As part of the Ward Irish Music Archives 25th Anniversary Celebration, Irish musicians Mick Moloney (banjo) and Jimmy Keane (accordion) will perform a musical tribute to the Flanagan Brothers. Prolific recorders, the Flanagan Brothers – Mike on accordion and Joe on banjo, with Louis on guitar in the early days – performed throughout the dance of halls of New York City during the first decades of the twentieth century.

Mick Moloney is the author of “Far From the Shamrock Shore: The story of Irish American History Through Song” released by Crown Publications in February of 2002 with an accompanying CD on Shanachie Records. He holds a Ph.D. in folklore and folklife from the University of Pennsylvania. He has taught ethnomusicology, folklore and Irish studies courses at the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown, and Villanova Universities, and currently teaches at New York University in the Irish Studies program.

Irish music’s accordion virtuoso Jimmy Keane was born in London of Irish-speaking parents from Connemara and Kerry. His late father Jimmy was a magnificent sean-nos (old style) singer, and along with young Jimmy’s mother Mary, actively encouraged him to take up traditional Irish music.

Jimmy’s accomplishments are far reaching. He has achieved astonishing and unprecedented success in competitive playing, having won five consecutive All-Ireland titles on the piano accordion. He has always been an avid collector and arranger of old tunes and is becoming increasingly known for his original compositions, many of which have become part of the mainstream of traditional Irish music around the world. He also has recorded and produced numerous albums.

6:00 door; 7:00 show
$15 in advance; $20 at the door