Download this brochure for printing

South Roscommon
Singers Festival
2010
Incorporating the
Annie McNulty Award

Knockcroghery
Co. Roscommon
Ireland

Fri. 22nd - Sun. 24th Oct.

Guest of Honour:
Jimmy Crowley

What a festival! A wondrous cornucopia of delights. (John Burns)
Cultural excitement & great wealth of community. One of the best. (Jack Lynch)

Annie McNulty (1887 – 1970)


Annie McNulty was born Annie Brigid Burke in Cloonmurla, Kilteevan, a few miles from Knockcroghery in Co. Roscommon on the 2nd December 1887. Round about 1910 she immigrated to New York where she later married John McNulty from Drumkeeran, Co. Leitrim.
John died young leaving her with two small children – Eileen (b. 1915) & Peter (b. 1917). Annie and her children went on to become a hugely popular Irish entertainment group among the English speaking communities of the N. E. United States and Canada from the mid 1920s up to 1962.
They had their own Radio show in N.Y.; they made scores of recordings (78s & Vinyl) and for 16 years staged their own variety show, The Irish Showboat Review, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and The Opera House, with a cast of 19 other performers.
The photo above shows Annie receiving an award from fellow musician Paddy Killoran on behalf of The Emerald Musical Society in 1951. Annie is pictured standing, 5th from left with Eileen looking over her right shoulder and Peter looking over her left.


2010 Festival Guests:
Chris Miles & Barbara Dymock (Scotland):
Chris is by now an ‘Honorary Rossie’ since she has established herself as a firm favourite here over the years. Barbara, like Chris, is from Fife & has sung with various combinations in her time, including Chris occasionally. Currently, she is one half of the duo Sinsheen.
 

Tommy McCarthy (London):

Originally from Birr, Co. Offaly, Tommy returns to Knockcroghery after impressing us all last year with his repertoire of traditional traveller songs, which he learned from his mother and his grandfather.
 

Sammy Lee (London):

Sammy worked for some years with traveller singers in Scotland before returning to London, where he now runs a singers club.
 

Billy Teare & Kathleen O’Sullivan (Antrim/London):

Billy is one of Ireland’s most recognised storytellers internationally. He has appeared at Jonesborough, Tennessee, the premier storytelling festival in the U.S. Kathleen, a former singer with The London Lasses, has been touring with Billy in recent years, successfully blending her singing & humour with Billy’s storytelling.
 

Elena Nicoletti & Ricardo Belo (Italy/Portugal):

Though Italian, Elena specialises in Portuguese folk songs, while her husband Ricardo, from Lisbon, accompanies her on guitar. They were guests of the S.R.S.C. earlier this year & clearly made an impression.
 

Ron Kavana & Annie Armstrong (Cork/Waterford):

Ron and Annie, like Chris, have established themselves as firm favourites here and need no introduction to serious ‘Folk’ followers.
 

Frank Brennan (Roscommon):

Frank is one of our favourite singers locally and represents the home side this year. No better man!
 

Sean Cooke (Offaly):

Without the support of the various singers clubs in Offaly, the South Roscommon Singers Circle would struggle to survive, so this year Sean, one of their finest, has been appointed as their worthy ambassador to The South Roscommon Singers Festival.

Send mail to declan {at} southroscommon.ie with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 11/10/09