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Robbie O'Connell - "The Irish Experience in America"

On Saturday, October 19, the Homegrown Coffeehouse will feature Robbie O'Connell presenting a very special program. "The Irish Experience in America" is a special concert tracing, in song, the emigration and assimilation of the Irish in America from the nineteenth century to the present day. Music and song hold a special place of prominence in Irish life and so provide a remarkable window into the heart and soul of the Irish character.
Robbie O'Connell is uniquely qualified to take us on such a musical journey. His songwriting draws heavily on his experiences as an immigrant during the past fifteen years and his background with the traditional ensemble, The Green Fields of America, as well as with the Clancy Brothers. He will draw you to the challenges and hardships of the early immigrants and revel in the joy and humor of the indomitable Celtic spirit. Songs such as "Kilkelly", based on a series of actual emigrant letters, pack a powerful emotional punch, while "Hard To Say Goodbye" takes a hilarious look at the present day realities of transatlantic travel. "Muldoon, the Solid Man" celebrates the unbridled hubris of the upwardly mobile political hack and "Paddy's Lamentation" warns fellow Irishmen to stay home and avoid the horrors of the civil war. These songs and others are sewn together by O'Connell's easy style combining humorous anecdotes, historical background, and his easy-going narrative style.

The Homegrown Coffeehouse is located at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, at the corner of Great Plain and Dedham Avenue in Needham center. There is free parking and full handicapped access. Admission is $18.00 / $15.00 students & seniors to benefit the Church. For more information, call (781) 444-7478. Visit us at www.uuneedham.org/Coffeehouse for latest concert updates and advance tickets.