Irish traditional music concert: Gailfean at the Newtown Meeting House, September 19, 8 PM

Gailfean Press Release
Newtown Meeting House
8 PM Saturday, September 19, 2015

Gailfean means “rough weather” in Irish Gaelic, and it’s no wonder that the combination of actor, singer, All-Ireland Champion storyteller, and bodhrán (the Irish frame drum) player Máirtín De Cógáin, seven times All-Ireland Champion button accordionist John Whelan, All-Ireland Champion fiddler Brian Conway, and respected guitarist and vocalist Don Penzien would choose that name, since flight cancellations due to Hurricane Sandy brought about their first gig as a formal group at the O’Flaherty Retreat in Texas in 2012.

Since then, the four musicians have gone from strength to strength. They are recording a new CD, and have big plans for 2016. Their concert at the Newtown Meeting House (8 PM, Saturday, September 19) is an early opportunity to see the band that everyone who follows Irish traditional music will be talking about next year.

Máirtín De Cógáin is currently in Ireland filming his part in the next season of the History Channel’s Vikings, and unfortunately will not be able to make the Newtown concert. But John Whelan, Brian Conway, and Don Penzien are sure to make it a vibrant and exciting musical evening.

John Whelan, a longtime resident of Connecticut, was raised in England by parents from County Wexford, Ireland and grew up steeped in London’s rich Irish traditional music community. He recorded the first of his many albums at fourteen years of age, and won seven All-Ireland Championships before he emigrated to the United States. His music has been featured on HBO’s Sex in the City and BBC America’s Copper, and also in numerous films including the Civil War drama Gods and Generals and Ang Lee’s Ride with the Devil.

Brian Conway, born and raised in New York, also grew up with Irish traditional music. His first fiddle lessons came from his father, a native of Plumbridge, County Tyrone in the North of Ireland, and his skills were honed by the legendary Sligo-style fiddlers Martin Wynne and Andy McGann. A Smithsonian-Folkways recording artist, he was the first American-born musician to win the All-Ireland.

Don Penzien, a noted Irish-style guitar player of many years’ experience, has toured nationally with the Máirtín De Cógáin Project, the John Whelan Band, Legacy, and Captain Mackey’s Goatskin and String Band.

Traditional Irish concerts at the Meeting House have a history of selling out, and early reservations are recommended. Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for children under 16. Please go to the Shamrock Traditional Irish Music Society website (www.shamrockirishmusic.org) or call (203)362-5912 to reserve a seat.