From Pop correspondent Greg Vellante:
For most people, hearing the term “Irish-French Connection” may bring about thoughts of Gene Hackman’s famous crime thriller with a twist of Martin Scorsese’s Irish gangsters from “The Departed.”
Despite the event’s title, the only thing remotely criminal about The Irish-French Connection would be to miss out on this free concert, taking place June 23 in Lowell, MA.
Merging together the cultural traditions of Lowell’s diverse Franco-American and Irish American heritage, The Irish-French Connection will honor this union through the musical styling of John Whelan and Donna Hébert.
Joined by Flynn Cohen, Molly Hébert-Wilson, and Max Cohen, John and Donna lead this musical group with over 40 years of experience in performing and recording music.
Audiences can anticipate a wide array of musical and cultural explorations, whether it is French-Canadian fiddling, Irish button accordion, various styles of guitar playing, or songs sung in Gaelic, English, and French.
The concert and its collaboration of Lowell’s French and Irish cultures have a strong trace of historical significance. Anyone who has previously explored Lowell’s rich past of immigrants and the textile mills should know that John and Donna’s relationship is not the first time these two cultures have combined.
In the 1880s, both groups migrated to Lowell to seek work in the textile mills, and their culture can still be found in Lowell’s assorted community today.
Taking place at the Immaculate Conception School, 218 East Merrimack St., the concert is free and open to all ages and sponsored by Lowell National Historical Park.
Preceding it is a traditional supper of ham and beans in the school hall, and this concert/supper is just one event of an entire week of Franco-American events taking place in Lowell.
For more information of the event, visit http://francolowellma.com.
