Page 3 - 45th East Durham Irish Festival

MAY 28 & MAY 29, 2022
45TH EAST DURHAM IRISH FESTIVAL NEWS 3
A look back and a step forward...
SEAMUS BALFE
I’m Seamus Balfe and I am delighted to welcome you to the 45th East Durham Irish Festival, taking place on Memorial Day Weekend at the MJQ Irish Cultural & Sports Centre located in the heart of East Durham on Route 145.
A few months back, I was approached by the Cultural Centre to run the event, as it hadn’t been held since 2019 due to the pandemic. I had been to the festival a number of times over recent years and always had a great experience. I was instantly drawn to the idea of running the Festival. With my first visit to East Durham, I felt an instant connection which only grew over time. The idea of combining my love for Irish music (along with the connections I had made in the Irish music scene), with the town I had grown to love, was something I had dreamed of and I knew I could make happen.
Coming from Shanagolden, West Limerick, Ireland, I was raised on Irish music, spending a lot of my childhood touring with my grandfather, well known Sean-Nos singer “Con Greaney” (who hailed from a place called Rooska, Athea County Limerick). After coming to the US, my love for Irish music only continued to grow. Having lived in Yonkers for 5 years, I had the privilege of being surrounded by the cream of the crop in the Irish music scene. I first came up to East Durham as a fan of the McLean Avenue Band who were playing at the Blackthorne. I didn’t even know yet that there was an entire town here steeped in Irish heritage. It wasn’t until my third trip up here, a year later, that I was brought over to McGrath’s Pub. From the moment I shook Dermot Fenlon’s hand I knew I had found a place I could call home. I truly felt like I was in a real Irish pub and within 2 years, I moved up here and started bartending for Colleen and Dermot. This was not just a job to me. They are like family to me and represent all that I love about East Durham.
People who haven’t ever been to East Durham wonder why we all fall in love with this little town (a hamlet actually) and I’d have to say for myself, and nearly all agree, it’s the connections...the connections with the people you meet and the lifelong friendships you make. There is a comradery here that exists which knows no bounds of time or distance. Both young and old return to East Durham year after year to see old friends and make new memories while never leaving without having made new friends along the way. Folks bond over their love for “all things Irish” and their shared love for the beauty of the area which is so like Ireland. Also, like Ireland, East Durham is known for its hospitality where everyone is made to feel welcome and like family. It’s truly a special place where magic can happen on any given night when the music is swinging, the songs are belting, the pints are flowing, the dancers are flying round the room, and the laughter and smiles last until (and sometimes beyond) last call.
Because of all this, I knew I wanted to be a part of the East Durham Irish Festival in order to make sure it would happen this year. I reached out to the one person I knew who would help make this festival not only happen but be a success; the one and only Andy Cooney. For more than 35 years, Andy Cooney has set the pace for Irish entertainment playing to crowds throughout the United States and Ireland in both large and intimate venues, offering two yearly cruises, hosting annual tours to Ireland and England,
and even selling out Carnegie Hall 9 times! In addition to this, he has put out 20 albums, released countless number one singles including several original songs, been featured on PBS and created the highly successful New York Tenors who perform regularly at concerts. Not to mention his sold out annual Christmas and Irish Cabaret tours (held in March) hosted throughout the North East.
For more than 35 years, Andy Cooney from his days with the acclaimed Paddy Noonan Band to branching out 28 years ago with his own band has been the main performer at Gavin’s Irish Country Inn and a fan favorite headliner at the East Durham Irish Festival where he has also graciously provided the beautiful music for the Annual Mass. Andy has related to me on many occasions how much he loves East Durham and has built a career on the solid foundation of East Durham at both at the festival and at Gavin’s for 3 and a half decades. As Andy says, he can’t imagine being anywhere else on Memorial Weekend, celebrating our Irish American heritage and honoring the proud men and women that gave the ultimate sacrifice so we can be free to do so. What’s better than Memorial Day in East Durham? Nothing! This year we will celebrate this great 45th Anniversary where Andy and I have joined forces to bring you everything you love about the festival and more!
The fact that this festival is 45 years strong is a testament to the people who started it and those who kept it going. We know that folks wait all year for this festival and look forward to seeing old friends and catching up once again with the best of Irish music in the town we all love so well!
45TH EAST DURHAM IRISH FESTIVAL NEWS
Editor - Seamus Balfe Advertising - Andy Cooney / Kitty Kelly Graphic Design & Layout - Mary James
Honorees .......................................6-7 Peter McKiernan Memorial ..........11 Jack Gavin Editorial......................13 Saturday Entertainment..............25 Festival Grounds Map ............ 26-27 Sunday Entertainment................ 28
Paul Keating Editorial ..................33 Band Highlights.......................23-25 Band Highlights.......................28-29 Band Highlights.......................46-47 Band Highlights............................ 49 Band Highlights............................. 51