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April 2011

Arts, Music, People

The Heavenly Voices of Cappella Caeciliana

Last night some of the most heavenly voices on earth dropped by St. Malachy’s Church in Philadelphia.

The parish, located in the middle of North Philadelphia, was established in 1850 by Irish immigrants. Today, the church is also home to St. Malachy’s School, an independent Catholic school that educates over 200 minority children.

For Cappella Caeciliana, the Belfast choir founded in 1995, the church was a must stop on its first American tour. The choir’s music director, Donal McCrisken, is the Head of Music for St. Malachy’s College, Belfast, Northern Ireland’s first specialist music school.

Cappella Caeciliana performed selections from their vast choral repertoire for a blissfully enraptured audience. Filling the church was a crowd that braved the dreary weather and was richly rewarded for its effort. As a tribute to Michaela Harte McAreavy, the daughter of Tyrone’s senior football manager Mickey Harte, who was murdered on her honeymoon this past January, the choir sang “She Moved Through the Fair.” It was a favorite song of the young woman who had many friends in Philadelphia’s Irish Community where her loss is still mourned.

McCrisken spoke afterwards. “Music is probably the most powerful medium there is. It has a way of going from heart to heart. Music transcends boundaries, transcends difficulties; somehow music cuts through and none of those divisions mean anything.

“But at the same time…when you walk into this parish, when you walk into this church, you know they’re very special people here. There’s something intangible, something special in the air here.”

And he would know something about that; Cappella Caeciliana is a Northern Ireland choir made up of both Catholic and Protestant singers.

For the choir who spent the day at St. Malachy’s school, talking to and performing with the children there, the warmth and genuineness that floods the church and the school made an impression.

“We hope our music in a small way is a return for that,” McCrisken said. “And we’re delighted the music has spoken to your audience so powerfully.”

See our photo essay from the concert.

April 29, 2011 by
Music

NicGaviskey in Concert

An Irish kick line: Keiran Jordan and Siobhan Butler, joining Bernadette and Caitlín Nic Gabhann.

An Irish kick line: Keiran Jordan and Siobhan Butler, joining Bernadette and Caitlín Nic Gabhann.

Fans of traditional Irish music got a super treat Saturday night at the Philadelphia Irish Center.

The band is called NicGaviskey—a kind of mooshing together of the band members’ names: Sean Gavin, flute; Bernadette Nic Gabhann, fiddle; Caitlín Nic Gabhann, concertina; Sean McComiskey on accordion (he’s the son of celebrated box player Billy McComiskey).

Gavin is from Detroit and McComiskey is from Baltimore; the ladies are from County Meath. They met at Catskills Irish Arts week in upstate New York in 2009, and sparks flew. In time, they collaborated on a CD, “Home away from Home,” recorded both in Miltown Malbay, West Clare, and Baltimore.

The band brought many of those tunes to the Irish Center, playing to a packed house.

And as an added treat … there was dancing. First, the Nic Gabhanns; and then the Nic Gabhanns, joined by acclaimed sean nos dancer Keiran Jordan, a Philly-area native now in Boston, with Siobhan Butler, also of Boston.

We’ve put together a photo essay of the night’s doings right here.

And, as you can see above, we offer four very cool videos to give you a sampling of the band’s superb playing.

April 29, 2011 by
News

12 Inspirational Irish Women Awardees Announced

A Philadelphia judge, an award-winning kids’ radio host, a decorated firefighter, and the regional president of the Sisters of Mercy are among the 12 women to be honored this year at the second annual Inspirational Irish Women Awards event on Sunday, May 22, at the Commodore Barry Club (The Irish Center) in Philadelphia.

Founded last year, the awards are given to women of Irish descent whose lives are an inspiration to others. Among last year’s honorees were Siobhan Reardon, first woman president of The Free Library of Philadelphia; Denise Sullivan Morrison, poised to become the next CEO of Campbell Soup Company; Rosemarie Timoney, founder of a school of Irish dance and longtime promoter of Irish culture; Emily Riley, executive vice president of the philanthropic Connelly Foundation; and Kathy Orr, Emmy-winning CBS3 meteorologist who will serve as emcee for this year’s event.

Two of last year’s winners, Liz Kerr, RN, a nurse on Temple’s transplant team, and Kathy McGee Burns, president of the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Observance Association, were part of the 2011 selection committee.

Proceeds from the event, an afternoon cocktail reception at the Irish Center, 6815 Emlen Street, Philadelphia, will go to the Irish Center.

For more than 50 years, the Center has served as a home away from home for thousands of Irish people living in Philadelphia. As a meeting spot for Irish cultural organizations, dance, and music groups, it has been the solid foundation of the city’s vibrant Irish community. Without this home base, many of the region’s Irish cultural and charitable organizations would be left without a meeting and event space; some would not be able to continue their activities without the crucial support that the Center provides.

This year, the Irish Center has launched a capital improvement fundraising campaign to repair its roof and to finish construction of an elevator—two jobs that will require a significant influx of cash.

The awards program is co-sponsored by the Irish Immigration Center of Philadelphia, a 501 (c)(3) organization that has been serving the needs of the region’s Irish immigrants since 1998. Through the Immigration Center’s fiscal sponsorship, donations, sponsorships ranging from $100 to $1,000, and the purchase of reserved tables is tax deductible.

Tickets to the event cost $40 and cover beer, wine, soft drinks, as well as various hot and cold appetizers. Table reservations are $450. No tickets will be sold at the door. Ads in the program booklet range in price from $25 to $100.

To purchase tickets, tables, or ads by mail, make checks out to the Irish Immigration Center of Philadelphia, and send them to the center at 7 South Cedar Lane, Upper Darby, PA 19082.

For more information on the event or to purchase tickets or tables online at a secure site, go to www.inspirationalirishwomen.com. You can also send an email to inspirational.irish.women@gmail.com.

The 2011 Inspirational Irish Women Honorees are:

Sister Christine McCann, the Regional President of the Sisters of Mercy in Merion, serves as the Board Chair for Mercy Health System and the Coordinator of the Catholic Health East Sponsor Council. In addition, she is active on the Boards of Catholic Health East and Gwynedd- Mercy College. The Sisters of Mercy, an Irish order, is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.

Margaret Reyes is retired from the Department of Fire and Rescue Services in Montgomery County, Maryland, where she was a firefighter, emergency medical technician, and instructor in specialist rescue training. She currently works as a trainer/educator of the courts in Delaware. Ms. Reyes is also a nationally certified Swiftwater Rescue Technician Instructor and Hazmat Specialist. She was activated by FEMA to several natural and man-made disasters, including the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, and received a meritorious Service Medal from President Bill Clinton for her service there. She is now an activist on immigrant issues. She holds dual Irish and American citizenship.

The Honorable Pamela Pryor Dembe is the president of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and former president of the Brehon Society.

Kathy Fanning is president of the Philadelphia County Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians. This year, Fanning, who is a charter member of LAOH Division 39, received her national life membership from the LAOH.

Kathy O’Connell is the longtime host of WXPN’s “Kids Corner,” a Peabody Award-winning radio show for children.

Anne McDade Keyser Hill, at 86, is still at the helm of two local companies, Plasti-Seal Corporation and John F. Keyser & Sons, in Huntingdon Valley. She was a female business owner at a time when she felt she had to sign her name with just a first initial because “men didn’t want to do business with a woman.” She was active in organizing and heading up parish-linked programs for singles (where she met her current husband, Joe, a retired teacher and writer).

Mary Ann McGinley, PhD, RN, is senior vice president for patient services and chief nursing officer at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Under her leadership Jefferson was granted magnet program status for nursing excellence in 2009, a designation granted to fewer than 5% of US hospitals. She is also recipient of many awards including The Clara Barton Award for Courage in Nursing, 1997 and The Distinguished Alumni Leadership Award from Gwynedd Mercy College in March, 2000.

Carmel Boyce, a mother of six from Letterkenny, Donegal, is, with her husband, Barney, a pillar of the Philadelphia Irish community. She serves on the board of the Irish Center, is financial secretary of the Donegal Association, and has been involved in countless charities. All of her children are actively involved in the Irish community, many in music and dance, helping to keep the culture alive.

Karen Boyce McCollum, Carmel Boyce’s youngest child, is a graduate of Drexel University. She is the associate director of corporate communications for Cephalon, an international biopharmaceutical company. She is also community relations director for and on the board of Irish Network-Philadelphia, a member of the Donegal Association, a singer (she sang at last year’s event), a former Rose of Tralee, and mother of two (soon to be three). She has been named one of the Irish Echo’s 40 Under 40.

Christine M. Coulter is an Inspector in the Philadelphia Police Department’s traffic divisions (special operations). For the past eight years, she has gone on yearly missions to El Salvador with the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus where she has worked on neighborhood projects, including building a bridge, a medical center and a library, as well as teaching computer skills and English to children. She also sponsors a child from the Honduras through Amigos de Jesus, a project founded by Philadelphia-based priest, Father Denny O’Donnell.

Posthumous Awards

 

Liz Crehan Anderson was a tireless promoter of Irish traditional music, dancing, and Irish-speaking in the Philadelphia area until her untimely death at age 54. The niece of Junior Crehan, the famed Clare fiddler, she was a familiar figure at session, house concerts and workshops and was playing and encouraging people to attend workshops until two days before she died.

Sister Peg Hynes SSJ, born in Philadelphia to parents from Galway, was director of the Heart of Camden Housing which helped Camden resident become homeowners. She was honored by the UN, the Fannie Mae Foundation, and many other organizations for her work to provide affordable housing for the poor. A two-time cancer survivor, she was killed in a tragic car accident in 2002.

Looking for a few reasons to be inspired? Check out these four recent profiles:

April 29, 2011 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How To Be Irish In Philly This Week

Jack Wink is dressed for the Derry Spring Social.

I don’t know about you, but that Royal Wedding tired me out. I stayed up all night making my hat. I donated it to Habitat for Humanity and a family of four is living in it now.

But I’m not too tired to be heading into Philadelphia tomorrow night to see “Dublin by Lamplight,” the latest play in the Philadelphia Irish Theater Festival, produced by the Inis Nua Theatre Company. The play, a tragi-comedy (which is to say it’s Irish) will be at the Broad Street Ministries until May 14. Read more about it here.

There’s plenty going on this week to keep everyone happy. You dancers! The AOH Notre Dame Division 1 in Swedesburg is holding a ceili on Saturday night at 7 PM featuring the musical stylings of Kevin, Jimmy and Judy—that’s two McGillians and a Brennan—family names synonymous with ceili music in the Philadelphia area. It doesn’t get any better.

On Saturday, AOH Div. 87 is holding a beef and beer at their hall on Wakeling Street in Philadelphia to raise money for the families of Irish prisoners of war. Raymond Coleman and Pat Close and the Brigade are providing the music.

Remarkable fiddler Randal Bays and guitarist Davey Mathias will be performing at the Coatesville Cultural Center—another blockbuster concert from Frank Dalton.

On Sunday, bring the kids and yourself to the Irish Center as the Derry Society holds its second annual (we hope) Derry Social with three bands, great food, and lots of games for the kids. We went last year and had a ball.

The AOH is busy this weekend. The Gloucester County AOH is holding a memorial event on the 30th anniversary of the Irish political prisoners’ hunger strike of 1981 during which 10 young men, including Bobby Sands, died.

On May 5, Irish Network-Philly is going to mix some ethnic metaphors. They’re holding a Cinco de Mayo Happy Hour at Tir na Nog on Arch Street in Philly. Actually, it’s a celebration of the first anniversary of this organization founded to bring together disparate parts of the region’s Irish community. Happy Birthday, IN-Philly!

Speaking of anniversaries—the Galway Society is celebrating its 102nd (gosh, you don’t look a day over 100) on Saturday, May 7, by throwing a dinner-dance at the Irish Center, starting with an open bar at 6 PM, followed by dinner and dancing to music by the Vince Gallagher Band and Friends. Happy Anniversary to our friends from Galway!

As always, check our calendar for all the details. And check back during the week, since we’re always adding more.

 

April 29, 2011 by
History

Remembering the Patriots of 1916

Local Irish organizations, including Clan na Gael, Irish Northern Aid and the Ancient Order of Hibernians, gathered Sunday at Holy Cross Cemetery to commemorate the 95th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising.

Gathering at the gravesite of Joseph McGarrity, who coordinated and provided financial support for those who sought to drive the British out of Ireland, they recalled the names of many patriots for whom Holy Cross is also their final resting place. There’s a fair number: Martin Noone, Danny Catalan, John Ryan, Danny Duffy, Luke Dillon, John Devoy, Tom Mylott. And it’s probably not all.

Ireland is an ocean away and 1916 is a long time ago, but in Philadelphia, they’re not forgetting.

April 22, 2011 by
Music

Randal Bays’ Musical Journey

Randall Bays

Randall Bays

OK, granted, Randal Bays already was a serious musician before he took up Irish fiddle. He started on trumpet when he was 8, and went on to make his mark as a classical guitarist.

All the same, Randal Bays’ subsequent accomplishments as a fiddler, universally hailed as one of the most expressive and creative of his generation, is all the more remarkable in light of these facts: a.) He stumbled into the Irish musical tradition completely by accident, and b.) He is self-taught.

Among Irish musicians, the story of Bays’ introduction to traditional music has passed into legend. The story goes like this: One night in 1978, while accompanying a couple of friends to the Medieval Inn in his Portland, Oregon, stomping grounds, Bays witnessed the glorious spontaneity of a traditional Irish music session for the very first time.

He recalls that fateful evening.

“It was raining hard,” he says. “I had some friends who were involved in Irish music. I didn’t know anything about it, really. I’d heard some Chieftain albums. These friends, I thought they were really pretentious, going around wearing their caps and drinking Guinness. But they took me to hear this music, and that’s what did it. This was the first time I’d heard really great traditional music played in a session atmosphere and it really got to me.”

Bays remembers being impressed by both the music itself and the camaraderie of the musicians. In short, the same things most Irish musicians love about a session.

“There’s this combination of the potency of the music coupled with the intensity of good feeling that goes on in a good session,” Bays says. “If not unique to Irish music, it’s something that I love. Another thing that really thrilled me was the discovery of a whole room full of people focused on melody. We are all melody, all the time.”

That he gravitated to fiddle of all instruments, he says, is not surprising, given the makeup of sessions in Portland in the 1970s. Sessions back then were 80 percent fiddle, if not more, he says.

Too, Portland had no shortage of truly fine fiddlers to learn from and emulate, such as the virtuoso Kevin Burke.

As an already gifted musician, Bays wasn’t all that daunted by the prospect of self-instruction, and he set about learning by listening. Only later did he realize that, in teaching himself, he picked up many good techniques—but also a few that did not serve him as well.

“There were people around who were very good players,” he says. “I spent a lot of time with Kevin. With the fiddle, I learned, it’s all in the bowing. Someone at some point has to show you how the bow might work. It’s not intuitive. But basically for me, I was into it several years, and I realized I wasn’t going to progress unless I took it apart and started all over again.”

Did he ever. Not only has he become one of most the creative and expressive Irish fiddlers in America, reknowned for the delicacy and precision of his bow work, but he has also become a much sought-after teacher, sharing what he knows at the prestigious Willie Clancy Summer School and Festival, Catskills Irish Arts Week in New York, the Swannanoa Gathering, among many others. Of course, Bays would also include the Friday Harbor Irish Music Camp in Roche Harbor, Washington, which he co-founded with with Dan Paulson. Bays is equally well-known as a fingerstyle guitarist who has accompanied many of the finest Irish musicians in the world.

He long ago moved up to a fiddle worthy of his mettle, as well. The fiddle he now plays was custom crafted for him by Andranik Gaybaryan, now living and plying his trade in Amherst, Massachusetts. The award-winning Morgan Andersen of Rosalia, Washington, made the bow.

“I love this fiddle. Gaybaryan trained in Russia and he is also a great player. He is one of a handful in people in North America who understand the sound production of these instruments,” Bays says. “The trouble with the fiddle and the bow now is, I can never blame my equipment. If there’s anything wrong, it’s all my fault.”

See if you can catch him in a mistake (good luck) when he appears in concert with guitarist Davey Mathias at the Coatesville Traditional Irish Music Series, 143 East Lincoln Highway, on Saturday, April 30 at 8 p.m. For details, visit: http://www.ctims.info/

April 22, 2011 by
People

The New “Rose” Talks About Her “Pet” Project

2011 Philadelphia Rose of Tralee Beth Keeley with CBS3 reporter and host for the Rose event, Jim Donovan.

By Beth Keeley

2011 Philadelphia Rose of Tralee

I grew up in a typical Irish-American household. I knew my family came from Ireland and I took pride in being Irish, but I didn’t have much more information beyond that. I didn’t know what counties my family came from or even which generation it was that came over. My Irish pride spanned the likes of taking Irish step dancing classes, eating ham and cabbage for dinner on St. Patrick’s Day and crying whenever “Danny Boy” played on the radio. My family, like many Irish-American families, is more culturally Irish by choice, rather than having a history passed down.

In the past few years, though, I’ve started to take a more serious interest in my Irish roots. I recently hired a genealogist to trace my father’s families – the Keeleys and the McKeevers. It turns out that they are from County Donegal and County Mayo. More shockingly, I discovered that I am fourth generation. For not knowing a thing about my family tree to learning that I am fourth generation was a pretty big and exciting shock.

Since then I have started to seek out ways to become more in touch with my Irish heritage. I entered the Rose of Tralee contest on a last minute whim. A week before the contest I decided to give it a try just to see what would happen. I wanted to become more involved with the Irish community and the Philadelphia Rose of Tralee Centre focuses heavily on charity work, which was a huge draw for me.

The Philadelphia Rose of Tralee selection night was a big success. There was live music, great food and – most importantly – the friendliest and most welcoming people I have come across in a long time. All of the Rose contestants embraced and encouraged each other. We all joked and danced together and had the best intentions for each other while each girl stood in front of the audience to answer questions. The Rose motto, “camaraderie, not competition” proved to ring very true.

The families and friends of other Rose contestants were just as welcoming. Even though the night started out as a room full of strangers to me, I quickly felt at home. People I had never met before were wishing me well and I could tell that they genuinely meant it. I felt the true Irish welcoming spirit.

As the end of the night neared, the Rose contestants knew a winner would soon be announced. As much as we all wanted it for ourselves, we all wanted it just as much for one another. When I was named the winner at midnight, I just stood there frozen. I didn’t believe it. I was handed flowers, a sash and a crown, but it still didn’t seem real. So I did the only thing I could do, the one thing the Irish do when they are happy: I cried.

Once the reality of winning settled in, I decided that the charity I would fundraise for would be the non-profit organization PAWS, The Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society, the only no-kill animal shelter in Philadelphia. A few months prior to entering the Rose, I adopted a cat from PAWS. I never was much of a cat person before, but Ronan has become a part of my family. The Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society treats their shelter animals properly and has proven to be a shelter that deserves additional recognition and support.

Although my trip to Ireland for the Rose of Tralee Regionals is fast approaching (the first week of June!), I have already begun to organize fundraising events for PAWS. On July 24 from 2-6pm at the Willows Mansion in Radnor, the Rose Centre will be hosting a “Dog Days of Summer” BBQ family social. Adoptable pets will be present and all proceeds from the event will go to PAWS.

The Rose of Tralee started out as a last minute decision, but has quickly exploded into a valuable and rewarding aspect of my life. I am honored to be the 2011 Philadelphia Rose of Tralee. The never-ending opportunities for charity work and socializing are irreplaceable experiences. Beyond that, though, the Rose of Tralee has brought me closer to my own Irish heritage, which is something that I could never be thankful enough for.

Editor’s note: The Philadelphia Rose of Tralee Centre will also be participating in the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure to raise money for breast cancer research. The race is held in Philadelphia on Mother’s Day, Sunday May 8. To donate to the Rose team, visit the donation page online.

 

April 21, 2011 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How To Be Irish in Philly This Week

NicGaviskey: a group from both sides of the Atlantic will perform Saturday at the Irish Center.

The Easter Bunny isn’t the only visitor showing up this weekend.

On Saturday at The Irish Center in Philadelphia,  the Philadelphia Ceili Group is hosting NicGaviskey, a lively and authentic Irish traditional band from both sides of the ocean that includes flute player Sean Gavin, fiddler Bernadette Nic Gabhann, concertina player Caitlin Nic Gabhann and accordianist Sean McComiskey. Think of it as the girls from County Meath meeting the boys from Counties Detroit and Baltimore. And actually, that’s what happened. They all ran into one another at the Catskills Irish Arts week in upstate New York in 2009 at an early morning session and the rest, they say, is history.

Caitlin NicGabhann is a three-time All-Ireland concertina champ and a regular on National Irish Radio as well as an accomplished Irish dancer who has toured with “Riverdance.” Her sister Bernadette has performed with Michael Flatley’ “Lord of the Dance” and done solo gigs and tours throughout the world.

Sean Gavin’s from Detroit but this flute player is the son of Clare-born, Mick Gavin, a fiddler. Sean McComiskey of Baltimore is the son of celebrated accordian player Billy McComiskey.

It promises to be an amazing evening.

It’s always an amazing evening with RUNA, the award-winning local Irish band that combines some interesting musical sensibilities—a little jazz, a little country—with some solid Irish traditional style. They’re at Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem on Saturday night.

You can also catch the Broken Shillelaghs at McMichael’s Pub and Grill in Gloucester City (fabulous place!) and The Shantys at Daly’s Irish Pub in Philadelphia on Saturday night.

Just a note on Molly Maguire’s in Phoenixville: They’ve instituted “Supper and a Session” on Sunday at the pub and kids eat for $1! They’re hoping that plenty of young Irish dancers will come for dinner and a jig, not necessarily in that order.

On Monday, join the Gloucester County AOH at the Richard Rossiter Memorial Hall in National Park, NJ (right over the bridge from Philly) for its Easter Monday flag raising. The event is followed by a Mass and lunch and is open to all.

The Inis Nua Theatre Company’s ambitious production of “Dublin by Lamplight” opens for preview on Tuesday at Broad Street Ministries in Philadelphia, across from the Kimmel Center. It opens the following day for a two-week run. Read more about it here.

Later in the week, a post-Easter treat. Cappella Caeciliana, Northern Ireland’s foremost liturgical choir, will be performing two free concerts, the first at St. Thomas Church on the Villanova University campus on Wednesday and the second at St. Malachy’s Church in North Philadelphia on Thursday. Read our story on this remarkable choir.

On Friday, The Reading Phillies are holding Irish night as they go up against the Portland Sea Dogs at First Energy Stadium in Reading. If you’ve never been, the Reading Phils play ball like it should be played—in a stadium where you’re close to the action and food doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. It’s a great family evening.

Check our calendar for all the details, and Happy Easter!

 

 

 

April 21, 2011 by