In the Christmas spirit: Fiddler Oisin MacDiarmada, who will be giving free fiddle workshops on December 11 in West Chester.
Celtic Christmases are happening only a couple of days into the month.
Danu kicks it off with a concert at the Annenberg on Friday night. And the Beethoven Waldheim Club—they’re singers—have their Celtic Christmas show at the club in Hellertown on Saturday night.
Starting on Saturday, Team Ratty Shoes–they’re named for a Blackthorn song–will be wrapping gifts at Barnes and Noble in Willow Grove all month to help raise money for multiple sclerosis research. Stop by their table and get your books wrapped. Books. . .you remember those. And snap up those Nooks. We have one and love it. They’ll wrap it up nice and pretty.
On Sunday, the annual Celtic Christmas in Doe Run, at St. Malachi’s of Doe Run in Chester County, features music, dancers, Celtic gifts and free holiday hors d’oeuvres.
Not a Christmas event but in the spirit of giving, the Gloucester County AOH is holding a fundraiser to help support the Commodore Barry Gate and Monument at The Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. Celtic Connection and the Broken Shillelaghs will provide the music and there will be dinner and dancing at the Rossiter Memorial Hall in National Park, NJ. In January 2011, the Academy’s Memorial Oversight Committee approved the memorial, which happened at the request of the Hibernians. Barry, an American revolutionary war hero, a native of Wexford and a Philadelphia resident, is considered the father of the American Navy (not you, John Paul Jones).
On Tuesday, join the actors from the Inis Nua Theatre Company—the only theater company in Philly to produce contemporary Irish plays—as they play rock stars on stage at the World Café Live. “Craicdown” is a major fundraiser for the company and features the talents of real singers too, including Reagan Richards.
On Thursday, Irish Network-Philadelphia will hold its Christmassy Happy Hour at JD McGillicudy’s Kirklyn in Upper Darby where you can mix, mingle, pass out business cards, and learn to ceili dance to the musical stylings of John and Jimmy McGillian.
On Saturday, December 10, head over to Finnigan’s Wake at 3rd and Spring Garden for the annual “Running of the Santas.” Imagine, a couple of thousand people all dressed up as Santa running through the streets. And that’s before you have the free and $3 beers. Celtic rockers Jamison will be performing at the Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing when the running stops. There are other groups too, but they’re not Irish so we don’t care.
Also next Saturday — the Delco Gaels GAA is holding a fundraising “Night at the Races” at Maggie O’Neills Pub in Drexel Hill. Word has it that they’ll be announcing the contestants for the “Dance Like a Star” competition that will raise money to send players to Chicago for the championships this year. We’ve already heard about a few of the contestants (from the contestants themselves!) so we know this is going to be a must-see evening.
Then, on Sunday, December 11, Teada’s Oisin MacDiarmada, an All-Ireland fiddler, will be giving free workshops for aspiring and experienced fiddle players at West Chester University’s Swope Music Building from 1-2:30 PM. For more information about the event, contact sponsor Kildare’s Irish Pub, at 610-431-0770.
Now, a little tune to get you into the spirit: Miss Fogarty’s Christmas cake featuring Mick Moloney, Athena Tergis, and John Doyle.
