Much has been written about the first generation of Irish who made their way from Cork’s Beara Peninsula to the United States and then from the East Coast to Rocky mountain towns like Butte, Montana and Leadville, Colorado. We know that the first generation faced a brutal journey across the Atlantic Ocean and left Ireland as disenfranchised victims of colonialism and hunger. The histories of their political activism in the U.S. and their struggle to contest the stereotypes that associated them with disorder and violence have also been well documented, and the most pervasive image of the present-day Irish-American is of a nostalgic descendant who has achieved the lace curtain status coveted by his forefathers but who retains an inherited melancholy for the island to which his grand or great grandparents could never return.

Such grand narratives are useful in outlining the general pattern of a migration movement, but can human histories really be so streamlined? In accepting one historical biography of the Irish in America, and their rise from rags to riches, we are missing out the tangential, the exceptional and the specific details that make migration narrative deeply relevant and which illuminate in human detail the fluidity and paradoxical nature of history.

For seven years I have travelled across Europe and South America, to talk with and record the personal narratives of Irish migrants and their descendants. Interviewees ranged from fourteen to ninety-nine years old, language swayed between English, Gaelic and Spanish, themes emerged organically, and none of the interviewees were experts of Irish history or had particularly sensational stories to tell. They were simply willing to sit down with a cup of tea and talk for a while, mulling over the past, recalling memories, suggesting paths not taken and stories not told. Listening back on the recordings always revealed something new and unique about an immigrant ‘s experience, defying other historians’ neat and all encompassing summary of the general fate of the Irish.

Crucially, the seventy interviews recorded to date do not focus on the first generation of Irish migrants but rather provide an exclusive space for the voices of the second, third, fourth and sometimes fifth generation to be recorded in the annals of Irish history. Until now, consecutive studies have treated as obsolete the diasporic link between Ireland and America after the 1920s, under the hiberno assumption that once contact was lost with the idealized homeland the history becomes insignificant. Irish descendants in America were presumably too foreign, too far away and too assimilated to warrant attention, an attitude that reflects Irish society’s tendency to icily reject the emigrants and their families who show signs of psychologically adapting to their new host environments.

So, do you have a story? Are you willing to sit down and chat about yourself, your ambivalence or affection for your Irish heritage, and the memories that may or may not have been handed down to you from your Irish forefathers? Do you want to rant and rave against the hypocrisies of contemporary Ireland, or Irish-America, or even just America? Can you reveal something that will diversify the story of the Irish in Colorado, and would you be willing to contribute to a biography of the present-day Irish community in Colorado? I await your response.

Dr. Sarah O Brien is an oral historian and author of six publication series on Irish migrant identity in contemporary Britain and South America. Her research has been acknowledged with a scholarship from the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences and has been presented at twenty-five international conferences across Europe and South America. She has lectured on oral history theory in University of Limerick and Buenos Aires, and recently relocated to Denver, to begin comparative research on the Irish Dimension in the Western United States. She can be contacted at [email protected].

Burren sunset

Jim Murphy has been interested in photography since the early 1970s. A native of Limerick, Jim regularly traveled the Irish countryside taking photographs of favorite places in Co. Clare, Galway and Kerry. He especially loves the Burren in West Clare and regularly spent his weekends, come rain or shine, hiking in and around Black Head.
Jim lived in Galway for over 20 years. In 1995, he met his American wife-to-be, Carol, who worked in Galway for Digital Equipment Corporation. They met at a ceili dancing to Matt Cunningham, and spent their first date hiking in the Burren. In 1997, Jim and Carol married and moved to America, settling in San Diego. Together they explored Southern California, Arizona, Utah and the Badlands in South Dakota. In 2000, their son Ronan was born. Jim took a hiatus from photography to concentrate on raising Ronan.
A few years later Jim’s interest was rekindled with his first digital SLR camera. In 2005 he and Carol took a holiday in the Rocky Mountains. They fell in love with Colorado and relocated to Parker a year later. “One of the smartest things I’ve ever done was to move from California to Colorado – I haven’t had one minute of regret.” Initially, California’s sunny skies were a welcome change compared to the often gray skies of Ireland, but then he tired of the sameness. “It’s the same every day over there (California), We have just as much sun here but we change the seasons – I mean I love to photograph in the winter – you can go out in your own backyard and it’s magic – it can take your breath away!”
Now, Jim travels widely throughout the West. Inspired by so many beautiful places, he has taken thousands of photographs and continues to sharpen his skills. Hiking trips in the Burren have been replaced with visits to Castlewood Canyon, Garden of the Gods, Estes Park, the Maroon Bells, Steamboat Springs and Monument Valley. “It’s really special here in the mountains and on the high plains. I love the wide open spaces and big skies in the Western U.S. with so many beautiful places to hike and to photograph.”
Photographing landscapes in Ireland have special challenges that can work a photographer’s patients. “The thing is when you go home to Ireland you have to be out a long time because the clouds can break at any time and you can have a really interesting sky but it doesn’t necessarily last,” said Jim, adding some words of wisdom, “It use to bother me that I wasn’t getting the sky to do what I wanted -now I do what I can do and don’t go around frustrated.”
Jim says he sells far more photographs of Ireland and it is worth the effort to return home periodically, “When you have a good picture of Ireland you really have something special – We’re a small island but it’s really a nice looking country!” Another reason that Ireland is a top seller he surmised is because a lot of Americans have a connection to Ireland. “Everyone you see have been there or wants to go there – or their people came from there,” said Jim who loves to visit with folks at festivals, “I love to talk to people about Ireland’s history and culture, and about the stories behind my photographs.”
So what catches Jim’s eye when he is out looking at landscapes? “A lot of it is intuitive – there will be something about the image. I’ll look at different angles – so I guess there is a bit of thinking as well.” Sometime he will photograph an intimate landscape instead of the grand landscape depending on what he sees through his lens. And he admitted, “Sometimes you can get the most fantastic photo by accident.”
Folks can order photographs in various sizes including 5”x7”, 8”x12”, 16”x20”, or 24”x36”. Special orders larger than 24”x36” or unusual shapes can also be accommodated. Photographs can be purchased as prints only, matte only or mounted on canvas or Duraplaq wooden hanging systems. Greeting cards are also available.
The DuraPlaq mounting is what you typically see at Jim shows. “They have a satin finish that give colors a lovely pop.” Jim added that the photographs are displayed without glass and have a 3D look that sometimes cause folks to mistake them as paintings. And there is one more reason Jim likes the DuraPlaq mounting, “There’s no work in them -just dust them off!”
For the past few years Jim has exhibited his work at fine art shows in Frisco, Estes Park, Loveland, Steamboat Springs, Boulder, and Aspen. Jim travels back home at least once each year to visit family and friends. He is also a regular exhibitor at the Colorado Irish Festival (July 13-15 Clement Park, Littleton, CO) and looks forward to returning this year.
You can see some of Jim’s images and this year’s show calendar on his website. Take your time browsing through the photo galleries to visit some of his favorite places in the Western United States and Ireland. www.jimmurphyphotography.com. “If you don’t see what you’re looking for please feel free to drop me a line and I’ll be happy to work with you to help you choose the options that work best for you. You can contact me at [email protected] or 303.552.7016”
(CIF logo)

Clare Glens

by Rodger Hara

(photo by Andrew Clark www.andrewclarkphotography.com)

Serendipity brought Helen Thorpe to Veronica Guerin’s story and the result was an Irish sort of symmetry.

Veronica Guerin was an Irish journalist who was murdered in 1996 while writing about the drug business in the Republic. Daughter of an accountant, she studied accounting at Trinity College in Dublin, worked for her father’s business for three years, then ran her own public relations firm for seven years before becoming a reporter for the Sunday Business Post and Sunday Tribune. Armed with her native intelligence, natural curiosity, business education and political experience, she developed a journalistic style that pursued information to its roots without regard for her personal safety. Her approach and interpersonal skills led to creation of trusting relationships with members of the Garda Síochána and the criminal community.

In 1994 she began writing for the Sunday Independent covering the crime beat using her knowledge of accounting to trace the flow of funds from criminal activities. She established a relationship with John Traynor, a convicted drug dealer who provided her with information that she included in stories, the publication of which led to shots being fired at her home and a confrontation at her front door with an armed man. Fearless in a foolhardy sort of way, in September 1995, she confronted John Gilligan, Traynor’s boss, about how he could maintain his extravagant lifestyle without any apparent source of income. Gilligan took exception to her question, attacked her and later threatened her family if she wrote about him.

Gilligan and several members of his organization met on June 25, 1996 and allegedly planned her murder which took place on June 26 as she was stopped at a red light on the outskirts of Dublin when two men on a motorcycle stopped next to her and the passenger fired six shots into the car killing her instantly. Had she lived, she would have spoken two days later at a Freedom Forum conference in London on the topic “Dying to Tell the Story: Journalists at Risk.”

Her death caused a national outrage and her funeral was attended by Ireland’s Taoiseach (elected head of state) John Bruton and hundreds of other mourners and was covered live by Raidió Telifís Éireann. Her death also led to the passage of legislation by the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament) creating the Proceeds of Crime Act 1996 and the Criminal Assets Bureau 1996 that allowed the government to seize assets purchased with cash from criminal activities.

Charles Bowden, one of those at the June 25 meeting, was arrested and agreed to turn state’s witness. His testimony and subsequent investigations led to the arrests and convictions of Gilligan and over 150 other criminals. Brian Meehan, another of those at that meeting was convicted of her murder and received a life sentence.

In August 1996, Helen Thorpe was a writer for Texas Monthly Magazine and speaking by phone with Amanda Urban, an agent with whom she had worked. Ms. Urban had been contacted by Susan Lyne, a representative for the Walt Disney Studios, who was looking for journalists to do background research on different ideas that could be developed into screenplays. One of the subjects Lyne was interested in was Veronica Guerin and Urban, recalling Helen’s Irish roots, asked if she would be interested in the assignment. The daughter of Marie and Laurence “Larry” Thorpe, natives of Cavan and Dublin, respectively, she said yes, took a leave of absence from the magazine and opened the door to an interesting new chapter of her most interesting life.

Larry Thorpe was born in Dublin, attended school where he was taught by Christian Brothers with the Chieftain’s Paddy Moloney and left Dublin after graduating from the University of Dublin to take an engineering job in London at the BBC. Marie Brady of Virginia, County Cavan, left there to attend nursing school in London when she was 18. They met, married and gave birth to Helen. When she was a year old, Larry learned of a job opportunity with RCA in New Jersey, applied for and won it and moved the family to New Jersey. Helen was on her mother’s Irish passport with a dual Irish and British citizenship – and a green card until she was 21 when she became a U.S. citizen as she wanted to vote.

Graduating Magna Cum Laude from Princeton, she had early unpaid journalistic stints in Boston then went to graduate school at Columbia University where she earned a Master’s degree in English literature in 1989. From there, she worked briefly at the New York Observer and New Yorker Magazine before landing a job at Texas Monthly and moving to Austin, Texas in 1994.

She worked for the magazine until 1999, met then-brewpub owner and future Denver Mayor and Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper when he crashed her 37th birthday party in 2000 and married him in a Quaker ceremony in Austin in January 2002. They have a son, Teddy, who will be ten years old this July.

Having gone to Ireland every other summer growing up, she was very comfortable being with her mother’s large extended family in Cavan and her father’s smaller family in Dublin so was intrigued by the prospect of going there as a journalist for the first time. It was a trip in which she learned more about Irish culture in the month she spent there than she had in all her other trips.

Her family there became like cultural anthropologists, providing her with a sense of who Veronica Guerin was and helping her understand how things work; her interactions with the Garda, Guerin’s colleagues and members of the criminal community taught her that the pace of life and business is slower and more casual in Ireland than in America. She tried to speak with members of Guerin’s family but they were still grieving and declined her request. One of her uncles who owns property in Dublin became her guide to the city, providing her with a narrative background of neighborhoods and their inhabitants, the differences between them and an understanding of the cultural and political landscape.

She looked into the criminal element, leaving her phone number with various members (who she described as “…very scary people”) and even visited the home of John Gilligan once. Shortly after that visit, the car she drove there that she’d borrowed from an aunt was broken into – she thinks it was coincidence, but doesn’t know for sure. When asked if she was frightened or felt she was in any danger, she said that “It was a calculated risk and they would probably not harm a second journalist.”

Eventually, she was able to make contact with John Traynor, who by then had fled Ireland and was living in Malaga in the south of Spain. He agreed to meet with her so she flew to Spain where she spent six hours talking with him – while he drank at least 20 pints of beer. She didn’t tell her family about her trip but did leave word with a Garda she’d met – who had been a close friend to Guerin. (Traynor has since been arrested in Amsterdam and is awaiting extradition to the United Kingdom.)

Her final treatment of the Veronica Guerin story was submitted to Disney where Jerry Bruckheimer, Producer, and Joel Schumacher, Director, picked up the option and produced the movie that was released in 2003. Helen was paid for her research and spoke with Carol Doyle as she was writing the screenplay. She says that “The movie is fantastic! I was afraid that it would depart from the reality of who Veronica was but they nailed it! It’s fast-paced, dramatic and faithful to reality of the story and person as I understood it.”

A statue honoring Guerin stands in the Dubh Linn Gardens on the grounds of Dublin Castle. In May 1997, her name was added to the Freedom Forum Journalists Memorial in Arlington, Virginia where the names of journalists who died in the line of duty are listed. At the ceremony, her husband, Graham Turley, said: “Veronica stood for freedom to write. She stood as light, and wrote of life in Ireland today and told the truth. Veronica was not a judge, nor was she a juror, but she paid the ultimate price with the sacrifice of her life.”

Since doing the research for the film, Helen has taken on new roles as First Lady of the City and County of Denver and First Lady of the State of Colorado and has continued to write. Essays about those roles appeared in Glamour and 5280 magazines and she did an article for Westword about the experiences of an illegal immigrant in the Denver Public Schools.

She had hoped to write a book about the discrimination being faced by immigrants from South Africa and Brazil in the meat packing plants of Ballyjamesduff at the height of the Celtic Tiger’s roar but could find no takers at the time and now the roar is a whimper.

She has since had better luck with a book published by Simon and Shuster in 2009 called Just Like Us in which she follows the lives of four girls who are high school seniors in Denver; all are children of illegal immigrants, two of them have papers, and all face similar issues in dealing with life. The Washington Post named it one of the books of the year for 2009. Now in its 10th printing, the book has sold nearly 20,000 copies and Helen spends much of her time doing book talks around the country.

Teddy has already been to Ireland twice and Helen hopes that there are many more trips in his future so that he can acquire that part of his heritage and gain exposure to a second culture. As the grandchild of Irish-born grandparents, he is eligible for Irish citizenship, should he choose to pursue it – and with the head-start he has, odds are good that he will.

To learn more about Helen Thorpe’s life, read the biography on her website www.helenthorpe.com

Celtic Events and Kolacny Music Presents
From Ireland, Scotland, and Canada
‘Best Instrumental/Vocal Group of 2012’
THE OUTSIDE TRACK
with Comedian DR Kevin Fitzgerald
Friday April 27, 2012 8PM Show 7PM Doors
The Soiled Dove 7401 E. 1st Ave Denver, CO 80230
$20 Advance $24 DOS All Ages Show All Seats GA
Tickets online at:
http://www.tavernhg.com/soiled_dove/show/19335
In person at Kolacny Music, Denver, 303-722-6081
Information at 303-777-0502 [email protected] www.facebook.com/celtic.rockies

“Wow and wow again! This is the best new group we have heard in quite a while. stunning. Wow! (Did we already say that?)”
Tradition in Review

“Simply a consummate blend of skill, talent, flair and intensity” Folkwords

Celebrate an evening of music, song , and dance with The Outside Track in Denver, Friday April 27 at the Soiled Dove!
This multi-national contingent started 2012 in style by winning the Live Ireland Award for Best Instrumental/Vocal Group of 2012 where they were described as: “Among the top groups in the world…traditional, creative, and brilliant on every cut”. Lead singer Norah Rendell also won the prestigious accolade of Vocalist of the Year.

Hailing from Ireland, Scotland and Canada, The Outside Track’s five members are united by a love of traditional music and a commitment to creating new music on its foundation. Using fiddle, accordion, harp, guitar, flute, Ottawa Valley step-dance and vocals these virtuosos blend boundless energy with unmistakable joie de vivre.
Having met at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick, each player within The Outside Track is a master of their chosen instrument with the band stacking up an impressive amount of international awards and accolades. In addition to Norah on vocals, the line up comprises: Ivonne Hernandez (Five time Grand Fiddle Champion), Ailie Robertson (Live Ireland Winner, BBC Young Trad Finalist), Fiona Black (BBC Fame Academy Winner), and Cillian O’Dalaigh (Trazz).

The evening will begin with laughs provided by comedian DR Kevin Fitzgerald who will bring his unique style of humor that draws from his unusual background as a veterinarian, television star, and bouncer for rock stars.

When Outside Track takes to the stage at Soiled Dove in Denver
April 27 they should find everyone smiling.
Always proud of his Irish heritage, comedian DR Kevin Fitzgerald will bring his unique style of humor that draws from his unusual background as a veterinarian, television star, and bouncer for rock stars.

Recently DR Kev will gave the “The Colorado Music Hall of Fame” induction speech for his former boss and legendary promoter Barry Fey. Fey put Kevin on tour as a bouncer on numerous tours as a bouncer with The Rolling Stones, The Who, and The Police, to name a few.
Perhaps best known for his Animal Planet TV show Emergency Vets or his weekly segment on Denver’s CW2’s morning news show called Animal House, Kevin loves animals as much as he likes to make people to laugh.

As a comedian Kevin has appeared on The NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, The Today Show with Matt Lauer, Fox News Channel’s Geraldo-At-Large with Geraldo Rivera, The Maury Povich Show, TNN’s Crooke and Chase, Discovery Channel’s Home Matters, and most recently CBS’s The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and has opened for such diverse and legendary performers as Bob Hope, Diana Ross, The Temptations, and The Neville Brothers.

For the second year in a row, the Denver St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee are excited to be sending Denver’s Queen Colleen, to compete in the Rose of Tralee International Festival for the Regional Finals.
There will be a fundraiser beginning at noon Saturday, May 12 at Scruffy Murphy’s in downtown Denver to help offset the cost to send this years Queen Colleen, Tiffany Antikainen to Ireland to represent Colorado. It will be a fun afternoon of pipers, dances, prizes, and socializing with Denver’s Irish community.
If you have any items you’d like to donate for the door prizes (this can be an actual item or a service) contact Beth Wiseman-Kline ([email protected])
or Clairisa Smith ([email protected]) www.denverstpatricksdayparade.com

by Rodger Hara

Supergroups – like Crosby, Stills and Nash – began as a rock and roll phenomenon in the late 1960’s and continue in that genre today along with country, jazz and rap. Rarely is a supergroup found on the Celtic music scene – with the exception of the Masters of Tradition – and even more rarely is there one formed in Colorado – especially one with an Actors Equity/Screen Actors Guild card-carrying member.

What began as a vision in the mind of Angus Mohr front man, lead singer and bass guitarist Paul McDaniel – the creation of an acoustic album of Celtic music done in traditional style by professional, full-time musicians – has become a reality with the release of Tradition, Tartan and Tears, presented by Nice Niche Music, another of Paul’s visions. As he describes it, “The very short story is Nice Niche is an attempt to get quality musicians to participate in each other’s projects on an exchange of time, both their own and studio time to help make recording projects more affordable for both the musicians and the record label, and make good music.”

Recorded at the Mohr Fire studios in Lafayette with engineering by Angus Mohr’s master soundman Scott “Gusty” Christensen, the album is a mix of traditional and contemporary Irish, Scottish and English songs rendered in a classic style that honors the music, delivers it in a fresh package that respects the roots and brings a surprising new and revealing emotional depth to each song.

This Colorado supergroup is comprised of acoustic guitarist Gregg Hansen, mountain and hammered dulcimer builder/player Bonnie Carol, Fiddler for Peace Kailin Yong and cellist James Hoskins with vocals by Tamra Hayden and contributions on tin whistle and bagpipes from rising star Matthew McDaniel, who also did the color for Eddie Mize’ album cover artwork.

Tamra Hayden, of Scotch-Irish descent and a graduate of Littleton High School and the University of Northern Colorado, went from performing at the old Country Dinner Playhouse to the stage of the Denver Center Theatre Company to the bright lights of Broadway where she has performed for the past 17 years. There (and on tour), she has sung the role of Cosette in Les Miserables over 1,800 times in addition to playing the role of Christine in Phantom of the Opera among many others. Her approach is organic and grows out of the acting that requires her to inhabit a role. When she sings, she makes the lyrics come alive and invests them with the feelings of the story the words are telling. The warmth and richness of her voice combined with the remarkable playing of the others adds a depth and clarity to each song that helps the listener appreciate why they have endured so long – and with interpretations like this, will continue to live.

It is that combination of acting and singing talent that led Paul to approach her two years ago with a request to record an album of Celtic songs. Between then and now, Paul recruited the other talent from the Boulder area where each is entrenched in the music scene as a teacher, musician and performer and outstanding in their own right: Gregg is a member of County Boulder (formerly Peace, Love, Jigs and Reels), Bonnie was a member of the Mother Folkers and plays bodhran; Kailin, originally from Singapore has his own group, the Peace Project Trio and James plays with several bands including Sherefe, a Boulder band that plays the music of the Balkans and Middle East.

The playlist ranges from traditional songs like Scarborough Faire, Greensleeves, Black is the Colour and Wild Mountain Thyme to Foggy Dew – the rebel lament that came out of the 1916 Rising – to modern classics like Rare Ould Times, the 1970 Pete St. John paean to the changes in Dublin in the 60’s and Eric Bogle’s 1976 anti-war air, The Green Fields of France.

Tribute and honor are paid to Robert Burns in an unusual rendition of Auld Lang Syne that includes all the rarely-sung lyrics in an arrangement that should become the new standard for singing the song but probably won’t. Further honor is rendered to the Scots with the singing and playing of Loch Lomond in a largo arrangement that adds more emotional weight and depth to the song than is usually heard.

Bonus tracks include Shenandoah, because there is an echo of Irish sensibility in the music and an alternate take of Wild Mountain Thyme.

At the risk of being cliché, this album could easily become an instant classic.

In the liner notes, Paul says that “This collection is aptly named. We didn’t realize, when we started, how invested we would become in these songs. An amazing number of tears were shed during this project’s development. You will hear the emotion generated in the studio and feel it as you listen.”

You can hear it yourself – and should hear it for yourself and buy the CD – at the concert that will present the group and the magical music they have made along with the Highland Rock and Roll of Angus Mohr at the Rialto Theatre in Loveland at 7:30 PM on May 12th. Tickets are general admission and available online at http://rialtoloveland.ticketforce.com/ and are $12 in advance or $15 at the door.

The Denver Folklore Center turns 50 this spring. A visit to the iconic holy ground at 1893 South Pearl Street is like walking into a living shrine to acoustic music. The walls are covered with stringed instruments and folk music memorabilia. Hand written signs organize bins stuffed with recordings or sheet music, guiding you to various genres of roots music. Magazine racks are where they can be because should be is not an option with limited space. But it doesn’t matter- You know you’re somewhere special, organic and good. Whether you want to play, listen, or educate yourself about folk music you’re in the right place.
Friendly employees are nearby, tuning, teaching or talking music. A cozy corner spot has seating for those who want to pick a few tunes. There is some room in back for music lessons. If you walk in and you don’t play, you feel like you should because you want to be apart of this scene.

The man behind this down home folk vibe is founder and owner of the Denver Folklore Center, Harry Tuft. Often referred to as “Denver’s Godfather of Folk Music,” Harry was just inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in February. A kind and humble man, he would feel awkward if you called him a legend – but call him one anyway because he is!

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Harry was turned-on to roots and folk music in his youth when he first learned to play a ukulele. As the folk scene began to blossom in America a friend pointed Harry towards Colorado and the young man packed up his ‘uke’ and went west. By a twist of fate that continues to benefit folk music lovers today, he opened the Denver Folklore center in 1962 on 17th Avenue in Capital Hill.
Harry said, “When I came to Denver many years ago, I realized that Denver was a city made up of lots of different communities. I found here among those communities, a group of folks who really liked the kind of music that I like. We came together, magically, to build this influential organization. I’m very proud.”

It was not clear sailing in the folk music business. Harry drove a taxi at night and struggled along with occasional financial help from his parents. He began to offer music lessons because he was asked. Every Sunday there was a hootenanny at the store. The buzz started to grow about the new center for the growing folk music community.
Otis Taylor recalls, “The summer before I went to high school I discovered the Folklore Center – that was in ’63 – and I basically never left the place. It was like I lived there. I’d go there on weekends and every day after school. A lot of kids were hanging out there. You’d listen to music and make friends. My whole life was based around the Denver Folklore Center until ’67, when I moved to Boulder…” Taylor purchased his first instrument – a ukulele – at the store. “I was just a poor black kid hanging around – I’d wait for the teachers between classes and get them to give me a quick lesson.” He describes the store’s influence on him as follows: “From the Folklore Center came the music, from home came the attitude. It was pretty incredible. It had a huge influence on me. We’d have students coming from back east to come check out the center … My mom would put them up in our house. It was like another world.”

Harry was asked by an agent to promote Joan Baez which led to a sold-out show at the Denver Auditorium Theatre. Other shows followed with more big names at more big venues including Red Rocks.
Harry expanded his storefront and exposure along 17th Avenue, adding more space for instruments and accessories, a repair shop, record store, concert hall and a music school that eventually was developed by Folklore employee Julie Davis into the current Swallow Hill Music School. By the early 70’s the Denver Folklore Center became a Rocky Mountain Mecca for the folk scene.
Steven Fromholz (with Dan McCrimmon as Frummox) recalls: “When we hit the streets of Denver we had no place to stay… The first place we went was the Denver Folklore Center. It was a great place. The summer of ’68 in Denver was hippie heaven and the Folklore Center was a big part of it all. I remember the walls were all wood, it was dark and a little dusty with incredible instruments hanging everywhere…but most of all it was a group of friendly folks. We met the owner, Harry Tuft, who took us in like lost children…He was so kind to many musicians. There was a concert hall at the Folklore Center where Harry presented live music on the weekends. It was a small room with a good PA system and lights. It was an incredible place to play because people came to listen. When the popular folkies played somewhere in Denver they would stop by and visit Harry. They bought strings, guitar picks and more often than not did a special show for Harry – Judy Collins, Joan Baez, Jack Elliott, Doc Watson – I saw Reverend Gary Davis play there. It was a listener’s paradise.”

The music was always good, but the economy and financial aspects of the business did not always follow suit. Over the years there were peaks and valleys as the store changed address and management – for a short time the doors were closed for business.
Resilience prevailed and in 1983 Harry opened the Denver Folklore Center at its current location at 1893 S. Pearl. He still hosts weekly song circles (Mon. 7P) and continues to perform both solo and with Grubstake, his folk trio of 40 years that includes Jack Stanesco and Steve Abbott. Last year he released his second solo album, Harry Tuft & Friends: Treasures Untold, accompanied by a who’s who of Colorado musicians.
Many of those musicians and loads more from around the state and country will gather with Harry and Folklore Center family and friends over Memorial Day Weekend and celebrate the Golden Anniversary of the institution that Harry built.
Congratulations to Harry Tuft and Denver Folklore Center staff, alumni, friends and supporters!

Denver Folklore Center, 1893 South Pearl Street, Denver, CO 80210
303-777-4786 www.DenverFolklore.com [email protected]

Denver Folklore Center – 50th Anniversary Celebration Concerts:.

Irish fiddle virtuoso, producer, and impresario, Martin Hayes is heading for Colorado with the Masters of Tradition on Tour!
As Artistic Director of Masters of Tradition on Tour, Hayes has brought together seven of the most compelling artists in Irish music today for a unique concert celebrating the art form. Joining Hayes on fiddle are vocalist Iarla Ó Lionáird, fiddler Cathal Hayden, guitarists Dennis Cahill and Seamie O’Dowd, Máirtín O’Connor on accordion, and uilleann piper David Power.
With performances of solos, duets, trios, and full group collaborations, the evening’s format gives real insight into the musical journeys that these musicians, and the masterful music they play, have taken over the years.

Masters of Tradition is named for the highly-regarded music festival held each August in the Irish coastal town of Bantry, Co. Cork. Martin Hayes devised the festival, in collaboration with the classical music organization West Cork Music, in order to create a space where the heart of traditional music could be revealed. The intimate performances take place in an old stone church in the town center and in Bantry House, one of Ireland’s most beautiful 18th-century Georgian mansions.
“When we started this festival in 2003, my belief was that a sufficient audience with interest in the most authentic form of Irish music must surely exist; that the music itself does not have to be shaped and bent to meet the perceived needs of an audience. In its purest form it speaks a universal language. I have sat through almost all of the performances each year of this festival and every time I leave Bantry, I do so with a renewed faith in the strength of this music.” said Hayes.

In 2009, the Sydney International Festival invited Hayes to create a touring version of Masters of Tradition to play at the Sydney Opera House. The remarkable line-up of Irish musicians quickly sold out a two-night engagement at the 3000-seat venue, captivating the audience and winning critical acclaim.

The touring group makes their American debut in April 2012, ending their tour Friday April 20 at the Gothic Theatre in Denver, Colorado.
“The goal of this touring show is to focus on the details and nuances of Irish traditional music,” says Hayes. “The performers are all masters of their instruments. Through their talent and abilities, the sophistication and artfulness of the music is revealed. ”
“We are very excited to be one of the regions selected for this tour,” said Pat McCullough of Celtic Events/Celtic Connection. “All of the artists involved have their own solo and group projects so they have a small window of opportunity to tour with MOT. If Colorado Irish traditional music fans miss this unique ensemble their next, and possibly only, chance to see them will be in Ireland!”

For information and tickets for this remarkable line-up of Irish musicians in concert April 20th, you can call Celtic Events at 303-777-0502 or go online to www.GothicTheatre.com or www.CelticEvetns.com
Tickets also available in person at the Denver Folklore Center 1893 S. Pearl St. Denver.

Metro Community Provider Network (MCPN) will host The 8th Annual Green Tie Event takes place at the Seawell Ballroom, Denver Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday March 17th. Headlining the entertainment will be the irrepressible Bridies, with dynamic dancing from Strictly Irish and special guest dancer Karen Callaway Williams.
A tap dance instructor for Worth-Tyrrell studios for the last 10 years, Williams brings a wide depth of experience and talent to any event at which she performs. From being the feature in two Broadway shows to TV specials in her honor, to performing in concerts and on stages around the world, Williams has gained notoriety and respect for her talent. She has recently finished a 3 year stint with the Broadway production of Riverdance. Williams was also a guest on Sesame Street, as well as one of four artists featured in EssenceMagazine.
Williams is a graduate of Spelman College with degrees in Psychology and Dance, and a charter member of the New Jersey Dance Ensemble. She has performed with some of the greats of all time, such as Duke Ellington and many others throughout her illustrious career. The Detroit Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, and the Toronto Symphony all have claim on this busy star to be their featured tap artist. With all this experience and talent together in one person, she is sure to make a tremendous addition to the Green Tie event!
Popular 9 News Reporter Amelia Earhart will emcee the evening events from start to finish! Amelia Earhart joined 9 News in 2007, beginning her career there as a Sky 9 reporter guiding her listeners with traffic reports and breaking news from the sky.
She is a graduate of the University of Colorado in Boulder, and began her career in radio with 850 KOA. Soon, she found herself at 9 News speaking to audiences of thousands everyday.
Aside from broadcast, another great passion of hers is aviation. A distant relative of the famous Amelia Earhart of the early 1900s, she takes pride in her relation and in the uniqueness and recognition contained in her name. In fact, her family gave her the name because they wanted her to stand out- and stand out she has!
Outside of work, Earhart is devoted to the Colorado community. She travels all over, speaking to schools with students who are interested in aviation. She is also currently working on her own private piloting license.

MCPN is a nonprofit organization and has provided medical and health education services to the underserved since 1989. Their mission is to provide excellent health-related services focusing on the underserved. Current service areas encompass Jefferson, Arapahoe, Adams and Park Counties and the City of Lakewood and Aurora. MCPN has one of the largest population base of any Community Health Center in Colorado and, the largest number of underserved individuals in the State.