BRISTOL, RI — Bristol’s Stone Church Coffee House at the First Congregational Church welcomes Irish folk artists, Robbie O’Connell and Rose Clancy, on Saturday, April 27.
O'Connell was born in Waterford, Ireland and grew up in Tipperary. He is the nephew of the Clancy Brothers (Liam and Bobby). In 1977, he joined the Clancy Brothers with whom he recorded three albums.
With the release, in 1982, of his first solo album, "Close to the Bone," O'Connell emerged as an artist of major stature. In 1991, he won a prestigious Boston Music Award as Outstanding Celtic Act and was also featured in the highly acclaimed TV series “Bringing It All Back Home.” In 1992 he performed at Carnegie Hall with the Clancy Brothers and was also seen by an estimated 500 million people worldwide on the telecast of a live tribute to Bob Dylan at Madison Square Garden, a performance which Rolling Stone magazine described as breathtaking.
“Never Learned to Dance,” his 1993 album of original songs, was critically acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1994 he headlined a celebration of Boston based Irish Music at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. “Older But No Wiser," his last CD with the Clancy Brothers was released on Vanguard in 1995, followed in 1997 by the “Clancy, O’Connell & Clancy” CD and in 1998 by “The Wild and Wasteful Ocean” CD with Liam and Dónal Clancy. “Robbie O’Connell, Live, Humorous Songs” and “All on a Christmas Morning” with the group Aengus, were released in 1998. “Recollections", a twenty-year retrospective collection album was released in 2001. In 2009, the second Green Fields of America was released. In 2006 he began an ongoing collaboration with his cousins Aoife and Dónal Clancy. "The Clancy Legacy", their first CD together, was released in 2010.
Clancy was born in New York into a musical family hailing from County Armagh, Ireland, an area immersed in traditional Irish Music.
Clancy’s musical career began at an early age performing with her family’s musical group, The Clancy Tradition. Clancy learned traditional music from her father, Eugene Clancy of the Irish Ramblers, in the “at my Father’s knee” tradition.
After a successful career in New York, Clancy decided to move to Boston to attend the North Bennett Street School where she studied violin-making for three years. Upon graduating, she founded The Chatham Fiddle Company where she teaches, makes and repairs instruments and runs a boutique concert series featuring some of the finest talent from the Celtic music genre.
Clancy has released several CDs with The Clancy Tradition and most recently released her first solo CD with pianist Brendan Dolan featuring the music of Ireland, Cape Breton and Scotland. Daniel Neely of the Irish Echo recently reviewed the recording and described it as “lovely, energetic music played without pretension.”
Bristol’s Stone Coffee House is an affordable, family-oriented, handicap-accessible musical venue. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. Seating is limited and reservations are recommended. Light refreshments will be available for purchase. Tickets are $18 per person (student’s are half price; children 5 and under are free). For ticket information or to reserve tickets, call 401-253-4813. The First Congregational Church is located at 300 High Street (corner of High and Bradford Streets) in Bristol, RI.