To help celebrate the bicentennial of the Erie Canal’s construction, Oneida Public Library hosts members of the Irish music group Craobh Dugan in a performance of “The Irish and the Erie” Wednesday, Sept. 27, at 7 p.m.
“The Irish and the Erie” is a concert of stories, lively tunes and songs related to the experiences of the immigrant Irish diggers who labored over seven years in building the Erie Canal. Far from home, the Irish suffered fatal disease and deprivations during the monumental task of cutting out a 363-mile canal through wilderness, swamps and rock formations, but they also created a legacy of stories and songs we can still hear today.
Craobh Dugan, which means Dugan’s Branch, is part of the international Irish music organization called Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eirean, which is dedicated to promoting traditional Irish music and culture.
The concert features Ed Campbell on fiddle; Mike Carroll on flute, concertina and bones; Bill Fahy on guitar and banjo; Mike Hoke on fiddle; Skip Mansur on guitar and mandolin; and Sue Romero on the bodrhan.
The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, stop by the Oneida Library, 220 Broad St., or call (315) 363-3050.