Irish Cultural and Heritage Center Announces March Concerts

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day all March long at the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, 2133 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee with four of Irish music’s most sought after bands; The High Kings on Wednesday, March 9 at 7 p.m., Socks in the Frying Pan on Thursday, March 10 at 7:30 p.m., Cherish the Ladies on Sunday, March 13 at 2 p.m. and RUNA on Saturday, March 26th at 7:30 p.m.

THE HIGH KINGS
Known for tight harmonies and high energy musicianship, The High Kings serve up classic ballads, rousing pub tunes, original songs and audience sing-alongs. Guitar and banjo player Finbarr Clancy toured the US and Ireland in the 1990s with the Clancy Brothers. Guitarist and bodhrán player Brian Dunphy was with Riverdance for two years and then was a member of The Three Irish Tenors. Darren Holden plays the accordion, mandolin, guitar and keyboard and starred in Riverdance on Broadway and then played Billy Joel in the musical Movin’ Out. A self-taught musician, Paul O’Brien plays guitar, banjo, mandolin, bouzouki, whistles, harmonica and bodhrán. He spent two years living and playing in Puerto Rico as a one-man band and then joined The High Kings in 2019.

SOCKS IN THE FRYING PAN
The multi-award winning trio from Ennis, County Clare, Socks have captivated audiences around the world with high energy performances, breathtaking musical ability and three part vocal harmonies. They celebrated their 10th anniversary as a band during Milwaukee Irish Fest in 2018. The Hayes brothers – Fiachra on fiddle, banjo and bodhrán and Shane on button accordion, along with guitarist and lead vocalist Aodán Coyne, came together during Ennis pub sessions. According to FolkWorld, “They wrap traditional Irish tunes in modern garments and spice them up with driving groves.” Irish Music Magazine said that “Their sound flows in magnetic, energetic waves, as does their banter onstage.”

CHERISH THE LADIES
“It is simply impossible to imagine an audience that wouldn’t enjoy what they do,” according to the Boston Globe writing about one of the most engaging and successful ensembles in the history of Celtic Music. The Grammy Award nominated Irish-American group was formed in 1985 to celebrate the rise of women in what had been a male-dominated music scene. Cherish is fronted by Joanie Madden recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts who presented her with a 2021 National Heritage Fellowship, the nation’s highest honor for folk and traditional artists. The outstanding ensemble joining her includes Mary Coogan (guitar), Mirella Murray (accordion), Nollaig Casey (fiddle), Gabriel Donohue (piano, vocals), Kate Purcell (vocals and guitar) along with Champion Irish dancers.

RUNA
The band enchants by pushing the boundaries of Irish folk music into Americana and roots music and finding the universal thread that binds past to present. Interweaving music from Ireland and Scotland with jazz, bluegrass, flamingo and blues, they offer a thrilling and redefining take on traditional music. Their sound stems from the musical and geographical diversity and personal achievements of its members: vocalist and step dancer Shannon Lambert-Ryan from Philadelphia, Dublin-born guitarist Fionán de Barra, Cheryl Prashker  from Montreal on percussion, Nashville based Caleb Edwards on mandolin and vocals and All-Ireland Champion, bodhrán player and step dancer Jake James from New York City.

For information and to order tickets, go to www.ichc.net.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.