Occidental College’s Office for Religious and Spiritual Life will hold a Jan. 30 concert fundraiser featuring the well-known Irish musician and singer/songwriter Ken O’Malley.
The Dublin-born O'Malley performs solo and is also the lead singer of the traditional Celtic and classic rock band, the Twilight Lords. He's shared billing with artists such as the Chieftains and Brian Setzer, and performs regularly throughout Southern California. A self-taught musician, he opened at 15 for legendary balladeer Paddy Reilly, and by age 18 was gathering professional credits, among them a stint with Trudy's People, a group that played on Ireland's national radio and television network. He also performed in the 1992 film, "Patriot Games."
WHAT: Ken O’Malley Concert & ORSL Fundraiser, All Their Wars Are Merry and All Their Songs Are Sad: A Musical Journey Through Times of Troubles and Times of Peace
WHEN: 8 p.m., Saturday, Jan., 30, 2010
WHERE: Herrick Interfaith Chapel, Occidental College, 1600 Campus Road, Los Angeles, CA 90041
TICKETS: Available at the door. General Admission: $15. Students: $10 with valid ID.
Proceeds from the concert will benefit an Oxy student trip to Ireland in January to learn conflict-resolution skills and study Ireland’s checkered religious and political history, as well as Celtic spirituality.
"We want students to engage the big questions concerning truth, morality, religious belief, and meaning," said Rev. Susan Young, Oxy’s director for religious and spiritual life, about the upcoming trip. "We also encourage them to become global citizens, and consider how they can participate in peace and reconciliation efforts."
Religious studies major Natalie Monterrosa '11 said trip highlights included seeing Northern Ireland's colorful political murals, listening to a representative from the Glencree Center for Peace and Reconciliation talk about the history of "the Troubles" and the ongoing fragile peace process, as well as meeting other nonprofit groups trying to create understanding among the divided populations.
"What I found is that a career in nonprofit is actually possible," she said. "I'm really excited about doing something with what I learned. I'm talking to people in Ireland to see if I can do an internship there next summer."
Ben Herrington-Gilmore ‘12, a DWA/religions studies major, said the trip was so successful that he's also thinking about returning to Ireland for graduate study.
"It was a very inspiring trip," he said. "There was real grassroots work going on, and even though you may not see the impact immediately, you know that good things are happening."
For more information about Ken O’Malley, go to: http://www.kenomalley.com/.
For more information about Occidental’s Office for Religious and Spiritual Life, go here.
