Colin Farrell and Dave Curley considered to be among the most respected practitioners of traditional Irish music working today performed for an hour and half on Sunday, March 12, 2023 in the Emma Kelly theater in downtown Statesboro.
Their performance is part of the Lively Legacies of Tradition Irish Music and was presented by the Bulloch County Historical Society (BCHS) and The Center for Irish Research and Teaching at Georgia Southern University.
This performance was the thirtieth in the Jack N. and Addie D. Averitt Lecture Series. The Averitt Lecture series is held every year in the Spring to celebrate the Averitt's wedding anniversary. They were married on March 18, 1948 in Statesboro. This would have been their 75th wedding anniversary.
For the past 13 years the Bulloch County Historical Society has been tasked with arranging this lecture series for the Jack N. and Addie D. Averitt Foundation.
Matt Hube, represented the BCHS by presiding over the event. Howard Keeley, Director, Center for Irish Research and Teaching at GS introduced the performers. Keeley shared about the establishment of the new GS campus in Wexford, Ireland.
Wexford is a Viking town in the South East of Ireland where nearly 56% of the Irish who immigrated to Savannah came from. Last summer was the inaugural trip to the Wexford by GS students studying abroad. My daughter, Edie Grace Grice, was fortunate to be part of this inaugural study abroad trip to Wexford and fell in love with the campus, the city and the Irish people. This year GS has over 150 GS students traveling to study in Wexford this summer.
Farrell and Dave are extraordinarily talented musicians and thrilled the large crowd on Sunday. They played traditional Irish Music for over an hour. Afterwards they attended a reception in the Main Gallery of the Averitt where they met guests of the show.
The reception was catered by A Touch of Class Catering.
The concert and reception was free for the community thanks the generous sponsorship of the Bullcoh County Historical Society and the Center for Irish Research and Teaching at Georgia Southern University.
