Dancing at the Crossroads

For years in the mid to late 90s and early 00s, my family would spend the entire month of August in the Catskills renting bungalows at the Rose Motel. Every night was spent out at the Fern Cliff, Gavin’s, Blackthornes, Furlongs, and McGraths going to the Ceilidh, Amateur Nights, Seisiuns, and any and all concerts involving my grandmother’s dear friend Paddy Noonan. Though I didn’t realize it at the time as a young child, these experiences were instrumental to my own formation as a proud Irish American as they allowed me to make my own connections to my heritage. Nowadays, with a trip up to East Durham for Memorial Day’s festival and sparse days during the summer, this Podcast (and its predecessor in the form of a documentary) help me learn more about the days long before I was born when my grandparents (immigrants from Co. Donegal and Clare) would bring their children north for the summer to give them the (Americanized) version of their home and form their own cultural identities at a young age. Keep up the good work, Kevin! This is helping me keep the traditions (and the history) alive ☘️