You can go to Ireland if you can snatch the crown off Mairead Conley's head (she's the local Rose of Tralee).
Win Two–Count Them—Two Trips to Ireland!
Yes, there’s a catch. You have to be a young woman of Irish descent who wins the Philadelphia Rose of Tralee contest.
This year, according to Philadelphia Rose of Tralee director Sarah Conaghan, all city Rose winners will go to Portlaoise, Ireland in June for the North American Rose Semifinals. If you’re selected there, you’ll return to Ireland in August for the International Rose of Tralee Festival. Your airfare and hotel accommodations will be provided.
To enter, you need to be between the ages of 18-27, never married, and have traceable Irish ancestry. The Philadelphia Rose will be selected at an event on March 27.
The Philadelphia Rose has a great “Rose-in-Training” program: Girl 5-12 can be Rosebuds and girls 13-17 can be Rose Petals. But no, they don’t get to go to Ireland.
For more information, go to the Philadelphia Rose Web site.
Nine Awards for RUNA
Congrats go out to Shannon Lambert-Ryan and RUNA. Not only was this local contemporary Irish band nominated for a gabillion Montgomery-Bucks Music Awards, they walked away with nine of them at the awards ceremony on November 8 at the Triumph Brewing Company in New Hope.
The awards are strictly people’s choice—given to musical groups who get the most votes.
“We were completely surprised and beside ourselves at the result and the support of our fans,” Shannon told us the day after the event. “We are still in a state of shock and surrealism. We were expecting to have a fun time with the experience and felt so privileged to be nominated with so many other fine musicians. Never in our wildest dreams did we expect to have a night like we did.”
Among the nine awards was one for Lambert-Ryan for best female vocalist, her husband Fionan de Barra and others for best lyricist, best original song, best overall CD and best folk group. Cheryl Prasker, a Canadian transplant living in Philadelphia and drummer, rounds out the RUNA trio.
Bad News, Good News
You know what comes first. We just learned that one of our fave trad bands, Paddy’s Well, has broken up. But no, it’s not like the Beatles or anything. They’re still talking. They have to—they have a gig at the Maryland State Irish Festival this weekend. It’s their last as a group.
The good news is we now have more Paddy’s Well music to love. Paul Moore, who founded the group five years ago, is reforming as Paul Moore and Friends which will be the First Friday band at Brittingham’s in Lafayette Hill come December. Among Paul’s friends: Matt Brescia of Paddy’s Well and current fiddler Paraic Keene of Dublin. There will also be regular guest appearances.
Paddy’s Well fiddler Laine Walker-Hughes told us she and her husband, Joe Hughes, and bass player Frank Reed have formed a new band, Belfast Connection and they’ve already started recording!
Aon sceal? is Irish for what’s new–so tell us what’s new and we’ll tell the world. Send your news to denise.foley@comcast.net.
