Dear friends,
With parents of a certain age, and younger children/grandchildren, The Coracles have reluctantly decided to follow the social distancing recommendations of so many health officials. Unfortunately this means that we will not be playing or accepting any bookings for the immediate future. We pray that our fans remain safe and healthy, and plan to see you soon when this crisis has subsided. We thank you all for your patience and all your support.
- Randy, Ken, Sherrill, Steve & Will.
In the meantime, you can keep your spirits up with two new original recordings we’ve posted on our site:
1. Peace To My Love (Seóhin Seó) is a new ballad that has roots in the distant past, but the words speak to where we are in our increasingly fractious world. It was inspired from a traditional lullaby, one originally derived from an air collected or possibly composed by George Petrie in the 1850s along with the original Irish along and subsequent English translations. The Irish in the chorus “seó hin seó, huil leó leó. Seó hin seó, is tú mo leanbh” means something like “sleep child sleep, you are my kin.” In the original, this touching sentiment was originally a parent speaking to a child, but I felt the lyric would take on greater meaning by using it to embrace ever broader circles of humanity through successive verses.
2. The other song Everybody's Irish (on St. Patrick's Day) began with the realization that there are relatively very few popular Irish songs that reference either the man or the holiday. We tried to fill the gap with an anthem that captures the full spirit of the season. In both the words and music, we tried to synthesize all the often contradictory musical and cultural elements that define the day: the sacred and the profane, the parochial and the universal, the folkie and the punk, and of course the sober and the drunk. The chorus says it best, "Like Saint Patrick brought the Good News to the Emerald Isle, we'll bring comfort to each other, at least for a while. Yes, everybody's different, each in their own way, but everybody's Irish on Saint Patrick's Day!"
You can likely hear them and much more great celtic music if you tune in to Echoes of Erin. The DJ's of this terrific Irish music show heard on WNHU 88.7 and streaming on the internet have been generous in playing our music on their shows. Joan and Pat Kennedy, Chuck Vigue, Pat Hosey and Siobhan Dacey, and Mike McGrath.
https://wnhu.org/radio-show/echoes-of-erin/
You might also look into membership in these clubs:
Irish American Community Center - Located in East Haven, CT the I.A.C.C. was our first supporter and over the years we have had the pleasure of performing at their clubhouse and at their annual CT Irish Festival. They have a great organization.
http://www.iacc-ct.com/
Gaelic American Club - This club located in Fairfield has been a strong supporter for us providing the opportunities to perform at their clubhouse multiple times over the years.
http://www.gaconline.org/
Irish Heritage Society of Milford - This club located in Milford has given us the opportunity to play both at their clubhouse in Devon and their annual Milford Irish Festival
http://www.milfordirish.org/
Irish American Home Society, Glastonbury, CT - This club located in Glastonbury has a strong presence in the greater Hartford area. We enjoy playing in their lounge.
http://www.irishamericanhome.com/
The Playwright Irish Pub, Hamden ,CT - This fine establishment in Hamden on Whitney Avenue has provided us with a friendly venue for performances. Eamonn Ryan and his team are great supporters of musicians in the area and continuing the tradition of Irish music. You will always find great food, drink, and craic.
http://www.playwrightirishpub.com/home.aspx
The Black Rock Yacht Club
The club dedicates itself to encouraging and supporting yachting and yacht racing; to offer athletic programs that build community, sportsmanship and team skills among members of all ages; and to foster a collegial dining and social environment. They also have some great bands, too!