Little Chapel on the River

My friend Andy Revkin - a Garrison, N.Y. resident, writer, educator and longtime Guinan's patron - recently released his first CD called "A Very Fine Line." It's a collection of 10 songs recorded with some contributions from extraordinary local musicians, among them Dar Williams, Art Labriola, the Motherlode Trio, Al Hemberger, Bruce Molsky , and Eric Starr , among others. The video above is a rendition of his song about Guinan's set to photos by the uber-talented Hudson Valley photographer, Christine Ashburn . Many of the photos were shot during the "Irish Night" musical sessions that occurred every Thursday after the full moon. Andy is a guy of many talents, and he explains his segue into the music world in this write-up here . You can find he entire CD on Amazon and download on iTunes or from Andy (just $7) here .  On Sunday evening (Dec. 22nd), Andy is hosting a CD celebration and musical jam with many of the contributing musicians at th...

We lost one of our parishioners, John J. "Jack" McAndrew - a founder of "Irish Night" at Guinan's - after his fight with lymphoma. He was 72. Jack is featured in the chapter "The Rising of the Moon" in Little Chapel on the River and at other points in the book. He was a friend to many in Guinan's green walls, and a teacher to those new to Irish music. Without fail, he'd play your favorite song without being asked. For me, that was The Wild Rover . With a nod, and wink, he would always launch in just as my hands were wrapping around the first cold Coors Light. I'll remember his smile and generosity as it swelled out from the dark room, dancing on the music that carried his spirit throughout the bar and beyond. You can read Jack's "My Reflections as Session Leader" essay about his time at Guinan's. Memorial donations may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society www.lls.org Photo courtesy Christine Ashburn.

Candace Coates , the "Highland Harper," will play at Paula's Stone Cottage Wine Bar in June. Candace reports that the building was home to the Bloggett Memorial Library in the 1960's. Since then, she says, it has been a lawyer's office, and two beauty salons before becoming the wine bar. Date: Sunday, June 12, 2011 Time : 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. Address : 2 Broad Street/1158 Main St. Fishkill, N.Y. Phone : (845) 896-9563 (896-WINE)

Candace Coates , a.ka. the rat-affectionate "Highland Harper" from Irish Night at Guinan's, writes that she will be playing this Saturday, April 3rd for Easter at Maizie's Tea Room, which has opened in the village of Fishkill, N.Y. She'll be there performing from 12:30 until 2:30 p.m. Maizie's Tea Room is located at 1129 Main Street Fishkill New York 12524. Their phone number is (845) 896-4103. Candaces notes that founders are a mother/daughter business team who are new to the area from California and trying to fulfill a dream with the new endeavor. Here's a link to a map for Maizie's

Many of the musicians who played at "Irish Night" at Guinan's will now be playing at "The Stadium" on Route 9 in Garrison, near Graymoor . Guitarist Jack McAndrew writes that the crew will be playing outdoors during the summer weather permitting. (Given Mother Nature's track record this June, don't hold your breath.) They will play on the same schedule as established at Guinan's, i.e, the Thursday of the full moon or the first Thursday following a Full Moon. For example, if the full moon is on a Saturday, they will have their seisiun on the following Thursday. Upcoming: July 9 Aug. 6 Sept. 10

A CELEBRATION FOR GUINAN'S: An evening of traditional Irish music, storytelling, and video March 11th, 2009, 7 p.m.: Philipstown Depot Theatre, Garrison, NY (directions below) COMMEMORATE Guinan’s, Garrison’s most renowned gathering place. LISTEN to Irish music, played by musicians who played during Irish NightsHEAR stories of favorite memories of the bar/country store and SHARE stories of your own SEE videos of life at Guinan’s CELEBRATE community, and the love of small places. Admission: $15 Adults; $12 Students/Seniors. Note: As this is a one-night only event, all reservations must be paid in advance. All proceeds will benefit the creation of an original play about Guinan’s that will be performed at the Depot Theatre in 2010. For tickets and info, call the Depot Theatre box office at (845) 424-3900. The Philipstown Depot Theatre is sponsored by Philipstown Recreation and Philipstown Performing Arts. Directions: By Car: Four miles north of the Bear Mountain Bridge off Route...

By johnmac It’s Irish Night at Guinan’s first Thursday after the full moon and the place is packed. And there is a harp And a badram And a few accordions And a whistle And a few guitars And a few fiddles And some singers And a lot of beer There are some writers And plumbers And a Governor (with a State Police Guard) And restaurateurs And real estate agents And professors And whoever else walks in. And there is much talk and gaiety until there is a hush when Jim is ready to sing “I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen” And we all listen Kelly’s behind the bar Jim’s in the kitchen And we all take turns putting the money on the deli register, Trust abounds, laughter is king, joy reigns, and we are friends with people we don’t even know. And then it ends And we all go home We are a funny people. Copyright 2006 John F. McMullen

This story appeared last weekend by Tabitha Lucas in The Voice Ledger about the Highland Harper, Candace Coates . Candace was a regular at Irish Night at Guinan's. For anyone who wants to catch up with her and find out where she's playing next, the story is a good guide. The story notes how Candace taught herself to play from a book and a tape. Says the harpist in an email: "As of August of this year I have been playing that small harp for 15 years. Somehow it doesn't feel like it's been that long."

Barbara Nackman of the Journal-News wrote a story today about the continuing tradition of Irish Night . She called Jim Guinan, Irish Night's longtime former host, in Florida for his thoughts: "It's all about the music, love," he said from his new Florida digs, admitting that he misses New York just a bit, even though the golf is nice. "The old tunes remind us of old times. It is good, yes, to keep going, but as long as it continues in the right way." Jim will be back for a visit toward the end of the week. He's said he might pop in to one of the new venues and sing a song or two. So keep your ears open ... Photo by Gwendolyn Bounds (Irish Night @ Guinan's)

Guinan's Irish music fest continues Barbara Livingston Nackman 908 words 17 May 2008 The Journal News (White Plains, NY) GWPR 1B English (c) Copyright 2008, The Journal News. All Rights Reserved. The Irish music tradition Rising of the Moon will be on Wednesdays at the Cold Spring Depot Restaurant in Cold Spring and on Thursdays at P.J. Kelly's in Peekskill every month after a full moon. The days of the week were reversed in an article Saturday. COLD SPRING - Guinan's in Garrison officially closed its doors in January, but its monthly ritual of Irish music after a full moon still rings out along the bank of the Hudson River. The Rising of the Moon observance has been resurrected in not one, but two local sites. Spirited singers and musicians are giving new life to the lilting Gaelic tunes that elicited a smile from Jim Guinan and his friendly guests for nearly five decades in Garrison. "It's just good to keep the tradition going," said Candace Coates, a profes...

Guinan's Irish Nights are big shoes to fill--so it may take more than one venue. In addition to a session this Wednesday the 26th at the Depot in Cold Spring , some of the musicians report that there will be another session held in Peekskill. Thursday, March 27th PJ Kelly's Pub & Restaurant 914.734.2100 300 Railroad Avenue Peekskill, NY 10566 View Larger Map

A couple of Guinan's Irish Night musicians say they will start a new session at The Depot in Cold Spring, N.Y. Their session will now be the first Wednesday after the full moon and will start at 8:00pm. While nothing can ever replace the magic that happened under the Guinan family's roof, this is a way for the music, spirit and talent celebrated there to live on nearby. Jim Guinan has been a frequent face at The Depot, which consistently serves very good, affordable food to a loyal clientele. The first session at The Depot will be on March 26th at 8:00 p.m. Address: 1 Depot Square Cold Spring,New York 10516 Phone: (845)265-5000. There are a few other sessions happening in other towns. View Larger Map

There will never be another session like the "Rising of the Moon." But some of the musicians who kept Guinan's Irish Night alive for so many years are sharing there talents in other venues. Jack McAndrew and Mike O'Hanlon , who plays accordian, are hosting a session on the first and third Sundays of each month at O'Malleys in the heart of downtown Mt. Kisco. ( O’Malleys Pub 30 E. Main St, Mount Kisco, New York) It goes from 6-9PM. On the alternative Sundays, he plays down in the Woodlawn section of the Bronx at a place called the "Rambling House" . It's on Katonah Ave and 236th St, near the Woodlawn cemetery. That session starts at 7PM and it goes on usually till 11 or 12. Candace Coates , the Highland Harper , writes that she's teamed up with Rita Mack to play in Wappingers Falls at Ciarnan's Pub on the 3rd Sunday of the month from 4:00pm until 7:00pm. Ciarnan's is located at 235 Myers Corners Road Wappingers Falls, New Y...

Jack McAndrew wrote a short thank you essay about his time at Guinan's Irish Night music sessions. You can still get copies of recordings of some of the last Irish Nights; details are posted here . Meantime, a CD called "Long Time Coming" featuring Jim Guinan is out with five songs and it's fantastic. The folks behind this venture are making another run of the CDs, and I'll post here with details on how to buy when they are ready. Photo by Christine Ashburn.

Andy Revkin shot this footage from the last Irish Night . Midway through you can see just how crowded the store got and catch glimpses of Jim Guinan and John Guinan.

Today, the NYTimes has a terrific tribute to Guinan's written by the paper's "Our Towns" columnist Peter Applebome . The column, titled "Farewell to a Pub, and Maybe to an Era," runs on the cover of the Metro section. Applebome made it to the final Irish Night and hung in late with the crowd. He's got some great turns of phrase; here's just a flavor: "As they say, Harp Lager: $3.50. Slim Jim: 25 cents. Liverwurst sub: $5.25. Hearing Jim Guinan on the last Irish Night at Guinan's: priceless." And you can hear a snippet of Jim singing "Danny Boy" that night also on the Times' Web site, along with other musical clips. This is the second installment by Peter, who also wrote about Guinan's reprieve last year .

Guinan's always seems to expand to fit the size of the crowd who wants entry into her rooms. And on Thursday night, at the final Rising of the Moon music session, she was put to the test. The number of loyal fans coming to bid farewell was estimated at between 400 and 500, though it's hard to know for sure. From 7 p.m. on, both the store and the bar were so jammed that it's a wonder we all didn't collapse into the Hudson River. The overflow of folks spilled onto the patio to mill under heat lamps. The festivities continued until 3 a.m.; nearly 60 cases of beer were sold with Kelly Guinan reporting that only a case of Ballantine and a few scattered other bottles remained at evening's end. Jim sang "Danny Boy" both in the bar and out in the store. He was also presented with a cake thanking him for "the moons and tunes." For you who live nearby, there are CDs available at the store for $20 featuring Jim singing five songs: "I'll Take You Ho...

New York Times reporter, Dot Earth blogger and Garrison-ite Andy Revkin wrote this song called "Between the River and the Rails" about Guinan's. Here's an mp3 recording of him performing it live at a recent Irish Night. Please be patient as it loads. You can read the lyrics at this other post . Thanks to Bryan Merdler who uploaded the song.

Tomorrow's Rising of the Moon (aka "Irish Night") will be the last at Guinan's -- and it's gonna be a zoo most likely, though a fabulous wonderful zoo at that. I'd encourage most folks, especially those who come after 8 p.m. to park in the Metro-North parking lot on the East side of the railroad tracks opposite Guinan's and walk across the overpass to the pub. I think parking might be free at that hour, but check the meter sign by the steps to the tracks. It's really cheap if not. There are a lot of folks planning to come say good-bye, and that's going to make space very tight in the store and pub. Please be patient and try not to get frustrated. Everyone is there for the same reason: to have a good time and pay honor to this fantastic tradition. Here's a link to Jim singing Danny Boy . See you tomorrow.

From time to time, until I run out of songs, I'll post a link here to a new song recorded live from one of Guinan's Irish Night sessions. The music is courtesy of the talented artists of course and also Bryan Merdler who spent hours uploading the songs online. The first pick is my personal favorite: The Wild Rover led by Jack McAndrew . Anyone wanting a CD with copies of the music, can email Bryan directly at lgrthnmst(at)gmail.com Note: Logo above courtesy of Vic Schwarz.