Mayo Honoree Sister James Anne with some friends.
The Mayos will be having a ball this weekend. Those of you who know Philly’s Mayo Society know that they have a ball wherever they go and whatever they do, but this time it’s a capital B Ball. Their 105th to be exact. Along with dinner and dancing, they’ll be choosing the next Miss Mayo and honoring one of our favorite people, Sister James Anne, “the dancing nun”—she’s not only good, she teaches!—who is also a longtime special education teacher and chaplain of the Mayo Society.
It’s not the only event crowding the calendar this weekend. Another annual event is Blackthorn’s Ceili for Kayleigh, a benefit to support research into MMA (Methylmalonic acidemia), a rare metabolic disease in which the body can’t break down certain fats and proteins, leading to a build-up of a body acid that can lead to seizures and stroke. This benefit focuses on a local girl named Kayleigh Moran who was born with the illness. It will be held at the Knights of Columbus in Springfield on Saturday night.
Also on Saturday night, you can spend “An Evening with Mick Moloney” at Delaware County Community College where the renowned Irish musician and folklorist will talk about the impact of Irish and Jewish immigrants on Tin Pan Alley and American vaudeville music.
Burning Bridget Cleary is on tap at Daly’s Irish Pub and Restaurant in Philadelphia on Saturday night.
And you’ll be tripping over Mick on Sunday as he does his annual “Mick Moloney and Friends” concert to benefit St. Malachy’s Church and School in North Philadelphia. Mick has great musician friends (Athena Tergis and Bill McComiskey are going to be with him) and there’s often a surprise guest for this often standing-room only event (get there early to snag a good pew). Delawareans can catch Mick and fiddler Dana Lyn in concert at Timothy’s at Wilmington Hall in Wilmington on Tuesday.
The Donegal Association is holding its annual Donegal Memorial Mass on Sunday at 1 PM and the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal on Chelten Avenue in Philadelphia.
Tir Na Nog, at 16th and Arch in Philadelphia, is hosting the fourth annual Fine Art and Craft Show, to benefit Nancy’s House, nonprofit organization dedicated to caring for caregivers. The suggested donation ($10) gets you a bracelet that entitles you to 10 percent off your meal at Tir Na Nog that day. They’re also serving discounted beer and wine and will run a small cafe on the show floor.
Speaking of good-deed-doing, the AOH/LAOH 51 of Fishtown Hibernian Hunger Project this year–like last year–is collecting food, clothing and cash for the veterans served by the Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service and Education Center. It starts Friday at 5 PM and continues through Sunday at the Thriftway Supermarket at Aramingo Avenue and York Street. See the calendar for exact times.
For you Bethlehem folk: New to our calendar this week, a regular traditional Irish music brunch on Sundays at Granny McCarthy’s Tea Room at Donegal Square on Main Street in the Christmas city.
Technically not Irish, but Scottish (same thing really), the band Battlefield will be bringing it on at the Sellersville Theatre next Friday. No, they don’t play martial music. They’re a Celtic fusion band named for a Glasgow suburb called Battlefield and they mix traditional instruments with modern stuff like synthesizers. We love to hear people from Glasgow actually say “Glasgow.” Try to get them to do it.
Also on Friday, a real treat: Coatesville Traditional Irish Music Series is presenting incredible accordian player John Whelan from Wexford teaming up with singer Tommy O’Sullivan of West Kerry, considered one of the finest contemporary folk voices in Ireland today. End your work week with a visit to the Coatesville Cultural Society where you can get a bite to eat then hear a fabulous concert.
Don’t forget to order your tickets to the Delaware Valley Irish Hall of Fame dinner on Sunday, November 14 (no tickets will be sold at the door). Honorees this year are Vince Gallagher, president of the Commodore Barry Club (The Irish Center); Msgr. Joseph McLoone, chaplain of the Donegal Association, and Kathleen Sullivan, a long-time member of the Irish Memorial board. Call 215-872-1305 or e-mail McGeeBurns@aol.com for information and tickets.
The Inis Nua Theatre Company’s production of “The Early Bird” ends its run at the Adrienne in Philadelphia soon—it’s not to late to get tickets!
Just a reminder: Our calendar of events is free and self-service. Just go to the calendar page (click on “see all” at the bottom of the snippet of calendar that appears on our homepage), click on the line that reads “Notify us about your Irish events” which will take you to a page where you can fill out a form about your event. We get an automatic email that alerts us to new entries, we click a button and presto-chango! Your event appears on our calendar which is seen by more than 1600 people every week and gets featured in “How to Be Irish in Philly,” our hands-down most read feature week after week.
