Timahoe crew put finishing touches to New York tour plan
Liverpool and Paris Saint Germain may have been playing out a Champions League classic on the big screen in Headen’s Tower Inn in Timahoe on Tuesday evening but hardly anyone was paying even a blind bit of notice.
The now renowned local Timahoe Male Choir were going through the final details for this weekend’s trip to New York.
In a little over a year since being formed, they’ve performed twice at Electric Picnic, produced and launched a CD, played a sold-out event in Kavanagh’s in Portlaoise, been on RTE numerous times and have an appearance scheduled at a 2 Johnnies concert this summer.
This five-day trip to New York, though, is a real once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, one that will see them perform three gigs, visit Ellis Island, be special guests in the Irish American Historical Society and march in the parade on St Patrick’s Day.
There’s a good chance they’ll be even on the telly over there too.
The New York St Patrick’s Day parade, an ever present in the city going right back to 1762, will have close on 150,000 participants and they say more than a million people will be watching on from the sidewalks.
On Tuesday night last, their founder and head bottle washer Damien Bowe was holding court detailing the logistics.
As if anyone was in any doubt as to where they are heading at the weekend, there were little USA flags placed on each table.
Big Jim Ramsbottom, proprietor of Timahoe’s other pub and a travelling member of the choir himself also, will put on breakfast for them from 8am on Friday before they board the bus to Shannon Airport.
They’ll arrive in New York at about 5pm local time and are staying in the aptly-named Gallivant Hotel, just off Times Square.
From there they’re going to the – also aptly-named – Beer Authority pub for, ehm, refreshments and a look at the venue they’ll be back to perform in on Saturday night. The Beer Authority appears an impressive spot, owned by a Donegal man.
Saturday is set to be a busy day, starting with a boat trip to Ellis Island, where they intend on singing the hauntingly beautiful ‘Isle of Hope’. That was among the songs they practiced with full gusto on Tuesday.
They are then performing in the salubrious-looking Irish American Historical Society on 5th Avenue at 6pm for what the website describes as “a pre-Parade Day music session, with light refreshments, as this unique Irish choir perform Irish and Country classics in their first concert in NYC!”. Tickets can be got here.
When they’re finished there a bus will whisk them across city to the Beer Authority for their 8pm gig.
Sunday isn’t as busy, though with Stradbally parish priest Fr David Vard among their number, some may want to get mass. St Patrick’s Cathedral would be the preferred spot for that.
They do have a gig that evening at 5pm in Phebe’s Tavern, where Sean Michael Manley – from Portarlington but now settled in New York – is their host.
On Monday, the main focus is the parade itself where they’ll step it out alongside the Laois Association of New York.
The return flight from JFK Airport isn’t until almost 8pm on Tuesday evening, leaving time for a bit of sight seeing (or frantic buying of presents for family members who’ve stayed at home), and they won’t arrive back in Shannon until 6am on Wednesday.
We’ll hazard a guess that there may not be that much work done at all next week – but what a trip, and what an experience, lies in store.
LaoisToday in New York
Accompanying the Timahoe gang across the Atlantic is the LaoisToday team of Steven Miller and Paul Dargan.
Though not members of the choir, we are the embedded media, travelling on their flight and staying in the same hotel.
We will be with them throughout their very busy Saturday schedule while we also have a list of Laois ex-pats lined up to meet on Sunday and Monday.
We will have a selection of photos and video across our site and on social media, a daily ‘New York Diary’ and we aim to bring you a new episode of the ‘LaoisToday in New York’ podcast every morning.
View this post on Instagram
A good 15% of the LaoisToday audience every day comes from overseas and New York on St Patrick’s weekend is emblematic of the Irish diaspora.
When we’re travelling that distance we want to make sure we get plenty of stories to tell!
Indeed if you know of someone we should link up with, please get in touch with us by dropping a line to info@laoistoday.ie.
The Laois man on official duty … for Meath
Cathaoirleach of Laois County Council, Cllr Padraig Fleming, as well as Michael Rainey, the CEO of the Council, will be officially representing the county in the parade on Monday morning.
The Laois crew are meeting at 10.30am, an earlier time slot than usual which is expected to come with US TV air time. Leading the way for Laois in New York will be Mike Dunphy, the Ballinakill man who has been in America since the 1950s.
Representing Meath will be proud Laois and O’Dempsey’s man Kieran Kehoe, who is CEO of Meath County Council, and a former colleague of Michael Rainey when they were both in Director of Services roles in Laois.
SEE ALSO – List of start times for 15 St Patrick’s Day parades around Laois
