Fingal: Irish Trad in Kansas City
Fingal playing in KC on Saturday, March 29, 2008, is a hugely impressive Irish music event that I’m very late in posting on.
It’s nice to agree with a band’s own publicity - the Fingal trio really are “well known and respected worldwide for their musicianship and commitment to the roots of the Irish tradition”. They are “master musicians”.
Dáithí Sproule, James Keane, and Randal Bays.
People ask me frequently if they should or shouln’t go to this gig or that concert, if something really is quality, really is Irish. Well this is one of those events where you can stop reading and I can just say go - though logivally that should be in reverse order.
I’m not going to give you the star-studded history of each Fingal member, name-dropping Ireland’s greatest traditional musicians. Instead I’ll just throw a load of links at you. If you really need them.
• Dáithí Sproule
• James Keane
• Randal Bays
• Band Website
I’d be there forever with the name-dropping anyway, with Sproule from Skara Brae to Altan, and Bays recording one of the top 5 traditional recordings of 2005 according to the Irish Times just a few years after giving 4 stars to his collaboration with Roger Landes.
You’ll remember we spoke about Paul Brady recently? Well, “Accordion Player, James Keane, had a huge effect on me, and I owe my entire introduction into traditional music to him.” are the words of the same Paul Brady.
Kansas City is very lucky that the MVFS chooses to present so many Irish events. Being an organisation that encourages appreciation of the entire varied ethnic background and cultural heritage of the midwest, it also sponsors many other genres.
When: March 29, 2008, Saturday at 8:00pm
Where: Community Christian Church, 4601 Main St., KC, MO
MVFS: Website
Cost: $20.00 or $17.00 for MVFS, Crosscurrents members; Students (all ages) $5.00; 6 years and under free
Tickets: Purchase Online
This event has been posted on the KC Irish Events Calendar
Fingal comes from the Irish Fionn Gall referring to those fair-haired Norse strangers that populated much of North Dublin once upon a time. Eventually it was applied to the name of a new county in Ireland, not but a spit from where I’m sitting right now.
Dublin ceased to be a county a few years back and was split into 3 new counties as well as the city area under the local authority that is the Dublin City Council. Fingal is the northern section of what was once Dublin - stretching from Howth to Kildare excluding the city, and extending as far north as Dublin went - to Westmeath with Meath to the west. The other 2 counties from the former County of Dublin are South Dublin, being in the south west of th eold county, and if you’re still with me Dun Laoghaire & Rathdown being immediately to the south of the city, bordered by the sea and the Wicklow Mountains.
Eolaí gan Fhéile:
