Presented by Friends of Irish Studies in the West
PO Box 4693
Missoula, MT 59806
[email protected]
www.friendsofirishstudies.com

Traditional Irish Music at it’s Finest!
JOHNNY CONNOLLY and CARY NOVOTNY
Sept. 30, 7 pm
Wolverine Farm Publick House
316 Willow St
Fort Collins CO 80524

For more info or to reserve seats: [email protected]

Connolly and Novotny promise to deliver an exciting and powerful mix of raw energy, heart, soul and passion in this live concert performance of traditional Irish music melodies in modern and compelling harmonic and rhythmic arrangements.

DAY 1 AT SPANISH PEAKS CELTIC FEST (SEPT 21-24 2023)
TRAD Folks pack your bags and get ready for opening day at Spanish Peaks Celtic Fest 2023! On Thursday, September 21, the Fest welcomes all to the FREE “ UPTOP Unplugged” at UPTOP ghost town on top of Old La Veta Pass. Bring your picnic lunch, and enjoy sessions, and dancing in the old saloon, or just stroll about the Historic District and enjoy the views. Check out the old 1877 Depot, once home to the “Railroad Above the Clouds”, the highest narrow gauge railroad in the world!
Directions to UPTOP: Address: 3652 Co Rd 443, La Veta, CO 81055
From La Veta / Walsenburg- Heading west travel along Highway 160 approximately 12 miles from La VetaCross the highway to bear left onto CO Rd 443 and continue to Uptop.
From Fort Garland -Heading east, travel approximately 18 miles from Fort Garland along Highway 160 Turn right onto Rd Vv 5 and drive about 2 miles to the ghost town.
After UPTOP- Back in La Veta, There will some workshops, including FREE introductory classes in Bodhran and Whistle. At 4:30pm at the ever popular Dog Bar in Cuchara, will be a songs, tunes, and laughs provided by Patsy O’Brien, Jeff Lindblade, and Eric Thorin. At 7:30pm at the Mercantile in La Veta, the Fest will showcase the renown Irish guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer John Doyle. Enjoy the rest of the Fest as it continues through Sunday September 24, with much more music, dance, workshops, Demos, and with some great people in beautiful Huerfano County. For lists of free and ticketed events go to www.CelticMusicFest.com

DAY 1 SPANISH PEAKS CELTIC FEST – September 21-14 2023
AN EVENING WITH JOHN DOYLE

Renown Irish Musician, Singer, Songwriter, Producer John Doyle will perform Thursday, September 21, 2023, 7:30PM at the La Veta Mercantile, in La Veta , Colorado, as part of the first day offerings at the Spanish Peaks Celtic Festival (Sept 21-14). Name many of the most notable recordings and/or performers in Irish music and it’s a fair bet that John Doyle had something to do with them. Liz Carroll (Received Grammy Nomination for “Best Traditional World Album” for “Double Play”, Liz Carroll and John Doyle); Eileen Ivers; Karan Casey; Solas; Michael Black; Mary Black; the trio of McCusker, McGoldrick and Doyle; The Teetotalers (Martin Hayes, Kevin Crawford, John Doyle); and now Usher’s Island (Andy Irvine, Donal Lunny, Mike McGoldrick, Paddy Glackin and John Doyle) – a veritable who’s who of the greatest names in Irish music. These are just a very few of the stellar artists for whom John Doyle’s signature guitar sound, singing or songwriting is essential.

From a musical family in Dublin, John went on the road as a pro at 16 with the group Chanting House which he formed with Susan McKeown and which eventually included such great players as Seamus Egan, Eileen Ivers, & Donogh Hennessy. John went on to form the highly acclaimed super group, Solas, with Seamus Egan, John Williams, Karan Casey and Winifred Horan.After leaving Solas, John has gone on to perform and tour with other greats in the Folk, Celtic and Bluegrass worlds – as music director for folk icon Joan Baez, guitarist for Mary Chapin Carpenter, Eileen Ivers, Tim O’Brien (John was included on Tim’s 2006 Grammy-award winning CD, Fiddler’s Green), Linda Thompson, Kate Rusby, Cathie Ryan, Cherish the Ladies, and many others. He has appeared on soundtracks for the feature film, The Brothers McMullan, Soldier, PBS’s Out of Ireland and also composed the music for the film Uncle Robert’s Footsteps and the play Down the Flats as well as performing on countless recordings as guitarist and/or singer for other notable artists.

John is a featured regular for many years in the hugely popular BBC Scotland “Transatlantic Sessions” regularly broadcast in Ireland and at the Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow having performed there with Americana greats Jerry Douglas, Tim O’Brien, Rodney Crowell, Sara Watkins, Kathy Mattea, and many others. One of John’s many career highlights happened this summer (July 2023) when John spent some time at the Abbey Road Studio 2 in London performing with Eric Clapton, Ron Wood, and the Transatlantic Session Musicians (John Doyle, Aly Bain, Daniel Kimbro, Donald Shaw, Phil Cunningham, John McCusker, James Macintosh, and Michael McGoldrick).
Enjoy the rest of the Fest as it continues through Sunday September 24, with much more music, dance, workshops, Demos, and with some great people in beautiful Huerfano County. For lists of free and ticketed events go to www.CelticMusicFest.com

Utsav Lal brings “Ragas to Reels” to Spanish Peaks Celtic Fest Sept 21-24, 2023

Utsav Lal will Perform with Reverie Road at the Spanish Peaks Fest in Huerfano County, Colorado Sept 21-24, and collaborate with other musicians, and also will showcase his project “Ragas to Reels”
Friday, September 22, 1:00pm – 2:00pm at the Francisco Fort Theater in La Veta. A musical melting pot that brings together Indian classical music and traditional Irish music, this presentation will truly entertain and inform you.
As an Indian classical musician who has lived in Delhi, grew up in Dublin and now
resides in NYC, Utsav’s approach to Indian and Irish traditional music has been very multidimensional.
He explains: The music for this project aims to take an all-encompassing approach
to examining the different nuances and facets of these two traditions for e.g the
similarities and yet the friction between raga ornamentation and Sean Nos ornamentation,
the contrasting approaches to the way the traditions deal with rhythm and space yet the
shared cyclic nature of tension and release which underscores the foundation of the
music, the incredible tonal variety of both musics treating pitches as much more than just
notes but ranges of spaces inherently tied to instigating emotion in the listener. Possibly
the most important parallel for me is the blurred lines between composition and
improvisation in these traditions. The “living” qualities of existing compositions passed
down through oral tradition are constantly morphing, assimilating new ideas in line with
new generations of individual styles. They are both forms of music where you have
permission to insert yourself, your memory, your vision and your experiences into vast
and rich history of repertoire as long as you set out to do so with the utmost respect and
reverence for the history behind you. I view them both as living traditions with
innovation and malleability at the core of their heart which is what ensures they will
never be “ancient artifacts” and possess the dynamism to interact in a very interesting and
meaningful way.

Utsav Lal has performed several piano concerts with a repertoire of Indian ragas at venues including Carnegie Hall, New York, John F. Kennedy Center, Washington DC, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, KonsertHuset, Sweden, Southbank Centre, London and others. Lal holds a Bachelors in Jazz from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow and a Masters in Contemporary Improvisation from the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston. Lal won Ireland’s MAMA Award (2008) for Multiculturalism in the individual category Yamaha Jazz Scholar award (2014), TiE Aspire Young Indian Achiever Award (2012) and was named a Young Steinway Artist (2010) by piano-makers, Steinway & Sons.
Utsav Lal is currently on the teaching faculty of Piano School of NYC and has conducted several performance workshops at venues including Global Music Institute, India and “Breaking Boundaries” workshop series in India and USA.

For Spanish Peaks Celtic Fest Sept 21-24 info, schedules, tickets go to www.CelticMusicFest.com

SPANISH PEAKS CELTIC FEST SEPTEMBER 21-24
The GOTHARD SISTERS – FREE – 6th STREET HOOLEY
Friday September 22, 5:00pm – 6:00pm
MINER’S PLAZA 6 th ST, WALSENBURG
Although The Gothard Sisters Sunday (Sept 24) concert at La Veta Mercantile is Sold Out, you can see, hear, and dance with this awesome group throughout the Fest. Check schedules at www.CelticMusicFest.com , and come to the outside concert at Miner’s Plaza for a performance by the Gothard Sisters Friday September 22, 5-6PM! Credit: Ruth H. Photography

DAY 2 (Friday Sept 22) AT SPANISH PEAKS CELTIC FEST (SEPT 21-24 2023)
This is what the Fox Theater in Walsenburg will look like on the second day of the Spanish Peaks Celtic Fest on Friday, September 22, 7:00PM, when The Byrne Brothers (photo above) take to the stage. Other great performers on the bill include Patsy O’Brien , Jerry O’Sullivan, Sean Gavin, Barry Shears, John Williams. (Get You Tickets now at www.CelticMusicFest.com).
After a day of enjoying and learning about music, dance, and traditions throughout the day, what a great show to end the day…. But wait!- the Fun does not stop there!…. Post show Sessions will be at the Crafty Canary, 170 E. 5th St. in Walsenburg and also at La Veta Mercantile, 300 S Main St, La Veta, CO!
Enjoy the rest of the Fest as it continues through Sunday September 24, with much more music, dance, workshops, Demos, with some great people in beautiful Huerfano County. For lists of free and ticketed events go to www.CelticMusicFest.com

Long’s Peak Scottish-Irish Highland Festival this weekend, September 8-10, 2023, at Estes Park’s Fairgrounds Arena.
Featuring, various Celtic rock, folk and traditional musicians, athletic games and pipe bands, as well as jousting and dance competitions!

Experience Scotland at the Denver Polo Club, August 5-6, 2023!

Visit the spirit of Scotland in Colorado’s own backyard at this special event. The St. Andrew Society of Colorado is proud to announce the 59th Annual Colorado Scottish Festival will be held at its new location at the Denver Polo Club, August 5-6, 2023. Coupled with the warm hospitality and sophistication of the Denver Polo Club, this event provides an excellent opportunity to explore several interesting aspects of Scottish culture, traditions and history, while nourishing the community with a variety of engaging experiences.

The festival is a family-oriented, family-friendly event, and although the flavor is Scottish, there’s something for all cultures and every age group. We invite you to get away from the everyday and experience our new home at this high-class oasis, just 30 minutes from downtown Denver. The Denver Polo Club is known for its beautiful grounds on 30 acres, friendly atmosphere and cordial members who help make this the best international club in the area. The club has created many traditions for players and fans alike, and now they will share in helping to foster fond memories for a new summer tradition – hosting the Colorado Scottish Festival.

For the best experience, join the festival’s Thistle Club and get an exclusive VIP Package to enjoy during the entire weekend. The Thistle Club provides a friendly atmosphere featuring Scottish music in the background, complimentary Scottish food and adult beverages, including single malt whisky. Members are treated to a special welcome reception on Saturday morning, private access to a late afternoon reception featuring a performance by our own Rocky Mountain Highland Dancers and close-in, private seating at the outdoor concert Saturday night with the exciting local Celtic rock group, Angus Mohr. In addition, members will receive a commemorative gift, a Tartan Badge, free whisky tastings and a great place to relax and enjoy a pleasurable respite during the festival. Greasaibh oirbh (hurry up), Thistle Club tickets are limited – when they’re gone, they’re gone!

Throughout the weekend, enjoy Scottish athletics, piping and drumming band contests, solo bagpipe and dance competitions/performances, whisky tastings, clans/genealogy, living history, re-enactments, Scottish and Irish music, Celtic merchandise, beer and food vendors, children’s activities, dogs, cars and more. Also, our new location provides an opportunity for the festival to include novel, additional events such as polo and rugby matches. As a special treat, you’ll be able to watch one of the most coveted tournaments in the Denver area, The United States Polo Association Governor’s Cup, where teams compete with passion, grit and intensity. More information will become available on the club’s website as the date draws nearer (denverpoloclub.com).

And with room to grow, the Colorado Scottish Festival hopes to offer even more events and attractions for their 60th anniversary celebration in August of 2024.

The festival’s Scottish Games allow spectators to watch professional and amateur athletes, both women and men, compete for top honors in unique sporting events. Many of the games involve throwing and lifting; collectively known as heavy events, they include the caber toss, weight for height and hammer throw. A plethora of pipers will transport you to Scotland while you take in the sight of dancers flinging and jigging to the enjoyment of everyone. Besides traditional Scottish Highland dance competitions, visitors can observe demonstrations of traditional Irish Step Dancing by the Heritage Irish Stepdancers. After the Parade of Clans, stop by one of the many Clan Tents, where you’ll find plaid-clad docents eager to share their respective history. They will help attendees piece together the twigs and branches of a family tree, trace lineages back to ancient Scottish roots and locate your clan’s unique tartan.

There will be vendors selling all manner of Scottish and Celtic merchandise and crafts. In addition to food vendors, you’ll have an opportunity to savor the famous Scottish dish of haggis, grab yourself a “bellywasher” at the beer tent, or for a bit of great craic, sample a wee dram at one of our Whisky Tastings. Yes, “whisky” is how the Scots spell it, and it’s single-malt Scotch. Purchase your tickets in advance online to reserve your spot for our always-popular whisky tastings, as there is limited availability. The tasting is more of a classroom-like setting where participants sit for about an hour while our whisky concierge and tasting leader (or is that, “litre”?), Buz Dabkowski, will instruct you how to taste, judge flavor profiles, identify aromas and gain a better understanding of “the water of life”. Educate your mind and your palate while having fun. The instructions are fairly simple: “See, Swirl, Sniff, Sip, Savor, Repeat”. Our long-time partner and sponsor for the tastings is Edrington Brands, an international spirits company. Edrington’s acclaimed banner of brands include Highland Park, Macallan, Glenrothes Scotch and American Noble Oak Rye.

Observe Highland life from the time of William Wallace through the Jacobite uprising in 1745 through the village setting of the Renaissance Scots Living History Association. The RenScots have been delighting Celtic festival guests with their re-enactments for 23 years. Besides sharing Scottish history, you’ll find demonstrations on heritage crafts such as weaving, leather working, basketmaking, blacksmithing, traditional culinary dishes and traditional Celtic folk music. And for a little more excitement, check out the fighting element of the RenScots, the Wolves of Dunvegan, a skilled display of ancient combat and swordsmanship. They’ll educate the public on their arsenal of broadswords, claymores and other assorted, historic weaponry (renscots.org).

Events of the first day will wrap up with a Highland Rock & Roll concert Saturday night featuring Colorado’s own, Angus Mohr (7-9 p.m., included with admission). Angus Mohr revitalizes traditional Celtic music’s brogue with an American blues accent while rejuvenating rock ’n roll’s broad spectrum with bagpipes and pennywhistles. But their set list is also peppered with songs penned by Dylan, Pink Floyd, Johnny Cash and the Ramones. Angus Mohr crosses musical boundaries to pull in a diverse audience where fans steeped in blue collar classic rock, hippies old and young, and grown-up metal heads dance to timeless music about timeless ideas (www.angusmohr.com). Besides the concert, there will be plenty of traditional Scottish and Irish folk music throughout the weekend provided by local musicians such as Avourneen, Nerea the Fiddler, Wolf Loescher, Skean Dubh, Down the Back Lane, Gobs O’Phun and more.

Other events include a Bonnie Knees Contest (Saturday), the Parade of British Dogs (10am both days), and of course, there’s plenty of children’s activities, field events and historical information to keep your wee bairns excited and engaged. And dinnae forget to haste ye back on Sunday morning for the Kirkin’ of the Tartan and Blessing of the Dogs. Afterwards, car enthusiasts can get revved up by our display of British cars on Sunday as well.

Tickets are available at the gate or through the website (www.scottishgames.org) and parking is available at a nominal fee. Join the Colorado Scottish Festival for a fun-filled weekend and a bonnie good time for the entire family!

We can use your help. As a non-profit organization, volunteers are crucial to the success of the Festival. Without this wonderful group of people, it just wouldn’t happen. If you would like to volunteer your time on the committee or at the Festival, let us know your interests and we’ll find the best fit for you. Please visit our website and click on the “Volunteer” button, or email [email protected]

SPONSORS: Denver Polo Club, Renaissance Scots, Edrington Brands, Scottish Kings Gin, Belhaven Scotch Ale, SCFD, Men in Kilts and Renewal by Anderson, with more to be announced as the festival draws nearer.

FESTIVAL DATES & TIMES: August 5-6, 2023; 9 am to 9 pm, Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm, Sunday

LOCATION: Denver Polo Club, 6359 Airport Road, Sedalia, CO 80135

ADMISSION FEES AND PARKING:
For information regarding ticket costs, parking, or to order advance tickets online, please visit www.scottishgames.org

Gaelic Storm
Boulder Theater
2032 14th Street
Boulder, CO 80302
FRI JUN 23, 2023 – 8:00 PM Doors Open: 7:00 PM
Ages: All Ages
Advance Tickets $22.50 – $27.50 at:
https://www.axs.com/events/476083/gaelic-storm-tickets?skin=bouldertheater
by phone at (303)-786-7030 or online at www.bouldertheater.com
Door Price: Starting from: $27.50

Chart topping Celtic band: 7 times billboard #1 world music, on tour 200+ days a year
for 20+ years! More fun than a barrel of drunken monkeys.
It’s hard to imagine a band just coming into their own after 20 years of success, but
that’s exactly what makes a true anomaly. This multi-national, Celtic juggernaut grows
stronger with each live performance, and as you can imagine, after two decades and over
2000 shows, it is a true force to be reckoned with. With their latest release, Go Climb a
Tree, their music has never sounded more representative of themselves as musicians
and as live performers.
The band attributes their continued success to their fanatic audience, and it’s a
well-diversified crowd for sure. The country-music folks adore the storytelling, the
bluegrass-heads love the instrumentals, Celtic fans love their devotion to tradition, and
the rockers simply relish the passion they play their instruments with. Each band
member, in their own way, expresses a deep gratitude for their fans, but it’s best
summed up in the words of Patrick Murphy: “The fans are the ones that have given us
this life. We’re here for them.”
On Go Climb a Tree, co-founders of Gaelic Storm, Steve Twigger and Patrick Murphy,
along with longtime friend and co-writer Steve Wehmever, are again at the helm of
song-writing duties. The album has everything —party drinking songs (“The Beer
Song”), patriotic anthems (“Green, White and Orange”), beautiful folk songs (“Monday
Morning Girl”), spritely instrumentals “”The Night of Tomfoolery”), perfectly poppy
songs (“Shine On”), and even a raucous pirate song (“Shanghai Kelly”). When speaking
of the overall concept of the album, Patrick Murphy gives some insight: “With all the
craziness and division in the world, we wanted to make an album about ‘contemplative
escapism.’ Go Climb a Tree certainly isn’t about dropping out of the conversation, it’s
just about taking a short hiatus to recharge the batteries before you take on the world
again.”
Gaelic Storm takes a true blue-collar, hard-nose approach to touring, consistently
traveling the US and internationally over 200 days a year, forging a unique path in the
Celtic music world. “You have to see us live. We are the true working-mans’ band,” says
Ryan Lacey, who joined the lineup in 2003. “We still, and most likely always will, tour
most of the year, and that’s how we constantly hone our craft.”
The dedication to live shows date all the way back to the mid-1990s, when Gaelic Storm
kicked off its career as a pub band in Santa Monica, California. Due to their discovery at
the pub, by the end of the decade, the musicians had appeared in the blockbuster film
Titanic (where they performed “Irish Party in Third Class”). This laid the groundwork
for a career that would eventually find them topping the Billboard World Chart six
times, making appearances at mainstream music festivals, and regularly headlining the
largest Irish Festivals across the country, all the while gaining a reputation as a
genre-bending Irish rock band, whose songs mix Celtic traditions with something
uniquely creative.

Also perform in Colorado at:
Aggie Theater in Fort Collins, Thursday June 22 , 8pm, https://www.axs.com/events/476780/gaelic-storm-tickets
Whittle the Wood Rendezvous , Craig, CO, Saturday June 24

Pikes Peak Celtic Festival June 16-18, Western Museum of Mining & Industry, Colorado Springs, CO TICKETS SOLD ONLINE ONLY- No tickets will be sold at the festival. Various pricing depending on Day pass,Weekend pass, and Age. Entertainment schedule online (Enter the Haggis pictured). Tickets and info: https://pikespeakcelticfestival.com
Fest email: [email protected]