On Wednesday, February 23rd, the San Francisco Young Leaders gathered for their first night out together to catch up and coming Irish band, The Coronas. Currently touring the U.S., the band opened for Paul McCartney at Dublin’s RDS Arena in June 2010 and will support The Script in front of 65,000 fans in the Aviva Stadium in Dublin in July 2011. This special evening was part of the Imagine Ireland program, Culture Ireland’s year-long celebration of Irish arts in the United States in 2011. Imagine Ireland will bring over 1,000 Irish artists and producers to the Unites States, and will encompass more than 400 events across 40 states. The two seasons (Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter) will cover the entire spectrum of the arts, from dance to theater to music to literature and visual art. The founders’ hope is that these performances will breathe fresh life into the strong cultural ties between America and Ireland, create new partnerships, and appeal to a wide range of audiences throughout the country. So, The Coronas kicked it off for us in San Francisco with a terrific performance.
The evening began at Bar Agricole in the SOMA district, one of the City’s new hot spots. It’s located in the former warehouse for the Jackson Brewery, circa 1900, and the building is on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s a stunning space with dazzling skylights and urbanscapes by San Francisco photographer Thomas Winz behind the bar – and the bar scene is vibrant! The guest list included Ryan Fox with Kathryn West, Chris Worthington and Callie Canfield as well as Jacqueline Paulin & Steven Jacobs, Dominic McKenna, Matt Tasto, Clayton Hill, Ivan Harrow, Ed Galvin, and Brenda Sullivan. Mike McGrath was there with Alexis Fleckenstein and Lauren Williams , while Vice Consul Barry O’Brien was joined by Kerry Egan, Jamie Hamm, Joey Nevin, Scott Lewis, and Cynthia & John Farley. AIF Regional Director Marjorie Muldowney welcomed everybody and introduced The Coronas who joined the group for a chat and a photo opp courtesy of San Francisco- based photographer, Martin Lacey.
Following cocktails, the group moved on to the venue next door – Slim’s. Opened in 1988 by legendary R&B artist Boz Scaggs, Slim’s is a live music nightclub and a perfect setting to showcase this highly-talented group of great guys. The AIF Young Leaders were treated to some rousing renditions of Heroes or Ghosts, Tony Was An Ex-Con and San Diego Song (The Coronas’ biggest hit). Hats off to lead singer Danny O’Reilly (son of Irish vocalist Mary Black), Dave McPhillips on Lead Guitar, Graham Knox on Bass and Conor Egan on drums for giving us a fabulous night out. This is a band to watch…
