A warm welcome for Irish music in Havana with local uileann piper star of the show

There were packed crowds in the Fabrica de Arte and the Teatro Miramar in Havana as Cuba embraced the music of Mick Moloney and Athena Tergis, Niall O’Leary, Bill McComiskey and Leni Sloan.  Their visit caught the imagination of both the Cuban media and public but no doubt the largest applause went to the local hero Alexander Suarez, one of a number of uileann pipers native to the island.

The programme of cultural activities also included talks by Mick Moloney on the role of music in the Irish emigrant experience and on Irish music today in the United States.  Mick Moloney received the Presidential Distinguished Service Award from the President Michael D. Higgins in November of 2013.

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