Matt Mancuso on fiddle.
We have the perfect Saturday for you. Head over to Kelly Drive in the morning to take in the annual Irish Memorial Run, which raises money for the Irish Memorial at Penns Landing.
You can rest up in the afternoon, then head over to Ambler to hear some fabulous Irish traditional music in someone’s livingroom! Not just anyone, but a member of the Philadelphia Ceili Group which is sponsoring an evening with fiddler-guitarist-mandolin-player Matt Mancuso (despite the name, he has Irish roots), an All-Ireland competitor and a member of the Irish supergroup Grada and the Cathie Ryan Band, and Patsy O’Brien, one of Irish music’s most respected guitar accompaniest and, an award-winning songwriter with three critically acclaimed CDs.
It’s a house concert, of course, so you need to RSVP and get directions (check the calendar for contact info). If you’ve never been to a house concert, believe me, it’s a real treat. You won’t want to hear music any other way.
Sunday is also a great day to be Irish. The Sons and Daughters of Derry are holding their very fun family social at the Irish Center, with music provided by Shantys and Irish dancing by the Cummins School. There’s a buffet dinner and lots of great activities for the kids. A real family-friendly day.
Martin Hayes, his musical partner Dennis Cahill and some of their most talented friends—the ones who can be called “masters”’—will be performing at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia on Sunday night. They’re bringing the sound and some of the flavor of the Bantry, County Cork,, Masters of Tradition annual music festival to Philly. A must-see.
Mid-week, all the floats, dancers, and marchers who won award in the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be getting their trophies and plaques at Finnigan’s Wake. Of course, there will be beer, food and entertainment.
The Irish American Genealogy Group is meeting on Thursday at the Irish Immigration Center in Upper Darby. Join genealogist John McDevitt and some of the regulars who can help you locate your Irish ancestors.
On Friday, Theatre Exile debuts “A Behanding in Spokane,” a play by Martin McDonagh that explores the violent American culture, post 9/11—in a powerful and funny way, of course. It is an Irish play, after all. Theatre Exile last year produced the very successful McDonagh play, “The Lieutenant of Inishmore.”
Next weekend is jam-packed. The 9th annual Project Children Benefit is being held at the Rochard T. Rossiter Memorial Hall in National Park, NJ, just over the bridge from Philadelphia. Tickets are disappearing for this fundraiser to support the program that brings children from Northern Ireland to the US for the summer.
Master harpers Grainne Hambly and William Jackson will be performing “The Music of Mayo” at the Irish Center (and doing workshops beforehand). This is another in a series of programs that explore the music of the West of Ireland, sponsored by the Philadelphia Ceili Group.
And it’s St. Patrick’s Day (again?) at the Reading Phillies at FirstEnergy Stadium in Reading.
