A friendship forged on distant shores will bring traditional Irish music to the Morris Museum of Art this week.
Area artists Lillie Morris has made several trips to County Kerry, Ireland for artist-in-residence programs and on her journeys, she met Tommy and Saundra O’Sullivan, who will make their first Augusta appearance since the pandemic began.
“This is our fourth or fifth visit,” said Tommy O’Sullivan, who along with his wife play music and own O’Sullivan’s Courthouse Pub in Dingle, in County Kerry, Ireland. The pub is a haven for musicians who play there Wednesday through Sunday nights.
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For some Americans, Irish music might bring to mind ballads such as “O Danny Boy,” said Saundra O’Sullivan.
But those are Irish songs, she said. Irish music has no words to go along with it. It’s the folk music of Ireland and is often played with fiddles, flutes and whistles among other instruments.
The O’Sullivans blend lyrics and music with traditional Irish sounds infusing them with their harmonies.
While most people come out for the music, they find themselves intrigued with the O’Sullivans love story.
Saundra O’Sullivan said they get asked about it so much that instead of telling it individually they often tell it from the stage.
He’s from Ireland and spent his career as a musician and has recorded several albums. She’s from Texas and was working as a flight nurse. They met by chance at a traditional Irish music retreat in Midlothian, Texas, where he was a guest instructor for guitar and vocals.
After she heard him sing, she asked to have him sign a CD. He wasn’t at the CD table, so the CD was taken to him to sign. He came out to meet her, and they connected instantly.
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A few days later, he called and invited her to come to Ireland for New Year’s Eve, which was in three weeks. A few years of a long-distance relationship, and they were married in Houston in 2011.
The evening at the Morris Museum of Art will be a night where the audience can get to know the artists and that appeals to the O’Sullivans who said they enjoy interacting with audience members.
The event will be at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 3. Tickets are $20 for Morris Museum of Art members and $25 for non-members.
The O’Sullivans ask guests to be vaccinated and wear masks according to Centers for Disease Control guidelines, according to the Facebook event page.
Call (706) 267-5416 for reservations.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the managing editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
