Monthly Archives:

November 2007

Columns, How to Be Irish in Philly

How To Be Irish In Philly This Week

The Mid-Atlantic Oireachtas, a huge Irish dance competition, starts the day after Thanksgiving and runs through the weekend at the Downtown Marriott in Philadelphia. Many local dance schools are competing and it’s worth poking your head in for a few hours. The music is great, the dancers are adorable, and you won’t be able to help jigging back to your car. 

But on Wednesday night, you can get your dose of Irish while doing a good deed. On Wednesday night, starting at 5, Paul Moore and Paddy’s Well will be performing at Finnigan’s Wake in Philly at a benefit for the Police Survivors Fund, which is raising money for the family of the late Officer Charles Cassidy. Finnigan’s is providing the buffet and beer, and your $10 cover charge will go directly into the fund.

While you’re downtown, keep an eye out for Irish Thunder. No, that’s not a weather report. The popular pipe and drum band from Montgomery County will be reprising it’s annual Thanksgiving eve pub crawl.

You didn’t really have to make those pies, now did you? Just buy ’em!

November 14, 2007 by
Music

Rebel Yell

Derek Warfield still has a lot to sing about.

Derek Warfield still has a lot to sing about.

I’m not sure if Derek Warfield has a bumper sticker, but if he does, it probably says: “Hell, no, I ain’t forgettin’.”

I’m not about to suggest that, after decades of hatred and bloodshed, the warring parties in Northern Ireland are holding hands and singing “Kumbaya.” But the Irish Republican Army laid down its arms two years ago. The Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin formed a government in May. There is still a long way to go, God yes, but things at least seem to be headed in the right direction in the North.

All of which makes you wonder what Derek Warfield, a founding member of the Wolfe Tones—the legendary purveyors of Irish rebel anthems—has to sing about these days.

With his Sons of Erin Band, Warfield took the stage at the Philadelphia Irish Center on Friday night to answer that musical question. His answer? Well, of course, Warfield still draws heavily on the standards, like Cockles and Mussels and the Wild Rover.

There are some great instrumentals, too, plenty of jigs and reels to get the blood pumping. Warfield has a wonderfully talented backup band—including the brother-sister act of Damaris Woods (tenor banjo) and Jim Woods (accordion and bodhran). The band has a bright, fresh sound. It’s a nice match for Warfield at this phase of his career.

But it’s not all “Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go.”

Peace process or no, Warfield is not about to let anyone forget the long, bloody struggle. He invokes the memory of Padraig Pearse and all the ghosts of Kilmainham Jail. Bobby Sands and all the 1981 hunger strikers are still fresh in his mind. He won’t let anyone historically reconstruct the 1988 “accidental” shooting death of Irish Catholic Aidan McAnespie at the hands of British troops.

There’s still a lot to answer for, and it’s for damn sure Derek Warfield is not going to let any of the guilty parties off lightly.

Maybe all of this dwelling on past wrongs makes Warfield an anachronism. (I would say that the nursing of ancient grudges just makes him Irish.) But for Warfield and his fans at the Irish Center, history hasn’t fully played itself out yet. Until it does, Derek Warfield will play on.

November 13, 2007 by
Music

Musicians Rally for One of Their Own

From left, Mick Moloney, Jimmy Crowley, and Robbie O'Connell.

From left, Mick Moloney, Jimmy Crowley, and Robbie O'Connell.

Sitting on the stage at the Shanachie Pub and Restaurant between Irish trad buddies Robbie O’Connell and Jimmy Crowley, musician and folklorist Mick Moloney recalled the time in the early 60s when he met famed Irish balladeer Danny Doyle in Dublin.

“The hardest thing about playing in pubs was getting paid at the end of the night,”  he said. He recalled one barkeeper with Parkinson’s disease whose hands shook so badly that “it was four or five different grabs before you could get your money. Whenever I get together with Danny, we always talk about that.”

These days, however, Doyle, who has recorded 35 albums and performed at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and the National Concert Hall in Dublin, hasn’t had any gigs to get paid for. In August, surgery  for a carotid blockage left Doyle unable to perform. So on Sunday,  Gerry Timlin, co-owner of the Shanachie, organized the benefit to help Doyle meet the bills. And before they headed to another benefit at St. Malachy’s Church and School in Philadelphia, Moloney, O’Connell and Crowley stopped in at the Ambler pub to sing for their friend. So did a gang of other performers, including McGirr and Alberts, the King Brothers, and the Malones. Bill Reid of East of the Hebrides Entertainment, emceed the event which interspersed raffle drawings with some great music.

November 8, 2007 by
Genealogy

The Further Adventures of the Lazy Genealogist

When it comes to genealogy, it doesn’t get any lazier than this: using other people’s research. For one thing, you don’t have to do any of that really hard, musty, and expensive digging on your own if someone has been kind enough to do it for you and transcribe it to the web. The best thing about these sites is that they’re labors of love and you don’t have to pay to search them.

You may not always get a hit, but it’s worth a look at:
http://www.failteromhat.com/index.htm You can find selected extracts of Griffiths Valuation of Ireland 1848-1864 (this was the “census substitute” for mid-19th century Ireland; the first systematic valuation of all property holdings in Ireland) the 1901 Ireland census, 17th century Hearth Money Roles for Armagh, Louth, Sligo, and Monahan, the Irish Flax Growers’ list (also known as the Spinner’s list) for 1796, selected Irish marriage records for 1600-1900, plus a number of documents from Cork, Dublin, and smaller towns along with photos, maps and historical documents. The documents were compiled by John Hayes in the course of his own ancestor-hunting. “It’s nice to hear from people who find the site useful and or have found some relative through the site,” John told me.
http://irelandgenealogyprojects.rootsweb.com/ It’s a little hit or miss, but that’s because this site, hosted by major player rootsweb, is supplied with transcriptions by volunteers (God bless ‘em!). Click on the county you’re interested in and you’ll find window after window of information, from family home pages (like the one mentioned above, often a rich source of data) to transcriptions of historical documents, including hearth rolls and census records. Each county site includes a list of common surnames and the name of a researcher you can contact to ask about your ancestor.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~donegal/ If, like me, your ancestors came from Donegal, this site developed and maintained by Australian researcher Lindel Buckley is a treasure trove. Lindel has compiled headstone transcriptions from 18 cemeteries, commercial directories, passenger lists, census records, parish resources, land records, occupation-related indexes (including blacksmiths!), old Donegal photographs, a list of more than 100 books with a synopsis of each, and links to other resources.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~genealogylookup/index.html This site is manned by volunteers who are willing to do a “lookup” for you–perhaps a birth or death certificate, or even a headstone inscription. You can post your needs on the message board and with any luck, someone will offer to look it up for you. There is also a state-by-state list of people who love to prowl cemeteries to transcribe inscriptions, dig up census info, marriage licenses (there are fewer of those), and births (not too many). Of course, like many organizations, this one is always looking for volunteers.

November 8, 2007 by
Music

Review: “An Nollaig,” the Eileen Ivers Christmas CD

There’s a lot to like about “An Nollaig,” Eileen Ivers’ latest CD, a celebration of Christmas in the Irish style.

You probably sense a “but” waiting in the wings. There is one, a small one—but …. let’s first talk about the good stuff. Not surprisingly, there’s plenty of it.

At the core or this recording, there is, of course, Eileen Ivers—one of the finest and most creative fiddlers playing today. As always, she has surrounded herself with some brilliant instrumentalists, including members of her band, bassist Leo Traversa, flutist and piper Isaac Alderson and singer-percussionist Tommy McDonnell.

On the purely instrumental tracks—notably a selection of reels, “Christmas Eve/Oiche Nollag/High Road to Linton” and a grouping of jigs, “Apples In Winter/Frost is All Over/Merry Christmas”—the band simply rocks. This CD, like so many of Ivers’ previous works, defies easy categorization. Traditional Irish fiddle rubs shoulders with Afro-Caribbean drums. Here and there, you hear touches of Stephane Grappelli-influenced fiddle jazz. It all works. It always does.

A few other tunes, far less fast-paced and more soulful, are also standouts, including a Danish winter song, “The Time is Approaching,” with some lovely flute playing by Isaac Alderson. The closing tune, Ivers’ matchless reading of “O Holy Night,” will undoubtedly find its way onto one or more of the ubiquitous Windham Hill Celtic Christmas compilations, in the fullness of time.

By far the best and most memorable cut on the recording is a haunting interpretation of “Don Oiche Ud i mBeithill (One Night in Bethelehem),” with powerfully emotive vocals by Dublin-born contralto Susan McKeown. It’ll give you chills.

Now, on to the “but.” I’m less enamored of many of the vocals, but … I think it’s just me. McDonnell, for example, does a creditable job on the classic Vince Guaraldi tune, “Christmas Time Is Here.” I think I just selfishly wanted to hear more Ivers!

And I’ll admit to the same irrational selfishness on “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”—it’s a jazzy, upbeat take on Bach. Still, the choir infuses the piece with huge, full-throated energy. (If anything describes Eileen Ivers’ approach to music, that does. I mean, what choice did they have?)

You may be more of a fan than I am of the singers and the arrangements. But even if you’re not, there’s enough pure Ivers on this CD to make it all well worthwhile.

November 8, 2007 by
Music

Joyful Noise

Fiddlers Dana Lyn and Athena Tergis share post-show refreshments with Tergis's daughter Vivienne.

Fiddlers Dana Lyn and Athena Tergis share post-show refreshments with Tergis's daughter Vivienne.

Mick Moloney couldn’t recall precisely how many years he and his musical friends have staged their annual benefit for St. Malachy School in North Philadelphia. It really seems like forever. It’s well over 20 years, anyway.

And yet, at the same time, nothing about Moloney’s music ever feels old. If anything, this year’s concert—under the watchful eye of pastor John McNamee, assorted angels and a small gathering of saints—sounded as fresh, full of energy and divinely inspired as ever.

How could it not? First, you have Moloney—himself a one-man band and a living, breathing repository of Irish music, history and culture. Accompanying Moloney this year as special guests were the durable veterans Robbie O’Connell and Jimmy Crowley. Representing the younger generation were fiddlers Dana Lynn, Athena Tergis and Philly’s own Brendan Callaghan. (And a little later on, representing the even younger generation, were locals Caitlin Finley on fiddle, Emma Hinesly on flute and Jeremy Bingaman on bouzouki.)

The church was very nearly filled with Irish music fans, parishioners and the very supportive neighbors of this church community south of Temple’s main campus, which has been described as “Philadelphia’s island of grace.”

(And with the shooting death of Philadelphia Police Officer Charles Casidy still fresh in everyone’s mind, the neighborhood can use all the grace it can get.)

“Father Mac,” who has served as St. Malachy’s pastor since 1984, thanked audience members for their goodwill offering—and it’s certainly going to come in handy. “We have 216 children in our school,” he said from the altar, just before volunteers started to take up the collection. “Only 20 of them are Catholic. Our tuition is $1,600, which is considerably less—about $500 less—than the average Catholic elementary school tuition. You help us to cover the difference between what it costs us to provide the education and what it costs the parents.”

For their goodwill offering, the audience received plenty in return. Moloney and company, lined up in front of the marble altar and surrounded by pumpkins and fall flowers, served up one great old song after another, including “McNally’s Row of Flats,” from Moloney’s 2006 CD of the same name, and endless jigs and reels. Indeed, the night concluded with “a blast of reels,” with all the musicians crowding onto the stage. The hall echoed with whoops, clapping hands and stomping feet.

If you missed it, no worries. We have photos and video.

November 7, 2007 by
News, People

Michael Bradley to Enter Irish Hall of Fame

Michael Bradley and Cardinal Justin Rigali following the 2007 St. Patrick's Mass.

Michael Bradley and Cardinal Justin Rigali following the 2007 St. Patrick's Mass.

By Kathy McGee Burns

Michael J. Bradley is a man of many talents.

He is husband, dad, brother, son, friend, coach, businessman, investor, Hibernian, alumnus, knight, director, trustee, chairman, athlete, marshal, Realtor, salesman, commissioner, adviser, vice president, treasurer, union member, columnist, and president of almost every group on which he’s served.

But this year…we’ve got him! Michael J. Bradley is one of the Delaware Valley Irish Hall of Fame 2007 honorees.

He’ll be embarrassed that I mentioned all of his accomplishments but the Irish community deserves to know what a great guy we have among us.

Bradley is the oldest child of Michael and Bernadette Sherry Bradley. The Bradley roots are Mayo and Sherry’s are Clare and Tipperary. There were eight children, Joey (deceased), Michael, Chris, Dennis, Tom, Bernadette, Maureen and Kerry. Michael attended St. Charles  (Drexel Hill), Monsignor Bonner, and Strath Haven High School. He proudly graduated from Penn State University, 1978, as a business major. I say “proudly” because it’s in his blood.

He serves on the P.S. Nittany Lion Club, P.S. Alumni Association, P.S. University Advisory Board and was president of all three. He’s proudest of being an Alumni Fellow.

At age 17, he traveled to Ireland with his grandparents, Mary (MacNamara) and Joseph Sherry. It cost him $199, and $1 to join the Ancient Order of Hibernians. They arrived at Quin, County Clare, and Michael met his great-grandfather Jim MacNamara, age 93, a silent, funny man. For the first two weeks he said little, but on the third week, he leaned over to Michael and said, “So, how are those American girls?” He spent time fishing with his cousins and once he caught a 20-pound salmon. But, alas, the hook slipped out of its mouth and the fish got away. His Granddad, the quiet man, said “The ones that get away are always the biggest”. All in all, Bradley has made 20 trips to Ireland. He feels at home here and also there. His Irish relatives always say, “Welcome home.” He has become close to one of his cousins, Seamus MacNamara, and they are godfathers to each others sons.

Michael Bradley is the president and parade director of the Philadelphia’s St. Patrick’s Day Observance Association, a duty he loves above all. He set his cap for this position a long time ago. His first parade was while his mother was pregnant with him. She was watching his dad march with the Shanahan Catholic Club. When he was 18, he took his little sisters to enjoy it. He started out as a marshal, doing all kinds of jobs. Finally, Jack McNamee, Jim Kilgallen and Paul Phillips sponsored him onto the board. Then Jim Cawley, the parade director, took him under his wing and taught him everything there was to know. Since his tenure as director, he has reorganized the method of membership (now computerized), negotiated a great television contract with CBS 3, fostered a wonderful relationship with Michael Colleran (CBS 3 president and general manager) and doubled the marchers from 90 groups to 180.

Michael Bradley has a public side and an Irish side. I needn’t tell which side he treasures.

This past summer he was honored by the Irish Immigration and Pastoral Center, an event which gave him his first Irish award. He also co-hosted the Irish Festival at Penn’s Landing. Bradley is also a board member of the Commodore Barry Club (Irish Center).

Michael is married to Linda or, shall I say, “St. Linda.” She has to share him with millions. He calls her his best friend. They have two boys, Mickey and Colin. During the frantic times of the parade season, his three cohorts pitch right in.

Last year, they all went to North Bend to see Penn State play Notre Dame. I asked him what he would do if his boys decided to go to Notre Dame. He said he wouldn’t care as long as they were happy.

The Bradley family is generous with their belongings. Their home at the shore is “open house” to nuns, priests, family and friends. They also donate weekend stays for charity affairs.

Michael believes that you give back to all who helped you along the way. He practices that conviction in his everyday life.

I asked a few of Michael Bradley’s friends to tell me what they thought of him. Here were the comments: “Very giving,” “Gets things done,” “Whatever he promises, he fulfills,” “He’s pro-Irish, not pro-Bradley,” “I’m proud to know the guy,” and finally, “He gets it.”

It is not easy to capture the essence of this man but he lives by these tenets:

  • Go to Mass. Give back to your religion in time, talent and treasures.
  • Go to college. Give back to your college, help kids get into school.
  • Treasure your heritage. Being an Irish catholic is what Michael Bradley is about.

Michael lives by Joe Paterno words,”Believe deep down in your heart that you are destined to do great things.”

Just hope that Michael Bradley brings you along for the ride.

You can get your tickets to the Delaware Valley Irish Hall of Fame Dinner, November 18, Irish Center, by calling Kathy McGee Burns (215) 619-0509, Bob Hurst (610) 832-0380, or Sean McMenamin (215) 850-0518.

November 3, 2007 by
News, People

You Can Take the Girl Out of Mayo …

By Kathy McGee Burns

The Delaware Valley Irish Hall of Fame has honored many dynamic women in its seven year history. This year we’ve chosen a hard-working, dedicated, fun-loving and determined woman named Attracta O’Malley.

Attracta arrived in America in 1961 at the age of 17 years. It was a long, arduous trip. Traveling alone, she left Charlestown , County Mayo, in a Hackney car, boarded a Lufthansa plane in Shannon, touched down in New York City, and after a two-and-a-half-hour layover, she took a shuttle plane to Philadelphia.

The trip was not over yet! Met by her aunt, Mary Ellen Higgins, and her siblings, Tommy, Kathleen and Mary Moffitt, they took the subway and the 23 Trolley to Germantown and finally, Attracta O’Malley had arrived!

Her parents John and Margaret Higgins Moffitt had given her three rules to live by:

  • Always go to church.
  • Always do an honest day’s job for an honest day’s pay.
  • Come home often. Attracta never forgot this pledge made to her parents. To the best of her ability, she fulfilled her promise.

She secured the first position she went after. She remembers a test they gave her. Attracta had every question right except one. She was asked how many dimes were in a $5 bill.

Unfamiliar with American money, she confused nickels with dimes. It didn’t matter; General Accident Insurance Co. hired her on the spot. Her first paycheck was for $38. She ran immediately to the bank, sent $20 back to Ireland and then proceeded to Lerners Dress Shop, where she “bought out the store”. Attracta quickly learned, when she arrived home with two big bags and no money, that she still had rent to pay. Her siblings were very kind and generous with her when she arrived but enough was enough.

She loved TV, especially Bandstand, although her aunt thought she would like Lawrence Welk. She frequented Connolly’s Dance Hall, The Irish Center, Shamrock Club, the Crystal Ballroom and like a proper, young, Irish, Catholic girl…and the Miraculous Medal Novena on Monday nights.

Attracta O’Malley is no stranger to charitable works. With her brother and sisters, they spent a lot of time fund-raising for the Columban and St. Patrick Fathers and the Holy Rosary Sisters. No one has sold more chances and tickets than Attracta.

O’Malley quickly discovered the Mayo Men’s Association. Her brother Tommy was a member, but women need not apply. She rounded up her girlfriends and formed a Ladies Auxiliary. They met at the back of the room while the men were in the front. One of their duties was making tea for the men. Whenever the discussion to allow women into this organization came up, the recording secretary, Thomas O’Malley, was told to put down his pen. Until this day, there are many blank pages in the Mayo minutes. Finally, in 1966, the ladies triumphed. The M.M.A. was now known as the Mayo Association. Attracta O’Malley became the first woman president in 1981.She had that title in 1981-82 and then again in 1998-99. She confided in me that she had no idea had to run a meeting so she bought Robert’s Rules and proceeded to memorize it.

It is not surprising that she won that coveted title of president but she also won the heart of the recording secretary, Tom O’Malley. They’ve been married 39 years.

Attracta O’Malley has three favorite charities that she holds dear to her heart.

In 1985, she helped raise money to build Knock Airport. This project was not supposed to succeed. Its opponents said it was like throwing good money after bad. Its supporters could visualize the aid it would give to Mayo’s economy. Well, they beat the odds and Knock Airport is a successful operation.

In 1987, Sinead Jordon, a 1-year-old Dublin girl, was near death. She needed a bone marrow transplant. Her family reached out to the U.S.A., and Philadelphia’s Irish community formed a committee of all  society  presidents. Within four weeks, they raised $30,000. Together with the generosity of Boston, Chicago and New York organizations, they brought Sinead to Minneapolis and she was successfully transplanted. Sinead Jordon is now 21 years old. Attracta said how proud she was of this accomplishment, but prouder still of how beautifully all of the Philadelphia societies worked together as one united force.

And finally, in 1991, she was on the committee for the first Capital Improvement Fund, which was designed to renovate and refurbish the Irish Center. Under the leadership of Kathleen McGurk, they sold 1,000 tickets for $100 each and, once again, the Grand Old Lady (IC) went on to be the heart and soul of the Philadelphia Irish.

Attracta reminisced about the rivalry that went on between members of the committee. She would tell a little white lie about how many tickets she had sold, which forced others to try and top her. Keeping the Irish Center going is a Herculean task, and Attracta O’Malley appreciates the fine job Vincent Gallagher and the present board members have continued.

O’Malley has spent her lifetime giving to others. The issues in which she invests her energy are weighty. She helped to save a young child’s life; she contributed to the economy of her homeland, and  she fights to keep the Irish Center going. Attracta would dismiss all of this as no big deal. She would give the credit to others.

I love to hear Attracta speak. She has a lilting voice and a small giggle which mesmerizes her listener. Her name, Attracta O’Malley, sounds like a song. I think the beauty of her name and voice is echoed by the beauty of her life.

November 2, 2007 by