After a truly European experience in Montreal, we continued our tour onto Williamsport and Albany. Williamsport is quite a small town resting in the scenic countryside of Pennsylvania. Its central development stems from the booming lumber industry of the early 20th century, which made millionaires of many entrepreneurs. In fact, near downtown, "Millionaires' Row", a five-block stretch of Victorian mansions, illustrates the wealth of these lumber barons.

One of the many mansions on Millionaire's row in Williamsport

In between Williamsport and our next port of call Albany NY, we had a day off that many of us used the proximity to New York City to make the short trip to the Big Apple! The Big Apple needs no introduction. The largest city in the U.S. is known internationally for its culture, entertainment, dining, fashion, art, sports, finance, and more. New York offers more than just restaurants, world-class museums, and thousands of retail shops of every variety. Each week, thousands of visitors flock to attractions such as the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, St Patrick's Cathedral, Madison Square Garden, Times Square, 5th Avenue, Ellis Island and Battery Park

St. Patrick's Cathedral, 5th Avenue, New York

New York is more than a concrete jungle, however. Central Park, in Manhattan, stretches out for miles, offering running and biking trails, scenic bodies of water, and numerous recreation facilities. We had a wonderful day shopping on 5th Avenue and exploring as many sights as we could.

Stunning Central Park on a crisp early summer's day

The highlight of our trip to New York City was a visit to the Hilton Theatre on 42nd St., home to the new Broadway show, 'The Pirate Queen'.

Outside the Hilton Theatre on Broadway

This spectacular new musical adventure, from the creators of Les Miserables, Boublil and Schonberg, and the producers of Riverdance, Moya Doherty and John McColgan, tells of a compelling, inspiring woman: a heroine who led an extraordinary life as a pirate, chieftain, lover and mother in 16th Century Ireland. Her quest to protect her people and save her one true love embarks her on a thrilling voyage that climaxes in a heated confrontation with the one woman more powerful than her... her fierce rival Queen Elizabeth I of England. Celebrating the real-life story of legendary Irish Chieftain Grace O'Malley, The Pirate Queen combines classic storytelling and a sweeping score with the powerful, vibrant traditions of Irish dance and song, to create a new musical event and an epic romance.

Riverdance meets The Pirate Queen: Stephanie J Block pictured here with some dancers from the Boyne

Leads, Hadley Fraser and Marcus Chait with Riverdance

Eight former cast members from Riverdance are now performing with The Pirate Queen, so it was great to catch up with them after the show. Former Riverdance Irish Dance Director, Carol Leavy Joyce is also a choreographer, which makes for a number of Riverdance connections.

From our flying visit to New York City, the Boyne tour rocked onwards to the state capitol of New York, Albany. A rich history, a thriving arts community and seemingly endless wilderness made this city on the Hudson River a great getaway from the somewhat craziness of the Big Apple. The city is dominated by an elaborate 10-building complex that includes the State Capitol and the New York State Museum. This week, we had a visit from our dance director Breandan De Gallai.

Now onto some backstage news.And a huge congratulations to Boyne dancer, Niamh O'Connor and former Riverdance Boyne lead dancer and current star of The Pirate Queen, Padraic Moyles on their recent engagement. Also a big well done to Melissa Convery and Declan Masterson, former Boyne performers who were married in Ireland recently. Here's to a long and happy life together to both couples from all your friends in Riverdance. Until next time from Connecticut..!

The newly engaged Padraic Moyles and Niamh O'Connor