Tomáseen Foley returns to the Medina Performing Arts Center with his captivating performance of Irish dance, music and story

By Patricia Nugent

Anyone who waits all year long to watch heartwarming holiday movies such as It’s a Wonderful Life or Dickens’ A Christmas Carol can appreciate the feelings they rekindle.

Though it might be the middle of summer, tickets are now available to see Tomaseen Foley’s A Celtic Christmas, coming to the Medina Performing Arts Center on Thanksgiving weekend, Sunday, November 26. In its heralded 28th year, the show is filled with enchanting stories related by Tomaseen, interspersed with song and dance from world-class artists.

“Our show often sells out, so this year we are opening ticket sales even earlier,” says Brian Bigley, who, along with his wife Kristen, produces the event. “This has become a tradition for many folks who come back every year. In uncertain times, there’s no finer tonic than authenticity and looking back on simpler times.”

Tomaseen’s captivating stories spring from his upbringing on a small farm in the West of Ireland. Audiences are magically transported to the night before Christmas circa 1950s. He brings to life the yuletide tradition of neighboring families gathering around the fire spinning stories, singing uplifting songs and kicking up their heels.

Audiences will be wowed by performances from Grammy Award-winning guitarist William Coulter, multi-instrumentalist Eimear Arkins, and internationally renowned dancers, such as Marcus Donnelly and Natalie Wagner, who will add to the spectacle.

The show’s reviews have been positive:

“In between musical presentations by five wondrously talented guest artists, storyteller and Ireland native Tomaseen Foley regaled the sold-out crowd of ‘good people of Cleveland, Ohio’ with poetry, tales and jokes, evoking a quiet evening spent sitting around the hearth.” —Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Foley runs pictures and thoughts across the mind like shooting stars on a crystalline night, with emotions shaking the ground.” —Green Bay Press Gazette

Tomaseen Foley’s A Celtic Christmas takes place Sunday, November 26, at 2:30 p.m., at the Medina Performing Arts Center, 851 Weymouth Road in Medina. There are also shows in downtown Cleveland at the Hanna Theater on Saturday, November 25, at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Buy tickets, which range from $24-$32, at KBBproductions.net. Questions? Call 216-777-5769.