Australian businessman and owner of Blue Star Cruise Line, Professor Clive Palmer has taken to social media and Twitter to praise Queensland’s Premier Irish Band McGuinness & Co for its performance at the recent Titanic II launch in New York.
The black-tie gala event held on board retired aircraft carrier USS Intrepid where a who’s who of world leaders, senior diplomats and major political figures were treated to a lavish 11-course menu, first class entertainment and the unveiling of Titanic II blueprints.
Professor Palmer was so impressed by the four-piece band that he uploaded a video of the band’s performance to YouTube and shared the link via Twitter.
Mr Palmer said the band, which had been together for four years, perfectly suited the Titanic’s “true atmospherics”.
“They’re very good,” he said.
“Dave Mannion, who is a guitarist in the band, wrote a song called The Spirit which was written for the occasion and played at the Gala.
“Some of the band members have ancestors who worked on docks in Belfast where Titanic was built so it was very moving to watch.”
McGuinness & Co singer Ken O’Flaherty said performing at the Gala had been a great opportunity and a very overwhelming experience.
“Success is when opportunity meets preparation,” Mr Flaherty said.
“And we’d all been preparing a long time for this. We all have Irish ancestry so the performance really hit close to home.”
Other entertainers at the Gala included Glenn Shorrock, an iconic Australian singer-songwriter who was a founding member of pop groups The Twilights, Axiom and Little River Band, and South Korean YouTube sensation, Sungha Jung, a 17 year old guitarist who has attracted millions of viewers online from around the world with his acoustic guitar covers.
McGuinness & Co’s performance can be viewed on YouTube here
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Titanic II has captured the world’s imagination since Professor Palmer announced that his shipping company, Blue Star Line, would recreate the famous ship in honour of the 100 year anniversary of the launch and untimely fate of The Titanic. While every bit as luxurious as her namesake, Titanic II will have every modern amenity along with 21st century technology and the latest navigation and safety systems.
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