Frankie Gavin played for us at a private dinner in Dublin’s Iveagh House in early November. Frankie is one of the genuine legends of Irish music. From his first TV appearance playing the tin-whistle when he was seven, through sixteen albums with the seminal Dé Dannan, seven solo albums, his adventures in the realms of Jazz, Gospel, and Klezmer, to appearances and recordings with such luminaries as Earl Scruggs, Stephane Grapelli, Sir Yehudi Menuhin, and The Rolling Stones, ‘the prince of Irish fiddlers’ is one of the outstanding performers of the past thirty years.
In the past year alone Frankie Gavin and his band have played support to the Rolling Stones at Slane Castle, performed twice to a full to capacity Croke Park (during national sporting occasions), performed with the U.A.E. Philharmonic Orchestra in Dubai, performed with the Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra during a ten week tour of the USA and performed at The White House for President Bush. And most definitely, he knows how to impart sheer joy and the magic of great music-making.
In the videos I shot below, listen to the magic of Frankie Gavin (Fiddle/Flute/Whistles) and his band: Damien Mullane (Accordian), Eric Cunningham (Percussion/Flutes/Whistles), Mike Galvin (Bouzouki/Guitar) and Michelle Lally (Vocals). The official launch of the new band took place at an exclusive concert at the 2200 capacity Royal Theatre & Events Centre in Castlebar on August 5th during The World Fleadh festival where many of the former members of the band came together with the new members for a celebration of the bands history.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
