Well well well, there is no denying that one of the most influential Celtic bands in history are making it to public television. After decades on the business it is true that a band like Clannad pack a punch no matter how soothing most of the music might sound. I am blogging in a public place for lack of internet at home. It seems that someone missed an appointment today and I am having coffee all alone.

Anyway I got this press release as an email from Susan Hellman.

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Clannad at Leo's Tavern

WLIW21 CELEBRATES ST. PATRICK’S DAY WITH RARE CONCERT FROM IRISH MUSIC ICONS CLANNAD

CLANNAD LIVE AT CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL, DUBLIN

EXCLUSIVE NEW YORK AREA BROADCAST PREMIERE

SATURDAY, MARCH 17 AT 3 PM AND 10 PM

In January 2011, the five original members of Clannad, the legendary family group from Donegal, Ireland, came together for a rare live performance marking the band’s 40^thanniversary.   It was the first full concert in 20 years featuring all five founding members.    Recorded at the 11th century Christ Church Cathedral as part of the Temple Bar Tradfest, that magical evening has been captured in the new public television special– Clannad Live at  Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, premiering, appropriately, in the New York metropolitan area on WLIW21 on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day.

Clannad Live at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin will premiere Saturday, March 17 at 3 pm with an additional airing at 10 pm (check local listings) as part of WLIW21’s March membership drive.   The broadcast will include exclusive interviews with Moya Brennan.   The special will be distributed by WLIW21 to public television stations nationwide beginning Monday, February 27, 2012 (check local listings).

The special continues WLIW21’s longstanding commitment to programming that explores Irish culture and heritage, including recent broadcasts of the Music of Ireland series hosted by Moya Brennan and distributed nationally by WLIW, Órla Fallon’s Celtic Christmas, original productions including Visions of Ireland, and Out of Ireland on the WLIW World channel. 

Highlights of the set list of the Live at Dublin program underscore the impact Clannad has had beyond traditional Celtic music into international pop culture —  “Theme from Harry’s Game,” originally a TV series theme, became the United Kingdom’s first top ten hit in the Gaelic language and went on to international attention in the film Patriot Games and in Volkswagen ads in the U.S.; “Newgrange,” a song given pop culture attention again recently as covered by Celtic Woman; and “I Will Find You,” the haunting love theme from The Last of the Mohicans.

Featured guests are Anúna, Ireland’s National Choir, and Brian Kennedy, known for his years singing with Van Morrison and as the lead singer in Riverdance on Broadway. Brian joins the band for “In a Lifetime,” originally a duet with Bono on Clannad’s album Macalla.

Siblings Moya Brennan, Ciarán Brennan, Pól Brennan, and their twin uncles  –   Noel andPádraig Duggan – comprise the current lineup of Clannad.  Clannad first made their mark in thefolk and traditional scene in the 1970s in Ireland and mainland Europe. With their hauntingly beautiful songs, mesmerizing vocals, and captivating sound, Clannad has sold over fifteen million records worldwide.

The Grammy Award-winning Clannad is widely regarded as the band which paved the way for mainstream success for many other Irish artists by putting Irish “traditional” music, sung in the Irish language, on the world stage for the first time.  It has been said that what today is so widely regarded as Celtic music was first called “Clannad music.”

Clannad Live at  Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin is produced and Directed by Cathal Watters, Odyssey Media. Co-Produced by Shane McDonnell. Executive Producers are John Scher, Keith Naisbitt, Gustavo Sagastume and Carole Myers.  For WLIW21 – Gillian Rose, executive in charge of production in association with WNET New York Public Media.