Don DeMaio § 941-702-1662 § [email protected]
Su Byron § [email protected]
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota Presents
Paul Duffy, Teresa Hassard and Dan Cartlidge
In a Tribute to St. Patrick’s Day
Sunday, March 9 • 3 p.m.
Vocalist and guitarist Paul Duffy, Dan Cartlidge on the Irish drum, and Teresa Hassard on the fiddle, celebrate Ireland with folk songs and sea shanties. This tribute also includes teen dancers in full Irish regalia.
(Sarasota, FL) Called one “one of the greatest musicians to ever come out of Ireland,” vocalist/guitarist Paul Duffy teams up with Dan Cartlidge on the Irish drum and Teresa Hassard on the fiddle to celebrate an early St. Patrick’s Day, Sunday, March 9, 3 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 3975 Fruitville Road, Sarasota. Tickets are $15 and include a complimentary wine and cheese reception in the church courtyard with the artists. For more information, call 941-371-4974 or visit www.uusarasota.org/duffyconcert. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the Backpack program, which provides meals for underprivileged children in the Sarasota area.
The popular Irish ex-pat Duffy is known for presenting a multi-faceted program of Irish lore, sea shanties and folksongs. He toured with the Irish rock band The Commitments for six years, traveling all over the world.
A multi-talented musician, composer and vocalist Duffy was born, literally, under the big tent. His parents were Irish circus entertainers; he was delivered by a midwife after a performance in North Donegal. Their act was called Duffy’s International Circus and he was the youngest person to walk the tightrope while playing the saxophone—self-taught, of course. He was only nine years old.
Duffy’s journey from Dublin to Sarasota was lengthy and arduous. At 17, he played sax for the popular Irish band, The Miami Showband. By the ripe old age of 21, he joined The Irishmen and gained a reputation around Dublin as a talented and reliable studio musician. At 26, Duffy started his own band, MPH, with his siblings. Noticed by a promoter while touring with MPH in Texas, Duffy received an invitation to tour internationally with the legendary Irish band, The Commitments, and remained on tour with the group for the next six years. He has since performed with Ben E. King, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Brian Johnson, Suzi Quatro, Chris de Burgh, Paul Hazel, The Corrs and Hazel O’Connor.
A gifted musician, Duffy plays the saxophone, trumpet, flute, guitar, keyboards, drums, bass, tin whistle and bagpipes. He attended the Dublin Conservatory of Music to learn to read music; his prowess with wind instruments is self-taught. “I practiced the sax with a John Coltrane record playing for hours on end,” says Duffy. “Mum would yell at me to go out and play, but until I discovered pints and women, all I wanted to do was practice me music.” Duffy was the owner of the Irish Rover in Sarasota until its closing in 2011.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.uusarasota.com/duffyconcert/ or email [email protected].
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota is the largest Unitarian church in Florida with nearly 500 members and friends. Founded in 1952 with 12 members, it is now a growing church with an active calendar of cultural and social events, including its popular series of Freethinkers presentations on the first Friday of every month.
