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Cherish the Ladies

Friday, February 27, 2026 @ 7:00pm



Grunin Center - Main Stage
1 College Drive, Toms River, NJ 08754

THIS EVENT HAS PASSED

This is a rescheduled date from December 14, 2025. Tickets will go back on sale to the general public on Friday, January 16th at noon. Those with tickets for December 14th should check their emails for an update.

Cherish the Ladies

Celebrating the incredible milestone of 40 years as one of planet’s most heralded Irish music ensembles, Cherish the Ladies have won the hearts of audiences worldwide for their exhilarating blend of traditional Irish music, breathtaking vocals, and propulsive Irish step dancing, they have won the hearts of fans and critics alike. As the Boston Globe puts it: “It is simply impossible to imagine an audience that wouldn’t enjoy what they do!”

Since their founding in 1985, this Grammy-nominated group has forged a path for women in the male-dominated Irish music scene, leaving a lasting legacy with 18 critically acclaimed albums and thousands of performances—from prestigious concert halls to the Olympics and the White House.

Led by charismatic flute and whistle virtuoso Joanie Madden—National Heritage Fellow of the National Endowment for the Arts—Cherish the Ladies delivers a spectacular blend of virtuosic instrumental talent, beautiful vocals, engaging arrangements, and breathtaking step dancing. This tour features an all-star lineup including Mary Coogan (guitar), Mirella Murray (accordion), Nollaig Casey (fiddle), Kate Purcell (lead vocals, guitar), and Hannah Collins (piano). Joining them on stage are world-champion dancers Tyler Schwartz, Joe Harrison, and Nathan Pilatzke, bringing electrifying rhythm and energy to an unforgettable evening.

Praised by The New York Times for their “passionate, tender, and rambunctious” sound and hailed by The Washington Post for their “astonishing array of virtuosity,” Cherish the Ladies has earned international acclaim. Honored as BBC’s Best Musical Group of the Year and Top North American Celtic Group at the Irish Music Awards, they have collaborated with the Boston Pops Symphony, Vince Gill, Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Nanci Griffith, The Chieftains, and The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem. As the most celebrated Celtic Pops act in history, they have performed over 300 nights with leading symphony orchestras.

Cherish the Ladies have amassed a long, impressive list of awards in America and in Ireland, including being forever immortalized with a street named in their honor on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx, NY, “Joanie Madden and Cherish the Ladies”.

No matter how far from home, their continued success as one of the best-loved Irish groups rests on their blend of virtuoso instrumentals, beautiful vocals, traditional and original arrangements 




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