12 IRISH AMERICAN NEWS January 2006Mike Houlihan, Martin Mullarkey, Tim O’Malley, Art Bryan and Keiran Ahern in Kitty O’Shea’s.Celebrating Chr<strong>is</strong>tmas and FriendshipThe Ir<strong>is</strong>h around Chicagoland had a busy schedule in December.Here are just a few of the events attendedMerry Chr<strong>is</strong>tmas andHappy New Year to AllTom Boyle and Diane Anderson at the Ir<strong>is</strong>h Fellowship ClubChr<strong>is</strong>tmas Luncheon.Bill and Rita Cook, Mary O’Malley, Mary Gallagher, Olive Godvik, Breandan Magee and MaureenO’Looney celebrate the holidays at a fundra<strong>is</strong>er held at The Baked Tomato Restaurant.Joe Reid, Conor O’Keeffe, Liam Boyle; drummer for the Shannon Rovers, andJohn Daly. Liam gives free lessons at the Ir<strong>is</strong>h Fellowship Club’s Chr<strong>is</strong>tmasLuncheon in the lobby of the Chicago Hilton once a year.Ir<strong>is</strong>h Rep’s “Realti” stars: Mary McCauley, Bridget Flanagan, Jack Goggin, Mary Ann Bell,and Julie Ann Shea at O’Brien’s Restaurant attending a fundra<strong>is</strong>er for the theatre group.Bill Evans, Kevin McEldowney, Rich Finn, Robert Sheehy Jr., and Tom BoyleKevin McEldowney, Marianne Trotter and Willie Winters
January 2006 IRISH AMERICAN NEWS 13The Sharon Shannon CollectionReleased by Compass th<strong>is</strong> monthWith the energy and stage presence of a rocker and the unpretentious traditionalroots of a pub musician, Sharon Shannon has become one of the brightestcreative forces in all of Ir<strong>is</strong>h and traditional music. Giving a modern push toancient jigs and reels, blending tunes from other genres and enjoying it all asmuch as her foot-tapping audience, Shannon <strong>is</strong> by critical consensus the mostadventurous spirit to emerge from Ireland in any genre. In only fifteen yearsshe has r<strong>is</strong>en from the pubs of Galway to global acclaim as the preeminentfemale instrumental<strong>is</strong>t in Ir<strong>is</strong>h music. www.compassrecords.comWired by MichaelMcGoldrickWired, the new album fromflaut<strong>is</strong>t, piper, and composer,Michael McGoldrick, <strong>is</strong> morethan just the long-awaited follow-upto h<strong>is</strong> groundbreakingThe result of three years offocused composition, recording,arranging, and experimentation,Wired takes the many threadsthat define McGoldrick’s musicand splices and re-connectsthem in intriguing new ways.While the mix of styles andvibrations encompassed byWired <strong>is</strong> indeed refreshing andaston<strong>is</strong>hing, it <strong>is</strong> not surpr<strong>is</strong>ingthat music so exciting andinventive has emerged fromthe v<strong>is</strong>ionary imagination ofMichael McGoldrick.www.compassrecords.com2000 album Fused. It <strong>is</strong> theculmination of musical pursuitsfirst hinted at by h<strong>is</strong> formativedays in Manchester – pursuitsthat have defined him as oneof the most vital and inventivemusicians in today’s Brit<strong>is</strong>h Islesfolk rena<strong>is</strong>sance. From spaciousjazz trappings to surging Indianpercussion, electronic loops tobluegrass banjo, Wired brilliantlyharnesses the rhythmicmomentum of Celtic folk musicwhile bravely pushing into newsonic realms.Celtic Woman, who just completed their second leg of their U.S. tourwere presented by Manhattan Records/EMI with a plaque for PlatinumDVD sales and Gold CD sales on November 8th after their show atCarnegie Hall in New York City. Their self-titled release has been the #1World <strong>Music</strong> album for the past four months. Their U.S. fall tour was atremendous success with sold out dates in several cities including Boston,Minneapol<strong>is</strong>, San Diego, Cincinnati, and others. The five-member groupwill return to the U.S. for a spring tour. Photos by Gary Gershoff.At the Carnegie Club in New York City (L-R): Deirdre, Orla, L<strong>is</strong>a ofCeltic Woman, David Downes, <strong>Music</strong>al Director Celtic Woman, Maireadand Chloe of Celtic Woman.