Philomena sings for Bloomberg
There was a special Kilcullen connection with Sligo and New York this week when Philomena Breslin sang for the Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, during the the Big Apple boss's day trip to Ireland.
Adrian Flannelly, Chairman and CEO of Irish Radio Network USA, arranged for Philomena to sing at the lunch following the event. She sang 'New York, New York', from the the 1977 Martin Scorsese film of the same name. With music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, it was performed in the film by Liza Minnelli. It later became associated with Frank Sinatra.
Philomena was accompanied by Clive Armstrong, Conductor and Musical Director of the Nas Na Ri Singers. The performance at the lunch reception was televised by WNYC and will be broadcast in the USA.
She will also be singing in New York in the coming months. "The offers are coming in for me to perform at prestigious venues, including events at the annual St Patrick's Day Parade and even better," she told the Diary.
At the home front, RTE Radio One's Failte Isteach programme is featuring once again this Saturday night a song from her new album called 'The Sunshine of Your Smile'.
The Ballymote visit was controversial, with a number of protests taking place because of Mayor Bloomberg's reported support for the recent Israeli action in Lebanon.
Brian Byrne.
