How To Be Irish In Philly This Week (and Beyond)

September is the month that makes March seem like a breeze. There are so many festivals you could spend the entire month just eating dogs and burgers. I mean, when you’re not eating fish and chips or haggis.

Let’s just start with this weekend, shall we?

The games are underway in Pennypack Riverview Park on State Road in Philly—the North American Gaelic Athletic Association Championships, which will draw the best amateur Gaelic football, hurling, and camogie teams from all over North America to our backyard. If you’ve never see Gaelic games, this is your chance to see some talented athletes make American sports look like a kids’ tea party.

On Sunday, the first of September’s festivals, the fourth annual Brittingham’s Irish Festival at Brittingham’s in Lafayette Hill. Bring a lawn chair and listen—and dance—to the music of The Paul Moore Band, Jamison, No Irish Need Apply (the 2012 International Mary from Dungloe, Meghan Davis, is the lovely singer and keyboard player for this group), and Seamus McGroary.

Well, that takes care of my weekend. Hope to see a lot of you out there.

Later this week: Local favorite, The John Byrne Band is again opening for the Young Dubliners (since Byrne is himself a young Dubliner, it’s appropriate) at the World Café Live in Philadelphia on Thursday.

And Thursday kicks off the second festival of September—the Philadelphia Ceili Group Festival of Irish Music and Dance—with Singers’ Night, hosted by Galway’s Gabriel Donohue, and will feature local favorites including Marian Makins, Rosaleen McGill, Matt Ward, and I hope, Teresa Kane, and more.

The festival runs for three days at the Irish Center. On Friday, September 7, Sean Tyrell brings his one-man musical show, “Who Killed James Joyce?” to the center’s Fireside Room, while the ballroom is turned over the the killer ceili band, McGillians and Friends, for some lively set dancing. (If you’re afraid of looking like a spaz on the dance floor, stop into the Irish Center on Thursday night; instructor John Shields will show you some moves.)

On Saturday, September 8, come to the center for all kinds of musical workshops with the night’s headliners, De Danann, and piper Paddy Keenan, plus nonmusical workshops on everything from making a St. Brigid’s Cross to genealogy, featuring our own Lori Lander Murphy, who can dig up your ancestors better than a gravedigger (she’s dug up a couple of mine).

Now Sunday, you have a choice – day of rest, or playing golf at the annual Cavan Golf Tournament at Cobbs Creek Golf Course in Philadelphia.

On the horizon: the Gloucester City Shamrock Fest on September 15; the Second Annual Haverford Music Fest, featuring Blackthorn, also on September 15; Irish boxing to kick off the AOH Irish Fall Festival in North Wildwood, which starts on September 20 and runs through September 22; a simultaneous appearance by Blackthorn those two days at LaCosta in Sea Isle City (I liked it better when Blackthorn was in Wildwood during the AOH fest—what’s the scoop there?); and then Celtic Classic in Bethlehem on September 28, 29, and 30.

There’s some fabulous Irish traditional musicians coming to town this month too, including Donegal fiddlers Peter Campbell and Caoimhin MacAoidh, who will be performing on September 23 at West Chester University, and brothers Cillian (uilleann pipes) and Niall (concertina) Vallely who will take the stage at the Coatesville Cultural Society on September 30.

We and quite a few other folks have been adding to our totally free calendar for September, including, we note, something being held in County Meath, in case you happen to be there. Check it out so you can plan ahead.