SEPTEMBER 1999
www.celtic-connection.com
Page 3
Van Morrison: Ireland's Greatest Living Legend'
DUBLIN — Rock legend Van Morrison has become the first musician to be inducted into the Irish Music Hall of Fame. The 54-year-old singer received the tribute from countryman Bob Geldof at a special ceremony in Dublin. Morrison — best known for songs such as Brown Eyed Girl, Gloria and Moondance — performed at the event, which was hosted by poet Brendan Kennelly.
The venture seeks to recognize the very best of Irish musical talent over the decades, from traditional acts such as Christy Moore and The Dubliners, through to established acts like US and younger groups like Boyzone and Ash. It is based around a new multimedia exhibition in Dublin city centre which explains the history and development of Irish rock and pop.
Morrison, who was born in Belfast, is the first big name to be inducted into the Hall of Fame — though others will follow, voted for by a panel of experts from the country's record industry.
Hall of Fame director Niall Stokes — editor of the Irish rock n' roll magazine Hot Press — said, "Van Morrison has been justifiably acknowledged as Ireland's greatest living legend, a multi-talented creative force who has created an astonishing body of work of great depth and beauty. We are honoured that he has agreed to be the first artist into the Hot Press Irish Music Hall of Fame."
The best-known music Hall of Fame is in the United States at Cleveland, Ohio. It has inducted scores of names since its inception in 1983, including Van Morrison in 1993.
International Writers Visit Aran Islands
INIS MOR — The Aran Islands International Prose and Poetry Festival, which took place in August, received a great deal of media attention. Among the 200 participants were Edna O'Brien, Frank McCourt, John Montague and Roddy Doyle. From overseas came the Chinese dissident author Xue Di, poet and author Joyce Carroll Oates and other American writers. Readings and lectures took place on Inis Mor and in NUI, Galway. — The Irish Emigrant
THE SLANE INVASION
DUBLIN — Over 80,000 revellers descended on the small Meath village of Sale on August 28 to attend the the biggest event on the Irish rock calendar.
The final Slane Castle Concert of the millennium was headlined by British music sensation Robbie Williams and was the fastest selling Slane gig of all time with 25,000 tickets sold in just four hours when they went on sale earlier this year.
The supporting cast for the event was also one of the strongest the County Meath venue has ever witnessed. The Happy Mondays from Manchester and Welsh pop heroes The Stereophonies played, along with the Liverpool band Cast, indie music group Placebo, and the Scottish band Gomez.
Gardai had warned that only ticket-holders were welcome to the sold-out event and added that ticket scalpers would be arrested and their wares confiscated. Security at the event was heavy with about 400 uniformed gardai on duty.
To discourage anyone from using the River Boyne as a back door to the entertainment, ski jets, along with 10 boats supported by 80 divers were among the methods used to prevent this. Fatalities caused by people attempting to swim the river in previous years led to the increased patrolling.
— The Irish Emigrant, Hot Press, The Irish News
REstauraNT
Presents: The Crofters
Join us on Saturday, September 18th. for an evening of great food and entertainment (Doors open at 6:00 p.m.)
Located under the tower by the river in historic Fort Langley
9277 Glover Road, Fort Langley Reservations advised - (604) 888-6669
In 1990, four Newfoundlanders who worked in the fishery and hailed from outports you'd have to use your atlas to find, formed
IRISH DESCENDANTS
Since then they have released five critically acclaimed albums. They have compiled their greatest original and traditional songs about love, life and the sea.
, /oncouver: 566 Seymour St. 687-5837 / South Vancouver: 732 SW Marine Drive 321-5T?5 East Vancouver: 3433 E. Hastings St. 298-0464 / Burnaby: 4568 Kingsway 439-0223 Surrey: 10280 135th. St. 589-7500 /Abbotsford: 2369 McCailum Rd. 859-4200