Traditional Irish Music

By A Celebrated Trio

NEW CANAAN — On Thursday, July 12, at 8 pm, the Carriage Barn Arts Center in Waverly Park will be host to a concert featuring the traditional Irish trio of Mary Bergin and Joe and Antoinette McKenna.

Ms Bergin is unanimously hailed as the greatest and most influential tin whistle player in history, having almost single-handedly raised it from its humble folk origins to its acceptance as a serious musical instrument. In the past year she was recognized for her lifetime contributes by being named Traditional Irish Musician of the Year.

Her sister, Antoinette, is one of Ireland’s premier harpists and singers, and is married to Joe McKenna, one of Ireland’s greatest uilleann pipers. They have toured the world over, and collectively present perhaps the world’s greatest trio on three of the instruments most synonymous with Irish music.

The July 12 concert represents the Connecticut debut of the trio. The concert is being sponsored by Shamrock Traditional Irish Music Society, a non-profit educational organization dedicated to the promotion of traditional Irish music.

A donation of $15 is requested for adults, and only $5 for children. For reservations or more information about the concert, call 203-256-8453 or email timothymquinn@msn.com.

Waverly Park can be reached by taking Exit 34 off the Merritt Parkway. Turn onto Route 124 North and follow for one-half mile, then turn left into Waverly Park. Carriage Barn Arts Center is 0.4 mile into the park’s main thruway, in the second driveway on the left.