SOUNDS OF IRELAND: Ivan Goff, left, plays uileann pipes, Irish flute, and whistles; and Katie Linnane, right, is on fiddle at a May 17 concert at Christ Congregation Church.
The Princeton Folk Music Society presents Irish music duo Ivan Goff (uileann pipes, Irish flute, and whistles) and Katie Linnane (fiddle) on Friday, May 17 at 8 p.m., at Christ Congregation Church, 50 Walnut Lane.
The couple are stalwarts of the New York City Irish traditional music scene. Goff has toured with several Irish traditional bands, including Dervish, Danú, and the Eileen Ivers Band. He also has performed in theatrical productions, including extended engagements with Riverdance (on Broadway and on tour), and Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance.
Linnane got her start in the “Irish Riviera” music scene of Pearl River in Rockland County, N.Y. She studied with Willy Kelly and has been influenced by other players including Paddy Canny, Patrick Ourceau, and Mike Rafferty. She performs with other New York-based groups such as The Murphy Beds, Lúnasa, and Green Fields of America. She also is an accomplished step dancer and teacher.
Tickets at the door: $25 ($20 members, $10 students 12 – 22, $5 children 11 and under). Ample free parking. A livestream also is available. For more information: www.princetonfolk.org.
The last week of National Poetry Month began on Tuesday, April 23, William Shakespeare’s 460th birthday. Right now a whole generation of listeners is being “mediated” by Taylor Swift, whose latest album The Tortured Poets Department opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, “with historic numbers,” according to the New York Times. It’s hard to ignore an album with that title in a month celebrating poetry, not to mention the fact that Swift’s work is the subject of courses being taught at major universities, including Harvard, which offers an English Department class called “Taylor Swift and Her World.” 