Are you ready for some fun? Good, because we have it aplenty this week.
A concert with Albannach, Seven Nations, Jamison and other high-octane bands kicks off the 18th Annual Greater Philadelphia Mid-Winter Scottish-Irish Festival and Fair, an event whose name gets longer every year, held at the Valley Forge Convention Center. It’s two and a half days of total Celtic immersion—music, dancing, whiskey, beer, food, even medieval sword play. There are dozens of vendors who are hawking everything from bejeweled Claddaghs to goth kilts. See our story on the St. Paddy’s Day parade fundraisers to find out what we’ll be doing there. (And stop by, say hello, and enter our promotional contest for a chance to win tickets to see Scythian at the TLA or Ronan Tynan at the Keswick Theatre next month!)
If Irish tenors are more to your taste, St. Colman’s Parish in Ardmore is hosting renowned singer Mark Forrest in concert on Friday night, February 12. The same night, the Gloucester City AOH is offering a free Irish music night with Jerry and Shaun of the Broken Shillelaghs. We would say, “so much to do, so little time” but we’re saving that phrase for March when the events are stacked up like Legos.
A reminder for this weekend: The WTMR 800AM radio shows are holding their on-air fund drive. Last week, with the help of the Irish Club of Delaware County, they raised almost $1,000. Let’s see if we can double that this week. Hosts Vince Gallagher and Marianne MacDonald will be at the Mid-Winter Festival in Valley Forge this weekend, so you can stop by and slip them some cash and music requests.
Speaking of the Irish Club of Delco, they’re holding their monthly meeting on Sunday at the Irish Immigration Center in Upper Darby. In Whitemarsh, St. Thomas Episcopal Church is holding its monthly Celtic worship service.
A reminder on a couple or three new regular events on our calendar—a ballad session at Slainte with John Byrne, whom we just profiled, Irish music at St. James Pub in Bethlehem, and Irish Night at the Washington Crossing Inn with some of your and our favorites, including the Theresa Flanagan Band, Paddy’s Well,?the Boys of County Bucks,?Connemara Codfish Company, and?Tullamore Trio.
McGillin’s Old Ale House in Center City has posted a “Mardi Gras” event with loads of drink and New Orleans’ cuisine specials (Po’ boys, yum!).
Mardi Gras can only mean one thing—no, not show me yours and I’ll throw you these beads—and that’s that Lent is coming up. What are you giving up? Hope it’s not Irish music because Gabriel Donohue is making a return appearance at The Irish Center on Friday, February 19, with singer Marian Makins and Alaskan fiddler Caitlin Warbelow. The Irish-born Donohue is not only a well known singer and guitarist, he’s produced award-winning CDs for many of your favorite performers such as Joanie Madden (of Cherish the Ladies), Jimmy Crowley, Girsa, Dan Milner, and top fiddler Seamus Connolly.
