The Noble Maritime Collection will present Rockaway Blue: An Evening with Larry Kirwan, a free, virtual performance and book signing webinar on Saturday, March 13, 2021 at 6:00 PM.

Irish musician, songwriter, and playwright Larry Kirwan returns to the museum in a virtual presentation to promote his new novel, Rockaway Blue, which will be published by Cornell University Press on March 15, 2021.

This event is part of the museum's Noble on Watch (NOW) lecture and concert series. The pre-recorded performance will be presented virtually on the museum's Facebook page at facebook.com/noblemaritime and website at noblemaritime.org/now, immediately followed by a live book signing webinar and Q&A session hosted by Larry Kirwan.

The free webinar will simulate an in-person book signing, providing an opportunity for readers to ask questions and interact with the author. Participants who make a $60 or higher donation to the Noble Maritime Collection during the webinar will receive a copy of Rockaway Blue, personalized by Larry Kirwan. To participate in the webinar portion of the program, register at: eventbrite.com/e/144468173195.

Rockaway Blue is the story of two families, the Irish-American Murphys from Rockaway Beach, Long Island, and the Egyptian-American Ibrahims of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn who intersect in the years before and after the 9/11 attacks.

The book follows Detective Sergeant Jimmy Murphy as he tries to come to terms with the death of his son, Brian, and explores what the young police lieutenant was doing in the North Tower of the World Trade Center 30 minutes before the attacks.

Of the program Kirwan said, “With live appearances not possible, because of the pandemic, I am resurrecting my Rock & Read format to introduce and promote Rockaway Blue. I am doing this virtually by returning to one of my favorite venues, the Noble Maritime Collection, where I recorded readings from the novel interspersed with performances of new, original songs that heighten the drama of the story.”

Kirwan also takes viewers on a virtual tour of the Noble Maritime Collection while explaining his connection to the museum. He tells about his father’s association with Sailors’ Snug Harbor during World War 2, and he describes how he wrote Floating, a song inspired by one of his performances at the museum, about his great-grandfather, Captain Thomas Moran. His ship, City of Bristol, went down off Cornwall in 1898.

The museum’s Director of Programs Dawn Daniels states that, “Larry’s bond with the building and its history is endearing, and all of us at the museum are delighted to premiere a program based on his new novel Rockaway Blue.”

Larry Kirwan was born in Wexford, Ireland and lives in New York City. He was the leader of Black 47 for 25 years during which the rock band played 2500 gigs, released 16 albums and appeared on major United States television shows. He has written A History of Irish Music and three novels, Liverpool Fantasy, Rockin’ The Bronx, a memoir, and Green Suede Shoes.

He has written or collaborated on 20 plays and musicals including Paradise Square which is expected to open on Broadway in early 2022. He is an Irish Echo columnist and a celebrity host and producer of Celtic Crush on SiriusXM Satellite Radio.

The Noble Maritime Collection’s public programs are supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; and a Humanities New York CARES Grant with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the federal CARES Act.