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3 Franciscan leaders charged in abuse at Pennsylvania school

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Happy birthday to Addison G. Jones!

<p>DALLAS TOWNSHIP &#8212; Now, don&#8217;t ye worry, Celtic fans.</p><p>With their March 22 concert at Misericordia University coming close on the heels of St. Patrick&#8217;s Day, James Nelson of The Celtic Tenors promises the trio will sing some Irish tunes.</p><p>&#8220;We always do a song in Gaelic,&#8221; he said in a telephone interview. &#8220;Especially on St. Patrick&#8217;s Day.&#8221;</p><p>But Nelson wants audience members to know the group offers a bit more than the Gaelic melodies that reflect their Emerald Isle roots, and more than the classic, operatic music that brought them together.</p><p>Their recent album, &#8220;Timeless,&#8221; includes songs made famous by American artists, such as Bob Dylan&#8217;s &#8220;Forever Young,&#8221; John Denver&#8217;s &#8220;Calypso&#8221; and Simon &amp; Garfunkel&#8217;s &#8220;The Boxer,&#8221; and The Celtic Tenors are happy to include a harmonious tribute to those standards in their concerts.</p><p>Describing the trio as &#8220;a tenor democracy&#8221; with Daryl Simpson as &#8220;the high light operator,&#8221; himself as &#8220;heavier, more dramatic&#8221; and Matthew Gilsenan as &#8220;somewhere between the two,&#8221; Nelson said the group emphasizes harmony &#8212; and they know their music speaks to people.</p><p>When The Celtic Tenors sing &#8220;The Dutchman,&#8221; which is about an older gentleman losing touch with reality, Nelson said, &#8220;You always see someone wiping away a tear.&#8221; The song is poignant for the singers as well, Nelson said, because Alzheimer&#8217;s disease or similar conditions have affected their family members.</p><p>&#8220;It resonates hugely,&#8221; Nelson said. &#8220;Matthew lost his father-in-law, and my father is in full-time care.&#8221;</p><p>Another touching song is &#8220;Remember Me,&#8221; a wistful yearning for loved ones left behind that Irish composer Phil Coulter wrote for The Celtic Tenors &#8220;with servicemen and servicewomen in mind.&#8221;</p><p>When Nelson isn&#8217;t performing with the tenors, he sometimes travels to Kenya to help build homes, schools and orphanages.</p><p>&#8220;I caught the African bug,&#8221; he said, explaining a friend influenced him to become involved and he has participated in some 10 trips with an organization called Kenya Build.</p><p>Admitting he is by no means an expert in construction, he calls himself a go-fer. &#8220;I&#8217;ve put in windows, carried cement blocks, sawed wood and measured wood.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s exhausting,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The kids are hanging out with you at break time. There&#8217;s always one child who latches on to each builder.</p><p>&#8220;A lot of the boys want to be pilots or go into catering and hotel management. They&#8217;re coming from a slum where they had no food, and (years later) they&#8217;re putting up pictures of creme brulee on Facebook.&#8221;</p><p>That evidence of the youngsters&#8217; success is gratifying, Nelson said. &#8220;There&#8217;s a lot of emotion out there.&#8221;</p><p>Fellow Celtic Tenor Daryl Simpson also has a project close to his heart, Nelson said, explaining Simpson wanted to do something after the Irish Republican Army planted a car bomb in the Northern Ireland town of Omagh in August 1998.</p><p>&#8220;It was the single biggest atrocity by the IRA,&#8221; Nelson said. &#8220;Twenty-nine people were killed, including a lady who was expecting twins. Daryl was on the streets that day and his grandmother was injured. He felt so passionate and he wanted to do something positive out of something so negative.&#8221;</p><p>Simpson&#8217;s answer was to create Playing for Change, a chorus in which Protestant and Catholic youth sing together.</p><p>Recalling years of historic animosity between those two groups in Ireland, Nelson said the relationship has changed for the better. The Celtic Tenors are a mixed group, he said, and &#8220;20 years ago we probably wouldn&#8217;t have appeared on the same stage, but now we&#8217;re like brothers together.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Matthew Gilsenan, James Nelson and Daryl Simpson have performed together as the Celtic Tenors for more than 15 years. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_celtic.tenors2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Matthew Gilsenan, James Nelson and Daryl Simpson have performed together as the Celtic Tenors for more than 15 years. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photos </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_celtic.tenors3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The critically acclaimed Celtic Tenors are comfortable in classical and contemporary genres as well as traditional Irish music. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_celtic.tenors3.jpg</photo1><caption1>The critically acclaimed Celtic Tenors are comfortable in classical and contemporary genres as well as traditional Irish music. </caption1><photoCredit1>Submitted photos </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_celtic.tenors1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The Celtic Tenors will sing in concert at Misericordia University on March 22. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_celtic.tenors1.jpg</photo2><caption2>The Celtic Tenors will sing in concert at Misericordia University on March 22. </caption2><photoCredit2>Submitted photos </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>IF YOU GO</strong></p><p><strong>Who:</strong> The Celtic Tenors</p><p><strong>When:</strong> 8 p.m. March 22</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> Lemmond Theater in Walsh Hall, Misericordia University, Lake Street, Dallas Township</p><p><strong>Tickets:</strong> $30, $15</p><p><strong>Reservations:</strong> 570-674-6719</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

The Celtic Tenors will appear March 22 at Misericordia University