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Urchin StreetThe Margaret Harkness Urchin Street stage is named in memory of a longtime festival coordinator who helped to create a fun environment especially for the younger festival attendees. Urchin Street has become as much a part of the North Texas Irish Festival as the headline bands or dance programs. It is not a place for kids to be dropped while mum & dad go off for a Guinness, rather it is a place for children and their parents to learn about the Celtic culture through music, storytelling and dance. This year we have the most varied program ever.
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The North Texas Irish Festival is a production of the Southwest Celtic Music Association |
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Behan: The Next GenerationThe inescapable conclusion that anyone who has seen Behan perform is that this thing is about family. Chris and Tess Behan, the Behan boys’ grandparents hang proudly above the stage, and many a song has been sung to Jim and Dorothy Behan, the parents of those boys and whose house was filled with Irish music. The members of Behan have twenty-three children between them and there are thirty more Behan grandchildren besides. Fourteen members of this group have previously performed with the band, either in song or dance. It is no surprise then to see the introduction of Behan: The Next Generation: Claire and John of the Michael Behan Clan; Casey, Caitlin, Kim, and Matthew of the Joseph Behan Clan; Sarah, Elizabeth, Daniel, William, Grace, and Martin of the Morris Clan; Madeline, Rebecca, Katie, and Emily of the Reiter Clan; Joshua, Amanda, and Caleb of the Treadway Clan, and David and Peter of the Dhooghe Clan. Ranging in age from fifteen to almost two, these kids will sing Irish songs that they just can’t their parents to stop singing, from children’s songs such as The Unicorn to Weila Weile and Whiskey You’re the Devil. The Behan grandchildren are carrying on with all that carrying on that their parents are doing. John BurlesonJohn has been telling professionally since 1988 in concerts, churches, festivals, schools, clubs and other venues. A lifelong interest in folklore and mythology has generated his repertoire of Texas history, Native American, African American, Irish and other British Isles tales. He has regularly appeared at North Texas Irish Festival, Texas Folklife Festival, Mississippi Celtic Festival, and Bedford's Celtic Heritage Festival. John has also told at Milwaukee Irish Festival and Ohio Renaissance Festival. Calamity RoadCalamity Road are - Vince Cole; guitar and occasional vocal, Jennifer Loar; female vocals, fiddle and bodhran, and Rogan Muldoon; male vocals and guitar. The music is traditional "old time" songs and ballads ranging from the plains of Texas to the Curragh of Kildare. From the hills of Appalachia and the Ozarks to the Highlands of Scotland. Here they present a collection of songs to delight children young and old, with roots reaching back to the "old sod". Eddie & DeeBetween them, Ed Rogers and Deanna Smith Scotland have over 18 years as professional musicians. They have played in various bands that have toured the country as well as being fixtures in the Dallas, Fort Worth area. Both Ed, and Deanna have a strong commitment to carrying on the folk tradition. They see music (especially folk music) as a treasured part of our national, and our world history. Eddie and Dee approach each show as an opportunity to teach as well as entertain. Deanna spent over two years teaching at a daycare/preschool in Wisconsin, and often used her musical skills to enhance her lesson plans. Her goal as a teacher was to make certain that her students came out of the classroom knowing more than "the Itsy Bitsy Spider". Ed Rogers is the father of two beautiful children and has always enjoyed singing with his kids. Together they have created a show that draws on songs that are familiar, songs that inspire counting and movement, songs that teach important social lessons, and of course songs that are FUN. An Eddie and Dee show is energetic, imaginative and always fun and educational. For more information or booking please call Deanna Smith Scotland (817) 346-6448 Michael HarrisonTo the Urchin Street stage at this year's NTIF comes one Michael William Harrison with songs for children of all ages. He'll sing songs about things we can see and can touch, like ponies and rabbits and kangaroos and such. He'll sing other songs that you can sing too, about dragons and bears and yes - one named Pooh. There's a song of a garden and a crow in a tree; wise words from mom and a ship on the sea. So come all ye children it's Urchin Street time - let's sing and be merry, let's dance and let's rhyme. Steve JohnsonA child at heart, Steve Johnson performs songs from his children's album, Rhyme in an Age of Reason. These songs include nursery rhymes, selections from Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses arranged to the tunes of Irish harpist/composer Turlough O'Carolan, and a Celtic hymn or two. Steve accompanies his rich baritone vocals with fingerstyle classical guitar, mountain dulcimer, and whistle in a simple, Celtic-infused, Classically-informed Folk style. A proud veteran of the U.S. Navy, Steve is working on his M.Ed. in Special Education at Texas A&M Commerce. He is also looking for other Celtic-inspired musicians to join his merry band. For booking or other, contact Steve at 972-923-3931 (home), 972-375-1779 (cell), himself@sjsongs.com, or visit him on the web at www.garageband.com/sjsongs. Jonquele JonesJonquele has been learning Gaelic songs and language for over 10 years. She has studied with notable Gaelic singers Cathy-Anne MacPhee, Christine Primrose and Mary Jane Lamond. She also competes in Gaelic song competitions winning the overall women's singing honors in 1999 at the American National Mòds, sponsored by An Comunn Gaidhealach America, the Scots Gaelic learning organization. In 2001, she won first place in the Women's Slow Air competition at the National Mòd. And in 2004, she won Best Musical Performance as well as placing 3rd overall at Mòd na Lochan Mòra, the Great Lakes Mòd. She is a founding member of Cor Gaeilge Texais who perform throughout the region and has given workshops on song and language since it’s inception in 1997. She leads a weekly study group in her home in Ft. Worth and encourages people to drop in for a visit. She can be contacted at jonquele@flash.net. Rebekah PassmoreAs a professional harpist, singer, and composer, Rebekah Passmore has been performing since 1996. Her career spans the international scope from Santa Barbara, California to Boston University Tanglewood Institute under the instruction of the internationally renowned harpist, Lucile Lawrence; and her touring concerts taking her from Graz, Austria with the American Institute of Musical Studies to Turkey performing as principal harpist with the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra. She also enjoys playing her Celtic harp, where she competes (won 1st place in the Scottish Games in Arlington Harp Competition 2005) and gathers often with other Celtic harpists. Residing in Ft. Worth, Ms. Passmore is a freelancing performer, arranger, and teacher in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. For more information, call 214-354-11-37 or visit www.rebekahpassmore.com. Micheal PriceMicheal Price - singer, songwriter, storyteller, spam eating champion master of time and space. A member of the Trinity River Whalers & an original founding member of the Blarney Brothers. Micheal has been an entertainer since 1973 (he started when he was 2). Well known for his loud shirts and his captivating ability to carry an audience on a journey from your own backyard to faraway lands, with song and story. Micheal will be releasing a Best if Micheal Price CD in the near future featuring recordings from the last ten years. Come see his solo show - he may even have a new joke! "So this duck walks into a bar..." (low carb shows on request!) Contact TrinityRiverWhalers.com or BlarneyDragon@Yahoo.com |
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