Milwaukee Irish Fest Summer School Classes

In the 1920s and 1930s, the Flanagan Brothers were one of Irish music's most successful acts. Major attractions on radio and in New York City’s leading dance halls, the group's creative, high-spirited sound, captured on the nearly 170 sides they made for every record label of the day, tells a vivid story about Irish immigration and perfectly reflects the sensibility of the era’s Irish community. This lecture – which will be divided into two parts – will explore the trio’s ebullient genius through rare archival sounds and images that celebrate the music and legacy of these important Irish music pioneers. They will also look at some of the influences of the Flanagan as well as at those who were influenced by them. A crash course into one of the era’s most important performing groups you won't want to miss!

Did you ever imagine that an internationally renowned opera composer, a New York City shop owner, and a bandleader in Philadelphia might be connected through music? The decade after the Rising was a particularly rich period for Irish music in the United States, yet songs and tunes are often treated separately, obscuring a larger, more connected picture. In this lecture, I aim to change that. Drawing on rare recordings and original research, I will reveal the specific connections and shared philosophy that linked individuals, organizations, and events to Irish patriotism, and defined an era now largely forgotten.