She knows how to be Irish!
We say it every year: If you don’t know how to be Irish in the next two weeks, we are drumming you out of the clan.
This is a huge parade weekend, so we’ll start there:
On Saturday, both Conshohocken and Bucks County are having their parades in the afternoon. They’re both popular little parades with lots of kid-friendly events, so whichever one you choose, get there early.
On Sunday, the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade gets going at noon (an hour later than last year). Since Sunday is when we turn the clocks forward, you probably won’t notice a thing. The whole parade—which may be bigger this year than ever, thanks to predictions of nice weather—will also be streamed live on the CBS3 website and broadcast on the CWPhilly, CBS3’s sister station. As usual, anchor Susan Barnett and meterologist Kathy Orr will be in the broadcast booth with parade chaplain Father Kevin Gallagher, parade director Michael Bradley, and color commentator Karen Boyce McCollum. Look for the ever-lively Bob Kelly on this street.
The Philadelphia parade will start with a Mass at St. Patrick’s Church at 20th and Locust.
Look for www.irishphiladelphia.com marching in the parade. It’s our second year and we welcome marchers who think of themselves as Irish Philadelphians.
Here’s the rundown for the rest of the weekend and week. Hold on to your leprechaun hats.
Saturday
Several pub crawls are in progress: The Erin Express and the Running of the Micks in Philadelphia, and Shamrock and Roll in Delaware County. There’s music, drink specials, and those all-important buses to keep you from doing something stupid behind the wheel. Try not to do anything stupid behind the wheel.
Handy with a Stick, a local trad group, is performing at the Water Gallery in Lansdale. Two of the featured musicians, Bette Conway and John Brennan, are also jewelry makers whose works will be available for sale.
The John Byrne Band is performing a Circle of Friends house concert in the Palmyra, NJ, area.
Jamisons is at Paddy Whack’s on South Street.
The Shantys are rocking out at Reedy’s Tavern in Frankford.
Sunday
Irish Network-Philly is retiring after the parade to The Bards on Walnut Street where, along with socializing, they’re collecting children’s books for donation. They also have a soccer game scheduled for 5:50 PM at Star Finders in Manayunk.
There’s an after-parade party scheduled at the Irish Center in Mount Airy.
Jamison is also having an after-parade party at Finnigan’s Wake in Northern Liberties.
The Jamison Sisters (Ellen Tepper and Teresa Kane) will be performing at the Woodmere Art Musem in Chestnut Hill from 3-4 PM. This is a special opportunity to see Ellen Tepper perform on several different harps including the ancient Irish wire-strung harp. Terry Kane will also be featured singing many different styles of Celtic songs.
Speaking of harps, you can catch Grainne Hambly and William Jackson perform their Masters of the Celtic Harp program in Vineland at 3 PM.
The 65 singers of the VOICES chorale will join Irish singer Gerry Dignan in concert at the Anchor Presbyterian Church in Wrightstown, Bucks County, at 3 PM.
The Heartstring Quartet—four topnotch Irish musicians—will be giving a concert at Calvary United Methodist Church in Philadelphia, at 7:30 PM
You can also catch Ryan Kelly and Neil Byrne of Celtic Thunder in a special acoustic show at The Plough and the Stars in Philadelphia on Sunday night.
Tuesday
The John Byrne Band is booked to open for The Saw Doctors at the TLA at night.
Hugo Hamilton, best-selling author of “The Speckled People,” a memoir about growing up Irish-German in Dublin after World War II, will be speaking at Villanova University as part of the 14th Annual Literary Festival.
Wednesday
Tullamore Dew—mmmm, mother’s milk to some people I know. There will be a tasting of this Irish whiskey, sponsored by IN-Philly, at The Bards on Walnut Street at 6 PM.
Lunasa, fronted by talented musician and aspiring comic Kevin Crawford, will be playing at the Exhibition Hall at Longwood Gardens at 8 PM.
Thursday
The Port Richmond AOH 87 is sponsoring a talk by Carrie McIntyre, wife of Dr. Anthony McIntyre who with Ed Moloney conducted interviews for the Boston College Oral History Project, documents that the British government is attempting to gain access to because of reputed new information on the IRA killing of a mother 10 children in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Jean McConnville. For the project, Irish Republican and Loyalist paramilitaries were interviewed and some of those oral histories allegedly contain evidence implicating prominent Irish politicians in her death.
Celtic Pride is performing at the Sellersville Theatre and the Irish Rovers will be roving over to the Keswick Theatre in Glenside.
St. Malachy’s Orchestra from Belfast will be performing at the Irish Center.
Friday
Moya Brennan, of the well known Irish folk group, Clannad, will be peforming in concert at The Irish Center in Mount Airy.
Brendan Callahan and John Brennan will hold forth at a house concert in Lansdale.
Brian Conway, Billy McComiskey, and Brendan Dolan, will be joined by RUNA’s Shannon Lambert-Ryan for a concert Friday night at West Chester University. Earlier in the day, Dolan will be giving a free piano workshop at West Chester, sponsored by Kildare’s of West Chester.
Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul is on tape at the Appel Farm Arts and Music Center in Elmer, NJ.
Celtic Pride will be at the Temperance House in Newtown.
Mike and Kitty Kelly Albrecht will perform upstairs at Roller’s in Chestnut Hill.
Soprano Jackie Dunleavy Boyle, accompanied on harp by Samanta Wittchen, will be on stage for an Irish concert at Covenant United Methodist Church in Springfield, Delaware County.
You’ll find the Shanty’s at the Glenside Pub in Glenside and the Broken Shillelaghs at the Dubh Linn Square Pub in Sewell, NJ.
St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Saturday this year and it is jam-packed, from the annual Judge Jimmy Lynn Breakfast at the Plough and the Stars, to the ceremonies at the Irish Memorial at the waterfront, to the Donnybrook Cup (Ireland vs. US in live rugby at Widener University in West Chester) to the Springfield, Delaware County, St. Patrick’s Day parade.
There’s lots more which you can see on our calendar. Or check back next week. The calendar is changing daily.
