Ladies Irish band in Maine

REGION -- New England Celtic Arts will present Girsa, pronounced Gir-sha,on their first tour in Maine. Performances will be held at Skye Theatre Performing Arts Center in South Carthage on Wednesday and at Unity College Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday.

Curtain is at 7 p.m. at Skye and 7:30 p.m. in Unity. There is a pre-show jam session 45 minutes prior to curtain at Skye and Unity. Audience members are encouraged to bring their instruments and jam with the artists for a few minutes.

Girsa is NY's exciting new all-female Irish group. In their short existence they have taken the area by storm at pubs, festivals, concerts, benefits and most recently at Ellis Island, with 4,000 in attendance. These talented young ladies have been playing traditional Irish music, dancing and singing together for most of their young lives and hold numerous titles including 1st place at a busking competition at the Festival in Abbeyfeale, Co. Limerick in May 2005.

Comprised of eight young women from the Pearl River, NY area, Girsa means “young girls” in Gaelic. Steeped in the Irish music and cultural tradition, they have studied their instruments and dance with gifted teachers who pass on the time-honored tunes and songs. Many are the daughters of musicians and Irish immigrants.

They have all known each other since we were very young, growing up participating in Irish music and dance in Pearl River. Most of them come from musical families, with parents having learned Irish traditional music from such greats as Martin Mulvihill, Maureen Glynn Connelly, and Pete Kelly. “We loved playing together so much that we started our own band just over four years ago and called it Girsa, which means 'young girls' in Gaelic. We’ve been having tons of fun ever since.”

Because of the band's rising profile, preparation for all eight members of Girsa has become more focused. "Now that I'm home from college, I play music almost every day," said singer, fiddler and mandolinist Deirdre Brennan, who is a nursing major at the State University of New York at Binghamton. "I think you can have a normal career outside of music and still have music at the center of your life."

Skye Theater is located three miles West of East Dixfield village at 2 Highland Dr. off Winter Hill Road and Rt. 2 in South Carthage. UCCPA is at 42 Depot St. in Unity. Ticket price is $15 at the door. For reservations at the theater you wish to attend call: Skye Theatre at 562-4445 or Unity Center for the Performing Arts at 948-7469.