Celtic Rising at the Burlington Hotel
Tuesday 03 August 2010
So folks, Ireland is getting back to pre-Tiger normality – the Irish Cabaret is back in Dublin with a swing! For nigh on 45 years no visit to Ireland by an American Tourist was complete without a night at the Irish Cabaret but then post millenium we lost the run of ourselves, got all hip and cool, and the Irish Cabaret went by the board. Generations of visitors by the coach load were entertained at the Irish Cabaret at Jury’s Hotel which ran for over 40 years featuring the legendary comedian Hal Roach for 26 of those years, and names such as Patricia Cahill, John McNally, and Tony Kenny, whilst Noel V. Ginnity was at the Burlington Cabaret for 30 years. Perhaps the same thing happened in Spain too, no more raucous nights with the barbecued pork dinner, Jose on the guitar, drinking wine like an eejit from a Porron, the long necked ‘watering can’ decanter held at a distance, and having it dribbled down your boobs…. No matter what, it was fun as you sat beside Myrtle from Manchester, Lee from Liverpool, and Dieter from Dusseldorf, laughing as though they were your best friends.
The Burlington Hotel has relaunched the Dinner Cabaret in a modern format with Celtic Rising – The Show- an extravaganza of music and dance, produced and directed by Julian Benson, which takes a journey through the history of Irish Music, dance and verse, from somehwere in those mystic romantic Celtic times, of which the exiled Irish constantly dream, right up to the Ireland of today – the good bits!
John Clifton, General Manager of the Burlington Hotel, explained to me that “there was nowhere in Dublin right now where you could go and enjoy a really good live show focusing on traditional Irish song and dance for a snappy two hours and have a four course dinner as well – a great evening’s entertainment – at the really good price of €49. The 4 Star Burlington Hotel in the heart of Dublin was the ideal venue for such a show.” He is right.
The doors open an hour and a half before the show at 6.30 p.m. so you can go in and have a drink or get settled in. Dinner is served at 7 p.m. and the show kicks off at 8 pm. “We are not doing the beef thing, we are giving people the real Irish food experience as well with bacon – no cabbage though.” Said John Clifton. I have always found the food very good at the Burlington. Dinner kicked off with a cream of Lusk seasonal fresh vegetable soup served with brown soda bread and freshly chopped parsley. There is a choice of four main courses including a vegetarian Irish Cheddar glazed lasagna. We were three, so got a good all round view of the food. I had the loin of bacon, three big lean and tender tranches with a tasty celery and sage sauce perked up with a whack of Jameson whiskey. This came on the most gorgeous mash with a little curly kale and I loved it, vowing to cook more bacon, cabbage and spuds at home. The other two main courses were dill baked fillet of Boyne River salmon, which had a horseradish and cucumber crust, napped with a Connemara mountain saffron and dill cream, and a grilled breast of West Wicklow chicken wrapped in McClaffereys smoked bacon with an apple cider and herb jus. This was followed with a nice little bowl of “Muckross garden” berry charlotte, with a fruit coulis and vanilla cream, and the meal was finished off with a Gaelic coffee.
We were nicely mellowed when the show kicked off with a flourish of Irish dancers whirling across the stage. Many of the cast are world champion Irish dancers, and many too have spent time in the productions of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance.
The show revolved around lead vocalists Eoin Cannon and Naoise Stuart Kelly and a really cracking modern Irish ‘traditional’ band of Padraig O’Neill on fiddle, Bill Martin on guitar, Barra McAllister on flute and whistle, Sorcha Rooney on harp, Conor Lyons on bodhran, and Roz McVeigh on the button accordian, swirling her long blonde hair as she tapped her sequinned legs. There was tremendous fire in their performances and they anchored the show well together. The first act lulls you more gently along through nostalgia with renditions of Molly Malone, Danny Boy and You Raise Me Up, breaking before the interval with Dancing At The Crossroads. They don’t drag out the interval – its purely as they say on the tour buses “a comfort stop” or refuelling as in our case!! The second half gets going quickly with a touch of Bollywood Thai Irish with “Eastern Promise” and gorgeous colourful costumes. The pace is good, it never flags, and keeps going through “The Prayer, Trad Sesuin, and another reference to modern Ireland with Celtic Pasion (NB PASION SPELT AS SUCH) Argentinean tango style with a blaze of passionate red skirts. A belt of the Titanic is thrown in as Naoise Stuart Kelly gave us My Heart Will Go On as Gaelge and finishes up with a rousing foot stamping arrangement of The Galway Girl.
Music and arrangements are by Eannan Patterson, son of Frank Patterson and Eily O’Grady. Costumes by Claire Garvey are really beautiful and choreography by Zara Curtis was foot tapping. The show runs until the 25th September. Tickets are €49 and there are overnight packages from €95 pps including show and the Full Irish the next morning. For further information on booking check out www.burlingtonhotel.ie
Celtic Rising is not aimed just at visitors to our shores – come to Dublin and enjoy your own country – and a jolly good evening. Bring the gang as well – and lets get back to basics with a bit of top class home entertainment. It will bring out the tourist in you!