Music Duo THE BRAVE COLLIDE To Debut At New York Irish Center May 5

The Irish folk-pop duo The Brave Collide consisting of Celtic Woman star Chloë Agnew and Brian McGrane, of Celtic Tenors fame, launch their debut US tour at the NY Irish Center on Friday May 5, at 7pm.

The pair, who met in the early days of mega-phenomenon Celtic Woman (Chloe as one of the original cast of five, and Brian as a back-up vocalist) has been performing as The Brave Collide since 2017, building a striking repertoire blending pop covers, folk favorites and their own original songs. With Chloë Agnew (vocals) and Brian McGrane (guitar, piano and vocals), The Brave Collide are joined by Vito Gutilla on fiddle for the NY Irish Center show.

The one-night-only concert is part of the NY Irish Center's "Ireland Live... from New York" concert series, which features notable performing artists from Ireland and all corners of the Irish diaspora worldwide. Started in the phase-down of the pandemic in November 2021, the series has hosted Gregory Harrington, The Screaming Orphans, Cathy Maguire, Enda Gallery and comedian Ardal O'Hanlon. Tickets, which are $30, are on sale at www.newyorkirishcenter.org

The NY Irish Center (NYIC), a hub for culture and community enrichment serving diverse constituencies across New York City, presents its shows in its storefront Reilly Room, in the heart of the bustling Long Island City neighborhood at the nexus of Jackson and Vernon Avenues. NYIC, 1040 Jackson Avenue in Long Island City, is just seven minutes, and one stop, on the 7 train from Grand Central Station. For more info and queries call 718-482-0909 or e-mail info@NewYorkIrishCenter.org

Agnew, a Dublin native, gained instant fame at 14 as one of the original members (and the youngest) of Celtic Woman. The Grammy nominee is featured on 14 Celtic Woman albums, which have sold more than 8M copies worldwide, each of which started at #1 on the Billboard World Music chart.

Before the age of 20, touring internationally with Celtic Woman, she had performed for three consecutive US presidents (Clinton, Bush and Obama). In 2012 she was named Best Female Vocalist at the Irish Music Awards. Since 2017 she duets with top Irish artist Nathan Carter on all his US tours and she has been the headline guest for the Atlanta Pops Orchestra these past five seasons.

McGrane, a singer-songwriter, musician and producer from the small town of Navan outside of Dublin, has toured as vocalist with Phil Coulter, Sharron Corr, Brian Kennedy, Jake and Nathan Carter, and Lisa Lambe. Serving the Celtic Tenors as music director, he was also a music director (piano), backing vocalist and guitar player for Celtic Woman.

As a writer-producer he has recorded with Connie Talbot (Britain's Got Talent), Isaac Butler and Liam Geddes. Among his 13 singles are "Still with Me," which has generated over 200,000 streams. The Brave Collide's recording of cover "Somebody Just Like You" was chosen for the 2021 Spotify Sad Hour list.

Their debut release, "Fire," co-written with Brian McGovern and Eva Campbell, came out in 2022, and has been on fire ever since. Included in the evening's program are original songs "Somebody just Like You" and "For The First Time," popular Irish songs, Van Morrison's "Have I Told You Lately," and U2's "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." The duo will also perform a medley of the most popular Male-Female Duos of all time, including by Fleetwood Mac, Lady A, Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers.

A hub for culture and community enrichment serving a broadly diverse audience from its base in Long Island City, the NY Irish Center programs a wide variety of cultural events spanning film, theater, comedy, books and traditional and contemporary music including the popular Blarney Star trad music series. NYIC's social support programs responding to New York's continuously diversifying Irish diaspora, include Irish language and computer classes, book clubs, and networking and outreach for LGBTQ+ individuals, seniors and children.

Among its community enrichment programs are its Wednesday Lunch Club -- one of the most popular active retirement gatherings in New York City -- and "The Story Continues" -- NYIC's quarterly LGBTQ+ networking event, featuring prominent voices from the community and a safe space for conversation and advocacy.

NYIC also houses Solace House, a provider of free, confidential suicide prevention counseling for one-on-one, group or family mental health support. Solace House's services are available for anyone seeking help. George C. Heslin took over as executive director in the fall of 2020.

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