Week Long Traditional Irish Music Event Coming to Sunnyside This Month

Dave Fahy (L) and Pat Mangan (R) will be among the artists performing at Sunnyside Trad Week (Photos provided by IMPAQ.US)

Sept. 1 2021 By Michael Dorgan

A new event featuring Irish traditional music, song and dance is coming to Sunnyside this month.

The event, called Sunnyside Trad Week, will include performances by more than a dozen Irish musicians based in New York and will run from Sept. 13 through Sept. 19.

Sunnyside Trad Week will consist of nightly traditional Irish music sessions at the Courtyard Ale House, an Irish bar located at 40-18 Queens Blvd. The music sessions will begin at 8 p.m. and last until closing time.

The event is being organized by the Irish Musicians, Poets and Artists of Queens Inc. (IMPAQ.US), a non-profit group that promotes Irish arts and culture in Queens. The group is looking to bring Irish musicians together following a challenging 18 months where performers saw their work dry up due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Brian Bannon, the director of IMPAQ.US, said Sunnyside Trad Week will celebrate Irish culture and the group is looking to turn the gathering into an annual event.

“It will be a triumphant embrace of Irish music and will help connect the Irish diaspora living in Queens,” Bannon said.

A number of well-known Irish musicians are set to perform at the event including the Irish music/rock band The Diddley Idols, singer and musician Dave Fahy, renowned fiddle player Pat Mangan and decorated accordion player John Nolan.

Each weeknight session will begin at 8 p.m. The session will then open up to the floor at around 11 p.m. where attendees will be given the opportunity to sing or play along with the group, Bannon said.

The Diddley Idols, pictured, will play the Sunnyside Trad Week (Photo provided by IMPAQ.US)

On the final day of the event, an outdoor Irish music session will take place at 5 p.m. at Lowery Plaza, located at 40th Street and Queens Boulevard under the elevated 7 subway train. It will feature Irish musicians and dance performances by members of the McManus School of Irish Dance, a Long Island City-based Irish dance school.

The outdoor session will finish at around 6:30 p.m. and then a number of Irish musicians will play at the Courtyard Ale House for the rest of the evening.

Entry to the event is free. The full lineup is listed below:

Sept. 13; Cillian Vallely, Dave Fahy, Pat Mangan and Sean Fhéile
Sept. 14; Donie Ryan, Ivan Goff, Allen Gogarty, Dave Fahy
Sept. 15; Cillian Vallely, Matt Mancuso, Donie Ryan, Allen Gogarty, Dave Fahy
Sept. 16; Ivan Goff, Donie Ryan, Dave Fahy, Sean Fhéile
Sept. 17; Ivan Goff, Katie Linnane, Dave Fahy, Danny Flinn, Sean Fhéile
Sept. 18; The Diddley Idols
Sept. 19; Bernadette Fee, John Nolan, Ivan Goff, Donie Ryan, Dave Fahy, Sean Fhéile, McManus School of Irish Dance