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Now in its twelth year, Deitmar Haslinger’s Irish Christmas festival goes from strength to strength, this year the tour boasts the very considerable talents of Providence from Ireland and Susan McKeown from New York. The official website of the Guinness Christmas Irish Festival, even quotes this magazine when it hails Providence as a band to catch on this December tour of Austria:

”Providence delivers one of the best Traditional band efforts of 2005, such is its vitality and collective power.” (Irish Music Magazine). Providence will feature: Cyril O’Donoghue, bouzouki, guitar and the lead vocal Mícheál Ó Raghallaigh, concertina, accordion Troy Bannon, flutes, Michelle O’Brien, fiddle and Paul Doyle, Bouzouki and guitar.

The highlight band for each night of the tour will be, roughly translated from the German, The Mosaic Universe Star Volume. This is a project, which Haslinger and his team have developed especially for the Guinness Irish Christmas festival, it’s a one off collaboration and won’t be seen again in this format. The band will be fronted by Susan McKeown, for her first ever musical trip to Austria. Her backing band are star musicians in their own right, with Arty Mc Glynn on guitar, Nollaig Casey on fiddle and the stomach Steinway man himself, Alan Kelly on the piano accordion. The band will be completed by the addition of the American flute player, Stephanie Geremia.