A forgotten bag of coffee. That’s what put the wheels in motion for Ciaran Nagle’s move to Peterborough.
It was August 2018, and he was camping with his wife, Tara Novak, near Lake Dennison in Winchendon, Massachusetts. The plan was to hike Mount Monadnock that morning, but Nagle left the coffee in the refrigerator at home. Not wanting to settle for just any run of the mill cup prior to their hike they took a drive that led them to Parker and Sons Coffee Roasting in Peterborough.
Novak immediately recognized the small town. She had played a concert with Symphony NH in Peterborough and told Nagle that this was the one – that dream town they had talked about living in.
They picked up a brochure that had reasons people should move to Peterborough. Those reasons matched up with what they’d be looking for. After their hike, they went to Post & Beam Brewing for a beer and before long they were chatting it up with owner Erika Rosenfeld. Sitting at the bar, they started looking at real estate properties for sale and set up a couple showings the following weekend. They moved to Peterborough three months later.
If you talk to Nagle, it’s clear by his accent that he’s Irish. He lived in Ireland his entire life until moving stateside in 2012. It was not an easy decision to make considering he had a successful musical career, his parents and sisters lived there, as did his two sons. But just like when the economy took a downturn in America, Ireland was hit hard too. Nagle saw 18 months worth of work for his music production company get canceled almost over night and it was devastating.
“People talk about overnight success, but overnight wipe out is really tough,” he said.
Novak grew up in Omaha, Nebraska and was living in New York before moving to Ireland in 2007. They decided to head to Boston in 2012 and were married later that year.
“We have something that’s super special and unique,” Nagle said.
The way the two met is right out of a great love story. Nagle had come to the U.S. for a six-week tour in 2005 with his vocal group, the Three Irish Tenors. Novak was hired to be the group’s solo violinist.
“I took one look and said she’s my girl,” Nagle said with a grin.
Nagle always remembers music being a part of his life. There are photos of him sitting at the family piano at the age of two and from an early age developed a love of singing.
“My parents encouraged me tremendously,” Nagle said.
In 2010, Nagle and Novak formed Ishna, which Nagle describes as “a passion project for us.” They recently had a performance under the stars at Cathedral of the Pines, an intimate show with pianist/accordion player David McGrory, and plan to perform A Celtic Christmas on Dec. 20 at the Peterborough Town House with the group’s full range of musicians, singers and dancers.
“It’s just part of our DNA,” Nagle said.
Nagle has performed all over the world – the Netherlands, India, South Africa, Germany and the list goes on. He toured with River Dance for two years, including as a member of the first troupe to perform in Japan. Add in Carnegie Hall and just about every state in America, and Nagle has seen and experienced a lot. They almost moved to San Diego, but the extra distance to Ireland made them rethink the plan.
After they married, Nagle applied for a green card and was approved. But he left for a tour out of the country before physically getting it and that voided his entire application. He changed his flight home to Ireland and for eight weeks couldn’t return to his new bride. Looking back, it was like it happened for a reason because while Nagle was in Ireland unable to come back to the US, his father passed away suddenly.
“Thankfully I did have a home to go to,” Nagle said.
It was after performing in a benefit concert that Nagle was allowed to return, something to do with a humanitarian effort. Upon his arrival, Nagle redid the application and became a citizen.
When not touring, performing or acting as their own management team, Nagle runs – with Novak – Foundation Kitchen, which operates two shared culinary workspaces in Somerville, Massachusetts, just minutes away from where they used to live and now requires up to an hour and a half drive.
“It’s a small price to pay for paradise,” Nagle said.
They have 21 clients who use the space for their production needs and plan to open a third, 6,000-foot location in Charlestown. And by next summer, they hope to bring one to Peterborough.
How it works is clients rent the space to fit their needs (it is open 24 hours a day) whether it be prep work for a restaurant or production for a small food business and pay by the hour.
In his free time, whatever that actually is, Nagle likes to run. On average he does about six miles a day and if he has some extra time, has been known to run 12 or more and does so with Jack, his boxer/lab mix.
“It gives me mental clarity,” Nagle said.
He is the chair of Grow, Eat, Drink, Monadnock (a spoke of the Monadnock Economic Ecosystem Hub) that was established to help promote the food and farm this area of New Hampshire has to offer.
“We wanted to be in a town where we could contribute to the community in a positive sense,” Nagle said.
Nagle never envisioned living anywhere but Ireland.
“Ten years ago, if you asked me if I saw myself living in the U.S., the answer would be categorically no,” Nagle said. “I’m an Irish boy, through and through.”
But now he can’t imagine being anywhere else but Peterborough.
“It reminds me a lot of [where I grew up], where neighbors know neighbors,” Nagle said.