a stunning backdrop of projected visual images from the life and times of this remarkable family.

Admission:Orchestra: $40 general / $30 IAC members Tier 2: $30 general / $27 IAC members / $20 students SymphonySpace.org or 212-864-5400