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Celtic Folk Concert by Bruce Foley & Mary Coogan
By Janice Hanson
Posted: 2020-07-09T01:31:00Z

I first heard Bruce Foley & Mary Coogan at NERFA a couple of years ago and have been enjoying their online Facebook concerts the past few months. I invite you to join other Golden Linkers for their online Facebook concert on Sunday, July 12 at 4:00 pm, followed by a special post-concert reception via Zoom.

Bruce has roots in Rochester. Some may remember two Irish groups Bruce was in that performed regularly at The Irish Inn in Charlotte in the 1970s: Carolan’s Kind and Clanjamfrey. He has also performed with musicians such as Andy M. Stewart, Tommy Sands, and Cherish the Ladies. His wife Mary Coogan is a founding member of the Irish-American super group Cherish the Ladies. Bruce’s beautiful ballad singing, guitar playing, and uilleann piping blend wonderfully with Mary’s lively mandolin, guitar, and banjo licks.

Their online weekly concerts from their home in Yonkers include a lot of the songs we hear at Golden Link sing-arounds – songs like “The Leaving of Liverpool,” “Caledonia,” “Lakes of Pontchartrain,” “Jambalaya,” and “Row On” – as well as of course Irish songs and tunes.

Here’s how to watch the Bruce Foley & Mary Coogan concert on Facebook:

DATE: Sunday, July 12 at 4:00 pm EDT
LINK to WATCH CONCERT: https://www.facebook.com/foley.bruce/videos

Simply go to Bruce’s Facebook page and look for the LIVE video. Then enjoy the show from your living room couch – or take your portable device out on your patio or porch.

We encourage you to put something in the tip jar to thank the musicians, using one of these links:
PayPal: https://paypal.me/BruceAFoley
Venmo: https://www.venmo.com/BruceAFoley
Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/BruceAFoley

After the concert, join us for a special Golden Link online reception with Bruce and Mary via Zoom. It’s a chance to talk with them, ask questions, visit with your friends who also attended the concert, and maybe meet some new people. You can even enjoy some refreshments (although you’ll have to provide them)! Click here for the Zoom details.

As we wait for the chance to hear live music again – and make it together in person – I encourage you to check out all the great music that is happening online. Please continue to support the musicians by watching their concerts, donating, buying CDs, and engaging with them on social media. Now more than ever, we need music in our lives. In the meantime, keep on singing!

– Janice Hanson

Janice Hanson is Concert Chair of the Golden Link Folk Singing Society, which was founded in 1971 to present, promote, and preserve folk music in the Rochester area.