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Community Corner

Summer Dance is Ballroom of Fun at Irish American Center

Musician Sean Wilson performs many of his Irish hits for large gathering in Mineola.

Renowned Irish musician Sean Wilson plays gigs all across England, Scotland, Ireland, Australia and the United States, but one of his favorite stops on his worldwide tour is Mineola, where he performs annually at the Irish American Society of Nassau Suffolk & Queens Inc.'s  held at the Irish American Center.

“This is the 12th or 13th year I’ve been here,” Wilson said during a short break in his performance at Saturday evening’s summer dance at the . “I love the smiles on their faces and the way they dance here. I’d like to come more often.”

Wilson said he usually travels to the U.S. three times a year for gigs, staying mostly on the east coast. He recently signed a deal with H&H Music, a new London-based record company.

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Wilson and his partner Tony Mac – the duo has 26 albums and 10 CDs to their credit – performed some favorites for the 230 attendees including “Rosie,” “Cottage On The Hill,” “That’s The Way To My Heart” and “Homes of Donegal” before bringing out traditional Irish favorites such as “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” and “My Wild Irish Rose.”

Betty McLoughlin, president of the Irish American Society of Nassau Suffolk & Queens, said the Societal Dance is one of the year’s signature events for the society, and certainly one that is well attended: in addition to Wilson, the event featured a jive dancing competition, with many showing off their dance steps.

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Eileen Cronin, who co-chaired Saturday’s event along with Mary and PJ Sexton, knows a little something about Irish music. For 19 years, Cronin has hosted "The Long Ireland Show" (Saturdays, 2 to 4 p.m.) on Hofstra University’s WHRU 88.7 FM. which features Irish traditional music and listener participation.

“I started the show with three CD’s and now have collected hundreds,” she said, adding “the Sean Wilson Band is a very popular group in Ireland, and we’re fortunate to have had them entertain us for years.”

The Irish American Society will hold their 80th Anniversary on September 24 at 8 p.m. A ribbon cutting will herald the completion of the newly renovated exterior and a dance will follow. Refreshments will be served and music for the evening will be provided by the Kitty Kelly Band. For information or reservations, call 516-746-9392.

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