Keltic Kicks Benefit Concert for IGHMF at the Bijou Theater (Maura Kallaway IGHMF Communications)
Dating back to 1909, the Bijou Theatre has a storied history. Lillian Ashmun commissioned architect Ernest G. Southey to design a movie house with a two-story ballroom above. Silent films were all the rage back then, but this theater will be rocking on Saturday, August 19th!
In keeping with its "tradition of supporting the arts through film and live performance," this 200-seat theater will host the Keltic Kicks to benefit Ireland's Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield, the new home to Quinnipiac University's Great Hunger Collection. Over 170 pieces of art and sculptures in the collection tell the story of one of the darkest periods in Irish history, the Irish potato famine, now commonly referred to as The Great Hunger.
Keltic Kick's "unique blend of energized traditional Irish music" has delighted audiences for over three decades. The four-member band of Billy Donaldson, Bob Ross, Doug Abel, and "Fiddle" Mike O'Reilly have donated the evening's entertainment in aid of Ireland's Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield, whose new home will be at 636 Old Post Road in Fairfield, CT.
The site is the former location of Operation Hope, whose mission was to eliminate hunger and homelessness in Fairfield. It seems fitting that a former food pantry will become home to an art collection that tells the story of Ireland's Great Hunger. Operation Hope is moving to a new location in Fairfield due to their expanding needs and will continue to do its excellent work in the community.
Quinnipiac chose the Fairfield location because of its vibrant Irish community and potential to display the art to a larger audience. The current IGHMF board meets twice monthly with Quinnipiac officials to ensure best practices are adhered to in transferring the collection to the new space in Fairfield.
The Keltic Kicks concert at the Bijou Theater in Bridgeport is just one of many upcoming fundraisers to prepare the new home of Ireland's Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield and ready the space to continue to tell the story of Ireland's Great Hunger through art. Other venue owners have reached out and expressed their interest in helping the IGHMF board achieve its goals. In addition to a golf outing and Ceilis, other concert collaborations are on the horizon. So, stay tuned!
Doors open at 6 PM.
The concert begins at 7 PM.
Introduction by John Foley, President of Ireland's Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield
Special Irish Dance Performance
Raffle by "The Keepers of the Dew"
General Admission: $30 pp
High Table Seating $40 pp
Balcony Seating $45 pp
The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?
