Catskills set for Irish Arts Week

The Catskills Mountains will come alive from July 10-16 for the 17th annual Catskills Irish Arts Week (CIAW), in East Durham, New York. One of the most popular weeks in the Catskills Irish calendar, this internationally-renowned summer school - the largest in North America devoted to traditional Irish music and dance - is operated by the Michael J. Quill Irish Cultural and Sports Centre, under the artistic direction of Paul Keating.

In all, some 120 classes in all types of traditional Irish musical instruments are on offer across varying levels, as well as set dancing classes, contemporary and Sean Nos step dancing instruction, and Celtic crafts workshops in painting, quilting, metal, jewelry and more. There is also a children’s Irish culture program which runs from Monday to Friday for those aged 5-12.

Daily topical lectures and video screenings will include The Yellow Bittern and Beautiful People, as well as a special talk from Len Graham on Joe Holmes, based around his biography of Holmes, Here I Am Among You. As evenings fall the CIAW faculty will perform open air concerts on the Quill Festival Grounds from 7:30-9:30pm, followed by Ceili dances from 9pm to midnight. The week culminates with the Andy McGann Traditional Music and Dance Festival on Saturday, July 16, from 12 noon to 7pm.

One highlight of this year’s festival will be a special Ceili on Wednesday, July 13 from 6-10pm at the Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park, as part of the “Midsummer Night Swing” dance series. Charlie Harris, Maeve Donnelly, Eamonn and Geraldine Cotter, Caitlin nic Gabhann and John Carty will provide the Irish dance and music for this one-off treat, sponsored by Culture Ireland and its Imagine Ireland 2011 program [visit lincolncenter.org for more]. For everything you need to know about the Catskills Irish Arts Week, contact the MJ Quill Irish Center at 518-634-2286, or see catskillsirishartsweek.org.

The Irish Emigrant - Catskills set for Irish Arts Week
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