BRISTOL — Celtic music has wafted across the Green Mountains since the 1700s, some of it composed by Vermonters. On Thursday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m., Irish-American artist and musician, Reagh Greenleaf Jr. will offer a presentation on Vermont’s Celtic Heritage, discussing our state’s roots in Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The event is hosted by the One World Library Project and will take place at the Lawrence Memorial Library at 40 North St. in Bristol.
What led this group of people to Vermont? What did they find here? What unique contributions do they offer to the patchwork of Vermont culture? These are just a few of the questions Greenleaf will address.
The story of Celtic people in Vermont interlaces with the development of railroads, the stone quarrying industry, the American Civil War and an ill-fated invasion of Canada. As a highlight of the evening, Greenleaf will perform songs documenting Vermont’s Celtic Heritage, including “West Rutland Marble Bawn” by a Tipperaryman who came to the Green Mountain State in 1858.
Greenleaf is an accomplished singer and bodhrán player. He attended the Tommy Makem International School of Song in County Armagh, Northern Ireland in 2000 and has performed with bands all over New England. He currently hosts a weekly folk music session at Hatch 31 in Bristol and is creator of Vermont Celtic designs, clothing and gifts, www.VTCeltic.com.
For more information on the program, contact the Lawrence Memorial Library at 453-2366 or go to www.OneWorldLibraryProject.org.
One World Library Project is a local community nonprofit that “Brings the World to our Community” through regular programs as well as a collection of adult and children’s books and films about world cultures, all of which can be found at the Lawrence Memorial Library. The library’s online catalog has a full listing of OWLP items available for check outat www.lawrencelibrary.net.