The Chieftains played at the Blumenthal Center here in Charlotte on February 27th.
The had company.
  All right, I'll admit I poopooed the idea at first. But after we met Paddy Maloney in the green room and he asked us what we wanted to play, I knew we were going to have a fun night.
  We stepped on the stage for the encore and stood behind the seated Chieftains, then proceeded to play a three-reel set of The Wind That Shakes the Barley, The Star of Munster and The Mason's Apron. The wee Walsh Kelly dancers sprung on stage to do their step dance thing. I must admit it was thrill to have my son on stage, at the Blumenthal, in front of a couple of thousand citizens clapping like crazy, standing shoulder to shoulder with my fiddle pals, keeping time with Sean Keane's bow, then hearing Paddy turn slightly and yell "Star of Munster!" In a word it was . . . cool.
  Afterwards, Matt Molloy, the flutist, was gracious enough to gab a bit with us before crashing in his room. After all, it had been a long day of missing flights and ice and snow.
  Thanks to Fintan Muldoon and Christine Van Arsdale for putting it all together.
Photo key (sorry, I don't remember all the last names) . . . Back row, LtoR: Nash (last name?), Dennis Spring, Paddy Maloney (Chieftains founder), Fintan Muldoon (Irish Society), Kelly Harding, Jason Dulin, John Trexler, Christine Van Arsdale; Front row, LtoR: Rachel (last name?), Jon Singleton, Albert Dulin, Neil Anderson (piper from Irmo, SC). Photo by Celeste Dulin.
    Slainte,
    Albert Dulin
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