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Below please find programs of Irish and Celtic interest airing between Wednesday, February 25 and Sunday, March 8 on WLIW21 New York Public Television. WLIW21 is also offering tickets to several related concerts happening around St. Patrick’s Day. Details below.

FROM GALWAY TO BROADWAY
Saturday, February 28 at 8 am and Sunday, March 1 at 2 pm on WLIW21

Irish tenor Ciarán Sheehan performs emotional classics from the emerald isle and Broadway favorites At New York City’s historic Marble Collegiate Church, accompanied by award-winning soprano Gay Willis and the New York Festival Orchestra conducted by David Holcenberg. Songs include: “Memory,” “Danny Boy,” “Galway Bay,” “Battle Hymn Of The Republic,” “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” and “God Bless America.” Tune in for tickets to “A Great Night for the Irish” on March 12 at Carnegie Hall featuring Ciarán and Gay!

90 minutes.

CELTIC WOMAN: THE GREATEST JOURNEY

Premieres Saturday, February 28 at 1:30 pm on WLIW21

Encores Sunday, March 1 at 10:30 am and 5:30 pm, Monday, March 2 at 1 pm, and Thursday, March 5 at 9 pm on WLIW21

The group’s latest television special is a collection of beloved and memorable performances from vocalists Lisa, Chloë, Órla, Méav, Hayley, Alex, Lynn and fiddler Máiréad. Songs include “Danny Boy,” “Somewhere,” “Mo Ghile Mear,” “Isle of Inisfree,” “You Raise Me Up” and more. All of the songs are intertwined, using stunning scenic and landscape images of Ireland. Tune in for tickets to see Celtic Woman March 13 and 14 at Radio City Music Hall, plus details about an exclusive meet and greet! Two hours.

NATALIE MACMASTER: BRINGING IT HOME

Sunday, March 1 at 12:30 pm and Wednesday, March 4 at 1 pm on WLIW21

Natalie MacMaster, renown for her mesmerizing Celtic fiddling and feverish step dancing, takes center stage in this concert special accompanied by her five-member band and special guests Béla Fleck, Hayley Westenra (Celtic Woman), Carlos Núñez, Donnell Leahy, Kate Quinn and the Men of the Deeps. Taped October 2006, during the prestigious Celtic Colours International Festival at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Center on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, the production celebrates Natalie’s return home after taking her acclaimed music to the world. Tune in for tickets to see Natalie MacMaster March 14 at Town Hall and attend an exclusive meet and greet!

A WLIW New York Production. 90 minutes.

HIGHLAND HEARTBEAT

Exclusive New York Metro Area Premiere Saturday, February 28 at 8 pm on WLIW21 with singers live in the studio!

Encore Sunday, March 8 at 8 pm on WLIW21

Centuries-old tradition meets modern music to capture the heart and soul of Scotland in song. Singer/actress Fiona Kennedy, a member of Scotland’s leading theatrical family and well-known in North America as the host of “Tartan TV,” leads a group of singers brought together from a country-wide audition to represent a range of musical styles. Backed by the Scottish Festival Orchestra, singers Jim Malcolm, Jillian Isbister, Maureen McMullan, Daisy Chute and Darren Maclean join Fiona in a concert that spans genres and generations: from traditional Scottish compositions like “Loch Lomond” and “Auld Lang Syne” to pop hits originally sung by Carly Simon, Bette Midler and Simon and Garfunkel that infuse Scottish cultural significance to the familiar lyrics. Emmy Award-winning Scottish actor Brian Cox (“The Bourne Supremacy”) reads the works of Scotland’s national bard, Robert Burns, with stunning footage of Scotland interspersed between songs. The concert was shot in high definition at the historic Theatre Royal in Glasgow in August 2008. Several of the singers will be live in the WLIW21 studio with details on how to get tickets to Highland Heartbeat’s first NY area performance! Two hours.

VISIONS® OF IRELAND

Part 1 Monday, March 2 at 7:30 pm on WLIW21

Part 2 Tuesday, March 3 at 7:30 pm on WLIW21

Part 3 Wednesday, March 4 at 7:30 am on WLIW21

A showcases the land of saints and scholars like never before. A helicopter-mounted camera shares the vantage point of the Irish faeries of ancient lore for serene aerial views above the fog and mist, the remote Skellig Islands, the magnificent windswept Cliffs of Moher - and the perfect angle from which to kiss the Blarney Stone. 30-minute episodes.

VISIONS® OF SCOTLAND

Sunday, March 8 at 6:30 pm on WLIW21

A thrilling tour of Scotland’s historic and picturesque destinations from the heather-clad hills of the Highlands to the low-lying borderlands, shot in high definition from a helicopter-mounted camera and set to regional music with informative narration. This journey through great glens, stunning waterways, sacred abbeys, hardy fishing ports and craggy heights showcases a bright, legendary land like never before. Followed by HIGHLAND HEARTBEAT at 8 pm. A WLIW New York Production. 90 minutes.