12/17 Tomáseen Foley’s A Celtic Christmas at The Rio
Now in its 25th season of touring nationally, Tomáseen Foley’s A Celtic Christmas recreates the joy and innocence of a night before Christmas in a remote farmhouse in his native parish of Teampall an Ghleanntáin in the west of Ireland – in the 1950s . . . when the neighboring families gather around the fire to grace the wintry night with traditional Irish Christmas carols . . . to raise the rafters with the joy of their music . . . to knock sparks off the flagstone floor with traditional dances – and, of course, stories – they filled the night with the laughter of their stories.
Tomáseen Foley’s A Celtic Christmas Captivates at The Rio Theater.
To a hushed auditorium, Limerick, Ireland-born storyteller Tomáseen Foley said, “They say in Ireland great music doesn’t come from people, it comes through people. The music itself comes from the air, the birds, the water. The treasury of Irish music, song, dance, and storytelling was created by ordinary people, very often rural people, by the firesides on the wintry nights, fishermen, farmers, blacksmiths, spinners and weavers.”
Foley returns to the stage this holiday season for a very special evening of traditional storytelling, music, and dance on Friday, December 17 at The Rio Theater in Santa Cruz. Marking the 25th season of touring nationally, Tomáseen Foley’s A Celtic Christmas recreates the joy and innocence of a night before Christmas in a remote farmhouse in his native parish of Teampall an Ghleanntáin in the west of Ireland.
Santa Cruz based guitarist and UCSC music program and recording studio instructor Bill Coulter has been with the show for 26 years. He is also the music director.
Coulter met Foley in the Pacific Northwest. Coulter and fiddler Deby Benton Grosjean were playing at a festival in Oregon and “Tom was smitten by Deby’s fiddle playing,” Coulter said. Foley was thinking of doing a Celtic Christmas show and asked Benton Grosjean if she was available. “Sure, she said, as long as I can bring my guitar player.”
Coulter said the first few years were much smaller in scope. “The show was centered around Tom’s storytelling, more of him and less of the dancing and music,” Coulter said. “He’s developed as an artist to figure out how to pull people in, honing his craft over the years.”
The core of the current touring group is made up of multi-Instrumentalist, singer, and County Clare dancer Eimear Arkins; Brian Bigley on the uilleann pipes, Irish flute, whistles, and joining the dance; and Coulter on guitar. Santa Cruz violinist Edwin Huizinga joins the group for the Rio show. Coulter and Huizinga make up the local duo Fire and Grace, and Coulter promises that some of their pieces will be added to the mix. “Dueling fiddles may break some bow hairs,” Coulter said.
Coulter described lead dancer Marcus Donnelly as “a nomad from Galway, a free spirit in the world. He’s been consistent with us for a long time.” Champion Irish dancer Natalie Wagner joins the show from her home in the midwest.
Coulter said, “The crowd will be transported to rural Ireland in the 1950s when Tom was a young man.” Based on “Parcel from America,” Foley’s personal Christmas story, he will introduce the wild and crazy cast of characters that were in his parish. And while there’s a big difference between truth and fact, Coulter said, “These are actual stories from his youth — and as a creative artist might be embellished — but the truth and beauty of the stories shine through.”
There are nine performances in the tour, two local to the Bay Area:
-Friday, December 17 at the Rio in Santa Cruz
-Wednesday, December 22 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts
Additional shows are in Cleveland, Ohio; Jacksonville Beach, Florida; Monroe, Michigan; St.Louis, Missouri; Medford, Oregon; and Redding, California.
Spending stage time with his musical colleagues in A Celtic Christmas, Coulter said, is always a joy. He added, “I always like shows at the Rio; I love the sound when Dave Egan is at the board.”
Featuring virtuoso Irish music, angelic Irish singing, and floor stomping Irish dancing, Tomáseen Foley’s A Celtic Christmas graces the wintry night with traditional Irish Christmas carols, raises the rafters with joyful traditional music, knocks sparks off the flagstone floor with traditional dances, and fills the starry darkness around a flickering fire with stories and laughter.
Tickets: https://www.celticsociety.org
Invitation to the event: https://fb.me/e/1boZqQyQy
Julie Horner is Co-Founder and Editor for the San Lorenzo Valley Post. Julie lives and works in Boulder Creek and is an active participant in the county's vibrant music scene. She loves the outdoors and is the go-to expert on Santa Cruz Mountains hiking trails.
