This week master traditional Irish musician and master fiddler Seamus Connolly will be honored as a 2013 NEA National Heritage Fellow. Well-known locally – Lowellians and longtime Lowell Folk Festival goers have enjoyed Séamus Connolly’s amazing talent as well as his warmth and down-to-earth charm. Just down the road at Boston College, Connolly is the Sullivan Artist in Residence and founder/director of the Gaelic Roots Music, Song, Dance, Workshop and Lecture Series. Highly regarded – Connolly has received many awards –  most recently, Connolly was named a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO). The medals pay tribute to American citizens who have made outstanding contributions to their communities, their nation and the world.

Congratulations to Seamus Connolly – the 2013 NEA National Heritage Fellow – and warm regards to the Irish – now American fellow – who put down roots in Lowell and in Massachusetts and we are all the better for it.

More about the NEA honor here: http://www.nea.gov/honors/heritage/fellows/fellow.php?id=2013_04&type=bio