Filed under Of Musical interest …

Kitty Parker: Transnational-Composer and Concert Pianist and her Irish Rebel Ancestry

Kitty Parker: Transnational-Composer and Concert Pianist and her Irish Rebel Ancestry

Here is a brief snapshot of Kitty Parker’s rebel ancestry: Michael Dwyer’s sister Sarah married Hugh Vesty Byrne, Dwyer’s Lieutenant. They had fourteen children. In 1825 a daughter Catherine Byrne married John Keirghan also a currency lad, or child of the convict Patrick Keirghan transported on Marquis Cornwallis, 1796, who married convict Catherine Kitts in Sydney. John Leary, convict on transport Prince Regent 1824, married convict Catherine Jones in Sydney 1825 Continue reading →

What’s on January/February/March and beyond

What’s on January/February/March and beyond

The Irish Famine Orphan Girls Commemoration will take place on November 23, 2025, in Melbourne to honor the arrival of orphan girls in 1850. Events include a film screening of Na Trí Céilithe with a discussion panel. Other cultural activities include a series of music sessions and the Canberra Irish Language Summer School in January 2026. Continue reading →

Only our rivers: a tribute to Mick MacConnell

Only our rivers: a tribute to Mick MacConnell

‘Only Our Rivers run Free’,  ‘It was a classic example of the right song, in the right place at the right time, recorded by the right artist, Christy Moore, because Christy’s career was taking off in a big way it  afforded an authority and a whole importance to the song… Continue reading →