An Evening of Irish Music and Dance: Eimear & Eileen and Jackie & Rebecca

Eimear & Eileen and Jackie & Rebecca for TapRoot Sessions Women in Roots Series
An Evening of Irish Music and Dance Thursday, October 13th, 7pm to 9pm Dewey Hall, 91 Main Street, Sheffield, MA 01257 Tickets $20
Refreshments available, wheelchair accessible.
Covid Safety: https://www.deweyhall.org/guideline Contact: taprootsessions@gmail.com, 413 429 1176 TapRoot Sessions produces concerts featuring traditional music. In 2022 we are seeking to highlight the contribution of women to the traditional music scene with our Women in Roots series providing performance opportunities for women artists, and inspiring future generations of girls and women to participate and lead in the folk community. ABOUT THE PERFORMERS Eimear Arkins and Eileen Gannon have been lighting up the Irish music scene in St. Louis for the past several years. They have played numerous sold-out shows across the midwest and beyond. Eimear is an award-winning singer and fiddle player from County Clare with eleven solo Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (World Irish Music Championships) titles to her credit. She has performed throughout the US and Ireland with acclaimed bands like Cherish The Ladies, Téada, and The Paul Brock Band. She has toured extensively with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in Ireland, Britain, North America and Canada. Eimear’s debut CD, What’s Next? was released in summer 2019 to great acclaim and she was named “Best Newcomer” by LiveIreland 2019. Most recently, Eimear has been awarded an artist fellowship from the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis. Eileen, a St. Louis native, is one of the top Irish harp players in the world. She has won numerous accolades including the highly coveted Senior Harp title at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. She has a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from St. Louis University and a master’s degree in Ethnomusicology from University of Limerick. Eileen launched her debut solo CD, The Glory Days Are Over, to great acclaim in the summer of 2017. Eileen and Eimear are both tutors at St. Louis Irish Arts and have been guest artists at numerous festivals throughout the world, including Feile Seamus Creagh, Newfoundland; Catskills Irish Arts Week, New York; World Expo 2015, Milan; Viljandi Pärimusmuusika Festival, Estonia; St. Louis Tionól; Canadian Celtic Celebration, Canada; O’Flaherty Retreat, Texas and Festival Interceltique de Lorient, France. Together they will perform a beautiful blend of haunting harp melodies, sean-nós songs, and plenty toe-tapping dance tunes! Jackie O'Riley and Rebecca McGowan are a duet specializing in old-style traditional Irish dance, recognized for their unique synchronicity and musicality. Originally drawn to the grace, musicality, and subtlety of older steps, they have been dancing and creating together for the past 12 years. With original choreography and interpretation of traditional steps, Jackie & Rebecca’s work magnifies the intricate movements and musical connections of traditional dance, bringing music and dance back together. Jackie & Rebecca have performed around the US at festivals including Catskills Irish Arts Week, CCE Musical Arts and Dance Week, and Mississippi CelticFest. Their visual album “From the Floor” (2019) was called “audacious, ground breaking, and brilliantly realized” (Irish Echo) and was shown at the Utah Dance Film Festival, St Patrick’s Film Festival London, Motion State Dance Film Series, Leitrim Dance Festival, and others. They were recognized as 2022 Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellows in Choreography, and have received support from Next Steps for Boston Dance, Live Arts Boston, and NEFA, and recently had work selected for Dance Documentation in Isolation at the BCA; Dance Complex’s Fest of Us; and the Boston Celtic Music Festival.
THANKS TO:
All TapRoot Sessions events are sponsored by Big Elm Brewing.
This concert is made possible by a sponsorship from The Pass. The Pass specializes in farm to label cannabis, supporting their community with high quality Berkshire-grown flower, pre-rolls, edibles, vaporizers, concentrates, and more. More information about The Pass and their products will be available at this concert. 
TapRoot Sessions Women in Roots concerts are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council through grants from the local cultural councils of Alford Egremont, Great Barrington, Lee, Monterey, Mt. Washington, New Marlborough, Otis, Richmond, Sandisfield, Sheffield, and Tyringham Local Cultural Councils.