Ambassador Michael Collins congratulates Irish musician Mike Rafferty on his award of a National Heritage Fellowship
Ambassador Collins congratulated Irish musician Mike Rafferty on being awarded a National Heritage Fellowship on Wednesday. The Fellowship is a lifetime achievement award for folk and traditional artists bestowed by the National Endowment for the Arts.
At an Embassy reception hosted by the Ambassador to honour Mike Rafferty yesterday, the Ambassador said: "The Fellowship is a tribute to Mike Rafferty's brilliance as a musician and as a teacher. Mike is a mentor to many and his legendary playing and teaching are an inspiration to young and old alike."
Mike Rafferty was born in East Galway and emigrated to the US in 1949. He learned tin whistle and flute at an early age and has also mastered the uileann pipes. He has toured all over America, and while he has appeared on and recorded many albums, he only released a solo album, "Speed 78", at the age of 78 in 2004.
The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime achievement award bestowed by the National Endowment for the Arts annually since 1982. Mike Rafferty is the 11th Irish recipient of the Fellowship. Previous recipients are Joe Heaney, Joe Shannon, Martin Mulvihill, Michael Flatley, Jack Coen, Liz Carroll, Donny Golden, Mick Moloney, Kevin Burke and Joe Derrane.
The National Heritage Fellowships Concert, which is taking place at 8pm this evening in the Music Center at the Strathmore, will be broadcast live at www.arts.gov. |
