Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

After the corned beef and cabbage dinner, after the ice-cold tankard of brew (or maybe with it), put your feet up and tune in for an evening of Irish entertainment.


At 7PM, The Music of Ireland: Welcome Home tells the definitive story of contemporary Irish music. Hosted by Clannad’s Grammy Award-winning Moya Brennan, the documentary features exclusive interviews and performances by great icons of Irish popular culture including The Chieftains (pictured).



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At 8:30PM, enjoy When Irish Eyes Are Smiling: An Irish Parade of Stars. Pulitzer-prize winning author Malachy McCourt wrote and produced this warm and nostalgic parade of Irish favorites from the past. The archival program focuses on Ireland's most beloved ballads and folk songs, performed by some of the world's greatest vocalists. Among the traditional favorites to be featured are "Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ra (An Irish Lullaby)," "Molly Malone," "McNamara's Band," "It's A Long Way To Tipperary," "Danny Boy" and "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, " as well as such Emerald Isle-influenced classics as "Look To The Rainbow," "The Unicorn" and "A Great Day For The Irish."

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Finally, at 10PM, make the gentle transition out of traditional Irish music into songs sung by Irish performers by watching Celtic Thunder: It's Entertainment. This stylish and high energy trip through some of the great songs of the last 30 years is pure showbiz! It is a tribute from Celtic Thunder to the legacy they have inherited from the great entertainers of the past, and a mark of how far they themselves have traveled as performers, in a few short years.It evokes an era of big bands and boulevards, top hats and tails and singing and dancin’ in the rain! It makes for irresistible listening as the principals from this generation pay their respects to the stars of an earlier time. In the true tradition of variety the music covers a mix of styles, of songs and of singers, as the lads salute their musical heroes- from Fred Astaire to Neil Diamond, from Jim Croce to Chicago, from Michael Buble to The Beach Boys. Hardly Irish ballads, true, but still delightful entertainment.


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WSBE Rhode Island PBS transmits over the air on digital 36.1; Cox/Verizon/Full Channel 08; DirecTV 36; Dish Network 7776; ComCast subscribers, please check local listings for the channel number in your area.
Viewers with high definition (HD) capability can receive WSBE Rhode Island PBS HD programming over the air on digital 36.1, Cox 708, Verizon 508, ComCast 819.