The Center for Irish Music community joins the broader Twin Cities community in mourning the loss of CIM parent and unbridled champion of Irish music and culture Nick Coleman. Nick suffered a massive stroke and passed away on May 16th.
Stories about Nick’s passionate involvement with Irish music go back to his family’s basement in the 1970s where Irish musicians sometimes gathered to extend the fun after a gig at McCafferty’s.
The CIM community met Nick as the father of Mac, Declan and Finn when the boys signed up for one of our summer camps in 2014. Nick had a sincere love and deep knowledge of Irish traditional music and beamed with pride whenever his boys played. In summer 2017, he lugged a giant glass jug around town to help the CIM ensembles raise money to go to Ireland for the Fleadh Cheoil na Éireann. In August Nick, his wife (and CIM board member) Laura Billings Coleman and the three boys took a three week trip to do the Fleadh in Ennis and to tour the island that meant so much to him. This May, Nick and family enjoyed a beautiful weekend of music and craic at the Midwest Fleadh in St. Louis together with CIM friends — Nick himself winning a gold medal in recitation.
Instructor Brian Miller writes, “As someone who myself went from playing high school hockey to carrying a tin whistle around in my pocket, I loved that Nick encouraged his boys to play both hockey and Irish music. My impression was that he saw both as a sort of cultural duty. One was a critical part of being Minnesotan. The other was a critical part of being Irish-American.
Nick helped us to understand why traditional Irish music matters. During the week after he left this earth, his spirit inspired hours of tunes, tears and laughter – from the wake to the funeral service, and then from the luncheon to the graveside. The experience changed our lives, and our music forever.
We are so sad to see this brilliant and enthusiastic supporter of traditional Irish music and culture go. RIP, Nick. You will be sorely missed.
We are collecting stories about Nick Coleman to share with his family, and for a story about on the Center for Irish Music blog. If you have related stories or photos to share, we’d love to hear them. Email them in one paragraph, to CIM’s Executive Artistic Director Norah Rendell at nrendell@centerforirishmusic.org.