It was announced this week that, after decades of distinguished service, the great Paul Keating has chosen to step down from his stewardship of Catskills Irish Arts Week. A true driving force, Keating’s energy, vision and unwavering dedication helped shape CIAW into a world-class celebration of Irish music and culture, one that draws many of the finest musicians and dancers from Ireland and across the United States, and fosters a remarkable community that returns to East Durham year after year. Thank you, Paul, for your extraordinary efforts. We remain deeply grateful for the CIAW you built.
News of Keating’s departure circulated just as the Michael J. Quill Irish Centre’s Board of Directors announced Amy Schoch as the new Executive Director of CIAW. A fiddle player with the Albany-based group Toss the Feathers, Schoch has spent the last fifteen years deeply involved in the region’s Irish music community. She led the long-running session at Albany’s Olde English Pub for more than 11 years, and when the pub closed two years ago, she moved the session to the nearby Irish American Heritage Museum (https://irish-us.org/), where it has continued to thrive with twice-monthly gatherings. Schoch is also an Irish Week alum, having fallen in love with the festival years ago, for its music, certainly, but also for its commitment to tradition and community.
She brings a notably strong skill set to her role as executive director. In her professional career, she served as a deputy commissioner and senior vice president at Empire State Development, New York State’s primary economic development agency. There, she led the policy and research division and oversaw a portfolio of programs and investment funds supporting manufacturing, recycling and post-9/11 business recovery. This work gave her deep experience in management, grant writing, and financial stewardship, skills that will serve her well in ensuring steady, responsible operations. It’s an ideal background for the job.
I spoke with Schoch recently about her vision for Irish Week and how she hopes to guide it into its next chapter. Her path into leadership began last year when she joined CIAW’s advisory committee. That group consisted mostly of people who had either run the week or taught there, but Schoch stood out as the only member who had also experienced Irish Week as a student. That dual vantage point, understanding both the administrative demands and the participant’s experience, gave her a distinctive perspective on how the festival could evolve and how student needs might be better met to support sustainable growth.
Looking ahead, she is especially focused on serving the broad middle spectrum of participants. One of her priorities is designing a program that more effectively engages children and teens, keeping them involved not only musically but socially, so they feel truly connected to the community. She also intends to build out programming for higher-end players who may not require daily classes but would benefit from advanced workshops, mentor-style sessions, or other specialized opportunities that challenge and excite them.
At the same time, Schoch is acutely aware that Irish Week’s stability rests on the commitment of its tuition-paying community. With that in mind, she wants to create a more expansive, inclusive experience, one in which students at every level can find their place, feel valued, and contribute to the week’s creative energy. Her aim is a CIAW where the learning, the camaraderie, and the sense of shared purpose all reinforce each other, ensuring that the festival remains vibrant for years to come.
She’s already accomplished an impressive amount in preparation for CIAW 2026. Her staffing is complete, the framework for the week is in place, and she’s been steadily building out the pieces needed to launch the program smoothly. The official staff unveiling is scheduled for the week after Thanksgiving. (I’ve seen the lineup, a dazzling group of musicians and teachers, and I won’t steal Schoch’s thunder by spilling the beans here!)
Catskills Irish Arts Week 2026 will run from Monday, July 13, through Friday, July 17, with a full-day festival bringing everything to a close on Saturday, July 18. It promises to be a vibrant, reenergized week of music, learning, and community. For updates and further details, stay tuned to Irish Week’s Week’s social media pages and/or visit its website here.
