Máirtin de Cógáin is a singing, dancing, storytelling bodhrán player who pledges plenty of Gaelic ceoil agus craic (music and fun) when the Fuchsia Band of Ireland performs in Cromwell Theatre Monday, Sept. 12. The Columbus Arts Council and Mississippi University for Women Department of Music and Theatre presentation on the university campus begins at 7 p.m.
“We”ll endeavor to bring everyone to a place we call Fuchsialand, to a time before television, radio and Nintendo, when everyone used to entertain themselves,” said de Cógáin Wednesday. The band specializes in traditional Irish music, accompanying themselves on guitar, accordion, banjo, a “fierce old mandolin” and, of course, the goat skin-framed Irish bodhrán.
Columbus Arts Council Executive Director Tina Sweetin said, “This will be such a unique experience for the Golden Triangle; we”re so glad to be able to offer a night of authentic Irish music.”
Paige Lawes of Starkville, a member of the Golden Triangle Celts, has seen the band perform live.
“Not only is the Fuchsia Band charming and very, very Irish, but they”re not just doing music; they talk about the stories of Ireland. When you walk out of there, you”ve learned a great deal,” Lawes said.
From Eire to Mississippi
Hailing from County Cork (pronounced by the Irish as Caark), the band is a popular fixture at Celtic fests when on tour in the United States.
Their first visit to Mississippi was in 2005, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Many of the festival”s scheduled acts couldn”t get to Jackson. The Fuchsia Band performed free of charge.
“We flew in, worked like dead horses, and we flew out with a thick layer of dirt around our necks from the heat, which we had never experienced before. And, do you know, we”ve been back as much as could since!” said de Cógáin, a two-time All Ireland Storytelling Champion.
When asked about elements of storytelling and Irish dance in the Columbus performance, he responded, “Of course, there will be lots of stories and, begod, there is talk of dancing alright.”
“This ties in so well with our upcoming New Harmonies Smithsonian exhibit celebrating American roots music,” said Sweetin, referring to the traveling exhibition coming to the Rosenzweig Arts Center Oct. 28-Dec. 10, made possible through the Mississippi Humanities Council.
Beverly Norris, the arts council”s coordinator for New Harmonies, added, “Scots/Irish music brought over by immigrants who settled especially in the Appalachian region laid the groundwork for our own bluegrass and country.”
How to go
Tickets for the Fuchsia Band are $10 in advance at the Rosenzweig Arts Center, 501 Main St., Tuesdays through Saturdays. Tickets at the door will be $12.
A limited number of tickets for MUW faculty, staff and students are available until noon Sept. 8 at Cromwell Communications Office from 9 a.m. to noon weekdays.
For more information, contact the arts council at 662-328-2787. To learn more about the group, visit TheFuchsiaBand.com.
“This will be our first time in Columbus,” said de Cógáin on behalf of the band. “The craic will be only mighty and everyone who comes will be going home with a Cork accent … and hopefully never want to leave Fuchsialand again!”
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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