In keeping with its "tradition of supporting the arts through film and live performance," the 200-seat historic Bijou Theater in Bridgeport, Connecticut, will host the Keltic Kicks to benefit Ireland's Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield, and what a release describes as "the new home to Quinnipiac University's Great Hunger Collection."
The concert is set for this Saturday, August 19.
Stated the release: "Both the Bijou Theater and the Keltic Kicks are donating the space and their talents to help IGHMF reach its goal of preparing the new home for the Great Hunger Collection.
"Dating back to 1909, the Bijou Theatre has a storied history. Lillian Ashmun commissioned architect Ernest G. Southey to design a movie house with a two-story ballroom above. Silent films were all the rage back then; however, the Bijou will be anything but silent on Saturday, August 19th! The place will be rocking.
"With their unique blend of energized traditional Irish music, the Keltic Kicks have thrilled audiences for over three decades. The four-member band consists of Billy Donaldson, Bob Ross, Doug Abel, and 'Fiddle' Mike O'Reilly."
And the release continued: "Ireland's Great Hunger Museum's new home will be at 636 Old Post Road in Fairfield, CT. The location is the former site of Operation Hope, whose mission is to eliminate hunger and homelessness in Fairfield.
"It seems fitting that a former food pantry will become home to an art collection that tells the story of Ireland's Great Hunger. Operation Hope is moving to a new location in Fairfield and will continue its good work.
"Over 170 pieces of art and sculptures in Ireland's Great Hunger Collection tell the story of the Irish potato famine, one of the darkest periods in Irish history. That title, Potato Famine, is now becoming obsolete. Famine denotes that no food was available, which we now know is untrue.
"Food was grown and exported from Ireland during the years 1845-1852. Food insecurity arose during those years due to the Irish peasant class's reliance on one crop, the potato. With successive potato crop failures, food insecurity increased, but exports of other foods remained consistent. The years 1845 – 1852 are now commonly called The Great Hunger."
The release noted that Quinnipiac University officials had picked the Fairfield location "because of its vibrant Irish community and its perspective to display the art to a larger audience. The current IGHMF board meets twice monthly with Quinnipiac officials to ensure best practices are adhered to in transferring the collection to the new space in Fairfield."
It added that the Keltic Kicks concert at the Bijou Theater would be "just one of many upcoming fundraisers to prepare the new home of Ireland's Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield and ready the space to continue to tell the story of Ireland's Great Hunger through art.
"Other venue owners have reached out and expressed their interest in helping the IGHMF board achieve its goals. In addition to a golf outing and Ceilis, other concert collaborations are on the horizon."
The Bijou Theater is located at 275 Fairfield Ave, Bridgeport. Doors for the concert open at 6 p.m. and the performance is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. The evening will include an introduction by John Foley, President of Ireland's Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield. There will also be a special Irish Dance performance and a raffle.
