Dixie State University and the Celebrity Concert Series present the Young Irelanders in concert at the Cox Center for the Performing Arts stage on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7:30 p.m.
The Young Irelanders comprises eight sensational performers who have Irish traditional music, song, and dance running through their veins. The artists have toured as lead performers with Riverdance and Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance, been soloists on PBS special’s, shared the stage with Bono, recorded with Ronnie Wood (Rolling Stones), and been chosen by Sting to perform for his exclusive private parties.
“It sometimes disheartens me when audiences outside of Ireland don’t get a chance to see and hear what our Irish culture is really about but are instead fed a derivative of the real thing,” said Eric Cunningham, owner of the Irish entertainment company Prestige. “When I put this group together I had a very clear objective; to find young performers who were evidently amongst the best exponents of Irish traditional music, song and dance in the world today. I am not exaggerating when I say I found them. I cannot imagine someone disputing this fact or hearing from someone who isn’t taken aback by the sheer talent inherent in this group. The task now will be to ensure as many people as possible are given the opportunity to witness the brilliance of these phenomenal performers.”
The sound the band creates is best described as eclectic. Traditional Irish music, Celtic music, folk music, world music, jazz music, country music, and popular music all come together to give rise to a very unique and multifaceted sound.
Between them, members of The Young Irelanders, despite their youthfulness, have performed with The Chieftains, Frankie Gavin and De Dannan, Martin Hayes, Máirtín O Connor, Lúnasa, Michael McGoldrick, and many more of the leading names in the Irish music business. Three of the eight performers also hold master’s degrees in music. Dancer Siobhán Manson has been the principal dancer with Riverdance for 10 years.
Please visit celebrityconcertseries.com for information on all the performers that will be a part of the CCS season. Individual concert tickets are available at the DSU box office, at dsutix.com, or by calling (435) 652-7800. Season passes are available through Nov. 3.
