The Irish Catskills: Dancing at the Crossroads
A project in Arlington, MA by Kevin Ferguson, director000days
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Funding Unsuccessful
The Irish came to be American; the Americans, Irish. Now, the Irish Catskills are in danger of slipping away. Keep the tradition alive.
Backers: 138
Average Pledge Per Backer: $193
Funded: $26,627 of $98,000
Dates: Jan 8th -> Mar 9th (60 days)
Project By: Kevin Ferguson, director
Backers: 138
Average Pledge Per Backer: $193
Funded: $26,627 of $98,000
Dates: Jan 8th -> Mar 9th (60 days)
Project By: Kevin Ferguson, director
$26,627
current pledge level
Last Updated: March 9 @ 17:45 -0400 GMT
27%
of goal
(loading your very own snazzy kicktraq chart)
Latest News
The deadline is nigh. I'm counting on you. 
March 9th - via: kickstarter.com
Thanks, everyone. Now with only 4 hours left, I remind everyone that all Kickstarter pledges will be cancelled because I failed to reach my goal. However, I humbly as that you fulfill your pledge in one the following ways: Option #1: You can donate... (Read More)
Keep the Faith. Part with the Money.
March 7th - via: kickstarter.com
Thanks for supporting my documentary film, The Irish Catskills: Dancing at the Crossroads. As I write this, there are just over 50 hours left in the Kickstarter fundraising campaign. Under the Kickstarter rules, if I fail to make my goal—in this... (Read More)
Arriving in Catskill, Take 2
February 17th - via: kickstarter.com
Correction: This is the Smith family -- cousins of the O'Neill family -- arriving in Catskill by boat in the 1940s. Earlier I misidentified them as the O'Neill family. Thanks to Mary Ann Kane for the photo and correction. (Read More)
Getting to the Irish Catskills
February 16th - via: kickstarter.com
George O'Neill family arriving in Catskill in the 1940s via the Hudson River Day-Line. Before the New York State Thruway and the Taconic State Parkway, New Yorkers heading to the Catskills would drive or take a bus up Route 9W, or hop on the Hudson... (Read More)
Kickstarter Security Breach
February 15th - via: kickstarter.com
My dear donors: I just received an email from Kickstarter.com that hackers breached their computer system. The CEO (see note below) stresses that no credit card information was taken. Kickstarter and I encourage you to change the password you used... (Read More)
The Rockaways-Catskills Connection
February 14th - via: kickstarter.com
While still a strong Irish enclave, NY's Rockaways were a huge draw for first- and second-generation Irish in the '40s and '50s. Many split their time between the Rockaways and the Catskills. Over the years, many of the same crowds that packed... (Read More)
History in the Making: Mae Caplis McComiskey on the Early Days of the Irish Catskills
February 10th - via: kickstarter.com
You'll need an HTML5 capable browser to see this content. Play 00:00 00:00 Mae Caplis McComiskey, mother of B/C accordion master Billy McComiskey, gives an eyewitness account of the Irish Catskills in the late 1940s, including meeting her future... (Read More)
New Link for Update #18 (Tony and Brian)
February 8th - via: kickstarter.com
Here's the new link: https://vimeo.com/86211461 (Read More)
Demarco and Conway Celebrate in the 'Cave'
February 8th - via: kickstarter.com
Tony Demarco and Brian Conway mark the 30th anniversary of their 'Apple in Winter' album with a house concert in "Kelly's Cave," the basement of Irish Catskill pillars, Anne and Jimmy Kelly, in Albany, NY, in February 2011. This scene is excerpted... (Read More)
Decades-long Dance
February 6th - via: kickstarter.com
After emigrating separately from Ireland, Thomas Evans from Cork and Bridget “Peg” Scanlon from Limerick met—as so many Irish did—at the rented ballroom above Hans Jaeger’s restaurant, Lexington Ave. at 85th St., known simple as the Jager... (Read More)
Mr. Catskills Captures the Moment
February 2nd - via: kickstarter.com
Peter "Mr. Catskills" McKiernan recalls a quintessential moment of the Irish Catskills: Andy McGann, Pat Keough, Jimmy Kelly, and Peter playing Erin's Melody on a Sunday afternoon in East Durham, NY. Michael Rossi filmed McKiernan as he drove from... (Read More)
Tommy Mulvihill talks about his trad influences
January 30th - via: kickstarter.com
Tommy Mulvihill, famed fiddler and son of the late great Charlie Mulvihill, recalls his traditional influences. The interview, conducted in the Shamrock House, in East Durham, NY, is part of the forthcoming documentary, 'Irish Catskills: Dancing at... (Read More)
IrishCentral.com helps out a Narrowback
January 29th - via: kickstarter.com
IrishCentral.com, the largest Irish web site in North America, will shortly extend the 'Irish Catskills: Dancing at the Crossroads' Kickstarter campaign to its readers. Our friends there will also offer regular updates as the movie goes into post... (Read More)
Letter from a Long-Lost Catskills Vacationer (and Project Backer)
January 25th - via: kickstarter.com
I just wanted to pass along a letter from one of your fellow project supporters. I do so with her blessings. She says that after a 20 year absence, she hopes to return and attend Catskills Irish Arts Week. Here's the letter in its entirety: Hi Kevin... (Read More)
Sing on stage with Black '47 during their last Catskills tour!; Larry Kirwin's quiet side
January 25th - via: kickstarter.com
You'll need an HTML5 capable browser to see this content. Play 00:00 00:00 Sing on stage: If you hadn't heard, Black '47 is breaking up after 25 years -- but not before they rock the Irish Catskills one more time. Donate $5,000 to the 'Irish... (Read More)
Handball in the Irish Catskills
January 25th - via: kickstarter.com
Handball at Tarpey's Palm Inn Handball was serious fun at the Irish resorts of East Durham from the 1940s to 1960s with organized games and leagues. Photo courtesy Jean Tarpey Nolan. (Read More)
Why this film?
January 22nd - via: kickstarter.com
I've been asked several times now why I'm making 'Irish Catskills: Dancing at the Crossroads.' Here's why: I want to pay homage to the quiet man sitting over there, knee-over-knee with his white socks, black shoes, and white short-sleeved dress... (Read More)
Irish history in 4/4 time
January 21st - via: kickstarter.com
"I was a great dancer and I danced every dance. Once we could stand up, we had to know the Highland Fling, the Stack of Barley, and the Versa Vienna." -- Ann Duffy Downey, Leitrim native, on the importance of Irish social dancing back in Ireland and... (Read More)
Surprise, Surprise in East Durham
January 19th - via: kickstarter.com
I've had many wonderful surprises since I began this project three years ago. The first was discovering that the renowned flutist Mike McHale was the same 'Mike the Flute Player' I'd heard play 45 years earlier. The second great surprise was... (Read More)
'Hot Shots' of East Durham, 1936
January 17th - via: kickstarter.com
Stanley Lawyer, member of the Catskills Hot Shots, outside Lawyer's general store, October 1936. Stanley and his brother Raymond, also a band member, were grandsons of an Irish-American barber from New York City. Thanks to John Quirk, owner of the... (Read More)
The Catskills Stay With You
January 17th - via: kickstarter.com
In case anyone doubted the impact the Irish Catskills has on us all, I wanted to share this message (with his permission) I received the other day from Jim, a project backer and musician in Sligo: "Hi Kevin, Dropped a few dollars in the pot in... (Read More)
History from the Hotel Guests, East Durham, 1958
January 15th - via: kickstarter.com
You'll need an HTML5 capable browser to see this content. Play 00:00 00:00 This is an example of Irish-American history you'll hear nowhere else. This is a snippet of Maura McLaughlin, a member of the Bronx Gaelic League, singing "Down by the... (Read More)
'Irish Catskills: Dancing at the Crossroads' (and the Crosswalks)
January 14th - via: kickstarter.com
One of the things 'The Irish Catskills: Dancing at the Crossroads' explores is the strong connection between the Irish ballrooms of NYC, Ireland, and the Catskills. I need your help to tell this story. (Read More)
'Success probability: 88%'
January 14th - via: kickstarter.com
Based on the donations we have so far, Kickstarter says I have an 88% chance of getting fully funded. Sure, those are good numbers, but I'd say they're about 12 percentage points shy! C'mon fellow narrowbacks, press on! (Read More)
Felix Dolan and Brian Conway pay tribute to Mike McHale
January 12th - via: kickstarter.com
Ok, folks, we're off to a solid start. Thank you! I thought as we went along, I'd post some raw footage that we've collected over the past few years. This short clip shows the late Felix Dolan and Brian Conway paying homage to fellow musician Mike... (Read More)
New rewards!
January 12th - via: kickstarter.com
In addition to the fabulous rewards posted, Iris Nevins has donated three items for the cause: 1) A copy of her 'String Theory CD,' a collection of 14 Celtic tunes played on harp, guitar, and wire strung harp; 2) Irish earrings made for this film's... (Read More)
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