Incantato Concert Tours presents "The Greeley Chorale" at Waterford's Theatre Royal: "Danny Boy"

The Greeley Chorale at Theatre Royal in Waterford

The Greeley Chorale in Ulster Hall

The Greeley Chorale along with the Donaghadee Male Voice Choir had an amazing joint concert at the beautiful Ulster Hall in Dublin, Northern Ireland. The hall was about 75% capacity with an estimated 600 - 700 in attendance. The concert ended with the Chorale and Choir singing "This Land Is Your Land" together, which led to a standing ovation.

Greeley Chorale rehearsal at Ulster Hall

Incantato Tours proudly presents: Travelers from the Greeley Chorale and Donaghadee Male Voice Choir at Belfast's Parliament Building

Remember the Incantato Facebook Page

Dear Friends and Family of the Greeley Chorale travelers, 
If you are eager for updates and pictures from the Performance Tour 2013 trough Ireland, remember that the Incantato Concert Tours Facebook page will be continually updated with pictures and information from the tour. We are awaiting pictures from dinner at the Parliament any minute now. 

The Greeley Chorale Landed Safely In Dublin

After the long overnight flight, The Greeley Chorale arrived safely at the Dublin airport this morning.  They have stopped for a quick lunch, and then will be continuing their drive to Belfast.

Welcome to Ireland dear Members of the Greeley Chorale

We wish the Greeley Chorale a smooth and safe journey to Ireland

While some of you had to get up really early, the good news is that both flights are still shown as "on schedule" and the Incantato Team will keep monitoring them carefully as you journey from Denver to Dublin. Have a pleasant journey!

The Irish and their food

When asked about Irish food, almost every response will include two things – Irish Stew and Corned Beef with Cabbage. And almost every visitor to Ireland is surprised to find that neither is featured all that commonly on restaurant menus!

In fact, corned beef is not traditionally Irish at all – but Bacon and Cabbage is. This is also true for Irish stew, which has been recognized as the national dish for at least two centuries. A poem from the early 1800s praised Irish stew for satisfying the hunger of anyone who ate it:

"Then hurrah for an Irish Stew 
That will stick to your belly like glue."

That isn't to say that such dishes are no longer eaten, they are, but they are homely dishes, served to family, rather than ones which would be chosen on an evening out. And so their appearance on a restaurant menu is a rarity.

Most traditional Irish foods use simple, basic and fresh ingredients. Many have been given a modern twist by a new generation of chefs or incorporated into dishes that better suit the tastes of a more widely travelled population.

Irish traditional cuisine is a peasant cuisine and food in a poor household is never wasted. There is nothing that illustrates this so well as the pig. Few ordinary Irish households in the past would have eaten beef – this was a food for the rich – but many kept a pig and it is said that they ate every part of it except for the grunt. Crubeens or pig trotters, tripe (pigs stomach) and drisheen (a blood sausage) were all popular dishes and are still eaten in parts of the country, notably Cork. 

Irish people are still extremely fond of their fried breakfast, which always includes pork sausages, bacon rashers and black pudding (another type of blood sausage).
In addition to that, breakfast is rather elaborate and typically includes orange juice, porridge, cereals, eggs, the traditional soda brown bread, toast, as well as tea.

 

When talking about Irish food, it is impossible to go without mentioning the potato. They are eaten boiled, mashed, fried, chipped and baked, mixed with cabbage or scallions to make colcannon or champ, made into potato cakes and used to top pies and thicken soups or stews.
It’s common to find potatoes cooked two ways on the same dinner plate. It’s not all about dinner either. The food that Irish people miss most when they are overseas is Tayto, an Irish brand of potato crisps. Irish people are very fussy about their potatoes. Typically a supermarket will stock at least 5 or 6 different varieties, often many more, with the varieties changing depending on the season and each suited to a particular method of cooking.

Of all foods, the humble spud is certainly the most traditional. The Irish may not be dependent on them in the way they were in the past but there are a lot of Irish people for whom a dinner without potatoes is not a dinner at all.

Incantato Sightseeing Highlight: The Ring of Kerry

   

The Ring of Kerry (the correct term is Iveragh Peninsula - the Irish call it Mórchuaird Chiarra) is a famous tourist trail in the county of Kerry (South-Western Ireland). It is known for its spectacular beauty and besides hiking you can play golf, do water sports or go fishing or riding. It is also one of Ireland's most visited attractions besides Dublin. 

The route covers the 179 km (111 miles) circular road, starting  from Killarney, heading around the Iveragh Peninsula and passing through Kenmare, Sneem, Waterville, Cahersiveen and Killorglin.
Popular points include Muckross House (near Killarney), Staigue Stone Fort and Derrynane House.

Just South of Killarney there are Ross Castle, Lough Leane and Ladies View (a panoramic viewpoint), all located within Killarney National Park, those are major attractions located along the Ring.
What a lot of people do not know is that the Ring of Kerry has some of Europe's finest beaches.
Here you can find a wonderful video about the Ring of Kerry.
Pictures are taken from: http://www.ringofkerrytourism.com/

Some insights about the National Holiday in Ireland on the 3rd of June, 2013

When you are visiting Ireland you will experience a national holiday, the so-called June Bank Holiday. This national holiday (Irish: Lá Saoire i mí Mheitheamh) is celebrated in Ireland every year on the first Monday of June.
But what do the people do on the June Bank Holiday? The answer is simple: The people take time to enjoy the spring weather to attend local cultural and sporting events. We all know there are not that many sunny days in Ireland (no wonder why the landscape is so green) during the year so it is no surprise they celebrate a spring weather day and enjoy the great outdoors.
Especially in June Ireland's weather is often mild and pleasant. Hence, many people spend time outside over the June Holiday weekend. Popular activities and events include:

• Picnics and barbecues
• Open-air concerts of traditional or modern music
• Family camping, walking or sailing weekends
• Arts, cultural and musical festivals around the country
• Marathons and other sporting events
• Agricultural and garden shows
• Other people use the June Holiday weekend take a short early summer break or vacation in Ireland or abroad

Public life is generally quiet on the first Monday of June. Banks, post offices and many businesses and organizations are closed. However, stores and pubs are generally open, although they may open later and close earlier than usual.

But where has this holiday its origin? The day after Pentecost was traditionally a holiday known as Pentecost Monday or Whit Monday. This enabled people to attend extra church services and organize local fairs and cultural events. Pentecost Monday became a public holiday following the Bank Holidays Act 1871. Following the Holidays (Employees) Act 1973, this holiday was moved to the First Monday of June. The new date was first observed in 1974.

(Picture and information are taken from http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/ireland/june-bank-holiday)

Welcome to Dublin!

Dublin is the largest city and capital of Ireland. It is officially known in Irish as Baile Átha Cliath; the English name comes from the Irish Dubh Linn meaning "black pool".
It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the centre of the Dublin Region. Originally founded as a Viking settlement, it evolved into the Kingdom of Dublin and became the island's primary city following the Norman invasion.

Today, it is ranked 23rd in the Global Financial Centres Index, has one of the fastest growing populations of any European capital city, and is as a global city, with a ranking of Alpha - which places Dublin amongst the top 25 cities in the world. Dublin is a historical and contemporary cultural centre for the island of Ireland as well as a modern centre of education, the arts, administrative function, economy and industry

Fun Pub Concert for the Greeley Chorale on Thursday, June 6, at "Molly Darcys Traditional Irish Pub & Restaurant" in Killarney

On Thursday, June 6, The Greeley Chorale is going to give a pub concert prior to the resident band taking the stage at 08:00 pm at the award winning Molly Darcy's Traditional Irish Pub & Restaurant.
It is known to be the perfect location for a taste of Kerry with wooden floors, stonewalls, beamed ceilings and open fires. This very traditional Irish pub and restaurant enjoys a privileged location on the edge of Killarney's world-renowned National Park.

Those are just some of the awards the pub won during the last few years:

• Black and White Irish Pub of the Year 
• Kerry Pub of the Year 
• Traditional Irish Music Pub of the Year
• Dining Pub of the Year
• RAC Award for Dining Excellence
• AA Award for Culinary Excellence

Molly Darcy’s Pub & Restaurant offers traditional Irish dishes, made from supplied locally products, such as seafood chowder, kerry lamb stew (which is suppose to be one of the best stews in Kerry) and of course bacon and cabbage. Bar food is served all day until 10:00 pm.

You can find the famous pub also on facebook.

Extension Tour: Your last hotel in beautiful Ireland - the Clarion Hotel in Limerick, Wednesday June 12th to Thursday June 13th, 2013

The Clarion Hotel in Limerick, which was voted in 2012 as one of the Top 10 Best Family Friendly Hotels by Primary Times Readers, enjoys a city center location overlooking the Shannon River within the heart of Limerick City. It is just a 2 minutes walk to the famous O'Connell Street and a 6 minutes walk to Colbert bus and train station. The hotel is also a short walk away from the Thomond Park, home of Munster Rugby. Click here to view a Thomond Park Map.

All of the guest rooms are decorated with décor designed to create a relaxed atmosphere of modern luxury and sophistication. They feature a full-range of luxury amenities and the latest in technology, including flat-screen LCD TVs and high speed internet access, as well as 24-hour room service, tea and coffee making facilities, high performance hairdryer, iron and ironing board and a safety deposit box.

The Clarion Hotel offers three different restaurants -  Sinergie Restaurant (opening times 06:00 pm to 09:30 pm Friday and Saturday - here you can check out its well-known wine list); Kudos Bar, which serves oriental food straight from the wok with exotic flavors and spices and Savour Lounge, which offers coffee, tea and pastries in a relaxing environment.

The SanoVitae Health and Fitness Club at the Clarion Hotel offers a fully equipped gym including treadmills, bikes and cross trainers, a heated indoor swimming pool overlooking the Shannon River, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi.

Extension Tour: Your home away from home the Maldron Hotel in Galway, Monday June 10th to Wednesday June 12th, 2013

The Maldron Hotel is one of the best-known hotels in Galway with over 15 years of professional experience. All the bedrooms offer hairdryer, iron and board with trousers press, satellite TV, tea and coffee making facilities, shower over bath and a complimentary wi-fi internet access.

The hotel is centrally located and only a few minutes away from:
Oranmore (5 minutes walk)
Galway city (10 minutes drive)

The Maldron Hotel has several dining options such as the Stir Restaurant which is known as one of the finest restaurants in Galway. It is a lively, modern restaurant with striking decor, warm atmosphere, friendly service and of course good food. The menus also include seafood and vegetarian dishes.

Here are the meal times:

• Breakfast: buffet style, served from 7:30 am to 10:00 am throughout the week and until 11:00 am on Saturday and Sunday
• Lunch: carvery style lunch and sandwich bar open 7 days, 12:30 pm to 02:30 pm Monday to Friday and 01:00 pm to 03:00 pm Saturday and Sunday
• Dinner: Friday and Saturday 06:00 pm to 09:00 pm for the remainder of the week, dinner will be served in Q bar and cafe

The Q Bar with its contemporary design and relaxed atmosphere offers a wide range of dishes also special gluten free and coeliac meals. Bar food menu is available from 02:30 pm to 09:00 pm daily and dinner from 06:00 pm to 09:00 pm.

In your leisure time you can also enjoy the 20m swimming pool with permanent swim lanes, aerobic studio with over 40 cardio and resistance machines, several fitness classes, steam room, jacuzzi and sauna.