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November 2012

How to Be Irish in Philly

How To Be Irish in Philly This Week

These two sweeties will be dancing their hearts out at the Rainbow Irish Step Dancers’ Christmas recital this weekend.

Okay, it’s officially Celtic Christmas. In Philly, in Springfield, in Kennett Square, in Bensalem, and in Cochranville. There are five Christmas shows this weekend (and one event that’s all about Christmas giving). And there’s another later in the week. So, here goes:

On Saturday afternoon, celebrate an eclectic American Celtic Christmas with Jamison Celtic Rock, Celtic Flame School of Irish Dance, DJ Romeo, singer Kimberly Killen and the Bucks County Dance Company at the Bensalem High School Auditorium, which is being turned into a winter wonderland. It’s the second year for this Christmas-flavored musical event and we hear it’s loads of fun.

Not technically a Christmas event, but Christmassy nonetheless, is a benefit to raise money to defray medical costs for Wee Oscar Knox, the three-year-old Belfast boy who captured everyone’s hearts when he was at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia this fall. His parents spent all the money they raised to get him what they hoped was a life-saving cancer treatment only to find that he had another incurable condition that made treatment impossible. Oscar was born with a genetic condition that caused him some developmental problems, but left him also one of the sunniest, sweetest creatures God ever made, say local Irish folks who met him. This love story will continue at Tir na Nog in Center City on Sunday afternoon at the event, co-sponsored by Irish Network-Philly and Team Oscar-Philly.

Also on Sunday, the Divine Providence Rainbow Irish Step Dancers, who won an award for their first appearance in the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day parade in 2012, will present their Celtic Christmas Irish Dance Recitial at the Cardinal Krol Center in Springfield, Delaware County. The dancers, all of whom are developmentally disabled, are raising money to buy logo jackets to wear in the 2013 parade.

On Sunday afternoon, join the Jubilate Deo Chorale with guest choirs Eastern University Ensembles and Church of Our Saviour Festival Choir for a Celtic-flavored Christmas show at the Kimmel in Philadelphia. There will also be a live nativity presentation.

Need a little more Christmas spirit? Danu, the well known Irish traditional group, will be performing an Irish Christmas at Longwood Gardens, which also has its Christmas light show up and running, on Sunday at 3 PM.

And at 4 PM, we have the first of two Christmas concerts presented by St. Malachi’s of Doe Run, in Cochranville, another annual event.

There are some non-Christmas Irish events this week too. On Saturday, Timlin & Kane will be singing at Catherine Rooney’s Irish Pub in Wilmington, DE, and Mary Courtney will be performing at the Tir Na Nog Irish Pub in Trenton, NJ, which was the homebase of the late Irish Billy Briggs (which I mention for all you old folks who remember Billy).

Padraig Allen, considered one of Ireland’s finest singer-songwriters, will be on stage on Sunday at the Sellersville Theatre with McLean Avenue Band, performing both Irish traditional and Celtic rock tunes.

A bit far flung for Phillyites, but with a local link: Celtic Thunder will be performing on Monday at Sullivan Hall in Greenwich Village, NY, in a benefit for victims of Hurricane Sandy. Many of Sandy’s victims in NY came from predominantly Irish areas like Queens and New York’s Irish community has rallied to help them.

On Tuesday, nourish your Irish soul with the poetry of Hennessy Award winning poet and fiction writer Dermot Healy at Villanova University.

On Thursday, the Irish Tenors are coming to the Keswick Theatre and you can catch Paul Byrom, late of the Celtic Thunder supergroup, at Sellersville.

On Friday, we highly recommend combining your love of music with your need to Christmas shop by heading to Lansdale’s Water Gallery to hear The History of Christmas Carols concert by The Jameson Sisters, Ellen Tepper and Terry Kane. Not only is their music beautiful, they’re very funny and Tepper is a skilled craftsperson whose Celtic windows and pottery dragons are for sale at this little gallery. Admission is free. You’ll see crafts and jewelry from other Irish musicians there too.

Next weekend: Head over to the Irish Center where they’re holding an open house. Meet some local authors (and buy their books), check out some interesting exhibits, and attend a live broadcast of the Vince Gallagher and Marianne MacDonald Irish radio shows. Oh, and have a beer and a bite to eat at the bar that reminds so many people of the Ireland they left behind.

The Delco Gaels, a Gaelic athletic club, will be having its Christmas party and Nite at the Races fundraiser next weekend at Maggie O’Neills in Drexel Hill. But the big story is that they’ll also be announcing who will be competing in the mother of all fundraisers, Dancing Like a Star, later next year. Last year’s dance competition attracted about 700 people—yes, standing room only—to the Springfield Country Club for a night to remember.

November 30, 2012 by
News

Giving to Help Others

See, it doesn’t hurt. Dubliner Siobhan Lyons, executive director of the Irish Immigration Center, gets tested for Tay Sachs.

Martin Fay comes from an Irish family blessed by longevity so he wasn’t worried that contributing a few vials of blood to a study of Tay-Sachs disease in the Irish was going to bring him bad news.

“My genes are all right,” said the Drexel Hill man, his youngest daughter, Orla, standing by his side at the Irish Immigration Center in Upper Darby a few Saturdays ago. “But if I can keep somebody else from going down that road, I thought, go for it.”

Most of the people who came to the center to have their blood tested weren’t worried about passing on a gene that could affect their children. Some were seniors who learned about the study at special programs at the immigration center or the Irish Center. They’d had their children—and their grandchildren. Tay Sachs is largely a disease of babies. Born seemingly normal, children with Tay-Sachs start to deteriorate at about six months, slowly losing their sight, their ability to move, their intellect. Most of them die by the time they’re 5.

Tay-Sachs is caused by a variety of genetic mutations of chromosome 15, some more common in certain ethnic groups, that affect the production of a vital enzyme called hexosaminidase (Hex-A) that clears out fatty protein and other substances from the tissues and nerve cells of the brain. That regular housecleaning allows an infant to develop vision, hearing, movement, and other vital functions. Without it, a baby will start to deteriorate physically and mentally. There is no cure and no effective treatments.

The aim of the research, started by Adele Schneider, MD, a pediatric geneticist at Albert Einstein Medical Center, is to determine the carrier rate among the Irish, who appear to be at higher risk of the disease than the general population. Traditionally, Tay-Sachs has been considered a genetic disease among  Jewish people, mainly Ashkenazi Jews who trace their roots to southwestern Asia, but who settled in Eastern Europe. Their carrier rate is about 1 in 27. French Canadians and Louisiana Cajuns have the same carrier rate. Current research—which is scant—suggests that the genetic mutation appears in about 1 in 50 people of Irish descent.

“There’s really nothing in the medical literature that gives an accurate carrier rate in the Irish,” said Dr. Schneider. Her impetus for launching the study, which is funded by the National Tay Sachs and Allied Diseases of the Delaware Valley and the Einstein Foundation, was not just the lack of good data, but the three Irish-American children she’s seen in the last 10 years who had the disease. Read about two of those children here.

What made that remarkable is the rarity of Tay-Sachs. There are only about 16 cases diagnosed every year in the US.

“What we want to do is test as many people with as pure Irish blood as we can get to see if the numbers are significant enough that we can recommend that Irish parents be screened the for the disease as we do for Jewish parents,” she explained. “We don’t want to have any more families go through the heartbreak of finding out when they have a baby that that baby is going to die.”

The study, which is funded for two years, will also test adults with at least three Irish grandparents in other Irish-centric cities such as New York and Boston. Along with genetic testing, participants also receive genetic counseling where they will learn that just because they’ve never seen Tay-Sachs in their line doesn’t mean they don’t carry the genetic mutation. It may just mean they’ve unwittingly chosen the right mate.

Tay Sachs is what is known as an autosomal recessive disorder. What that means is that “Tay Sachs occurs only when two carriers have children,” explained Divya Shah, a genetic counselor from Einstein. With every pregnancy, a couple runs a 25 percent chance of having a child with the disease, a 50 percent chance of having a child who is a carrier but who never develops any symptoms, and 25 percent odds of having a child who is not a carrier.

But those are just odds. In real life, it’s possible that carrier parents of four could have four normal children or four affected children or two carriers and one affected child and one normal child—it’s the luck of the draw.

More free screenings for Irish and Irish Americans are being planned, said Amy Beth Weaver, Einstein’s genetic counseling coordinator. You can find out more about the study here, or, if you’re interested in participating in the research, contact Weaver at irish@tay-sachs.org or call 215-887-0877. Testing is free for qualified adults and all results are confidential.

See photos from the day. 

 

November 30, 2012 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How to be Irish In Philly This Week

Meghan Davis, the international Mary from Dungloe, will be giving up her Philadelphia crown this week.

Even though you’re probably totally dragged out after camping out at Walmart on Thanksgiving night, you’d better catch a power nap and get ready to be Irish this week.

If you’re an Irish dance fan, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Oireachtas has taken over the Marriott Downtown in Philadelphia—hundreds of dancers jigging, reeling, and who knows what else in this major Thanksgiving weekend event. Can’t make it? Check out our video special featuring local Irish dance schools.

And speaking of Thanksgiving weekend events, a new Philadelphia Mary from Dungloe will be selected from a bevy of smart, attractive young women at the 124th Donegal Ball at the Irish Center on Saturday night. The reigning Philadelphia Mary, Meghan Davis, is also the reigning International Mary from Dungloe, capturing the crown last summer in Dungloe, County Donegal. The Willie Lynch Showband from New York will be providing the music for the ball.

Timlin and Kane will be performing Saturday night at St. James Gate Pub in Bethlehem, at the Sands Casino.

On Sunday, head down to Finnigan’s Wake for its annual Fall Festival, with music provided by No Irish Need Apply (Meghan Davis, the reigning Mary from Dungloe, is a member of the band), the Broken Shillelaghs and Celtic Connection.

On Tuesday, catch Galway Guild at Marty Magee’s in Prospect Park.

Next weekend, there are events that will capture your heart and put you in the Christmas mood.

Irish Network-Philadelphia and Team Oscar–Philly is sponsoring a benefit to raise money for “Wee Oscar Knox,” the little Belfast boy whose parents held fundraisers to bring him to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for treatment for a rare cancer. While there, CHOP doctors diagnosed another rare illness that meant Oscar could not be treated. The event, which starts Sunday, Dec. 2, at 2 PM at Tir na Nog in Center City, will have a complementary buffet, open bar, live music, raffles, and special treats for children.

Also on Sunday, the Divine Providence Village Rainbow Irish Step Dancers are presenting a Celtic Christmas Dance Recital at the Cardinal Krol Center in Springfield, Montgomery County. The Rainbow Dancers are group of developmentally challenged women who started performing in 2012 and debuted in the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade. They’re raising money to buy logo jackets to wear in the 2013 parade.

And if you’re looking to celebrate a Celtic Christmas, you’re in luck. There are four more ways to do it next weekend.

On Saturday, December 1, join Jamison Celtic Rock, Celtic Flame School of Irish Dance, Bucks County Dance Center, singer Kimberly Killen, and DJ Romeo at the Bensalem High School Auditorium for “an American Celtic Christmas.” Not only can you rock around the clock with Jamison, you’ll explore hip-hop and Irish traditional music.

And on Sunday, here’s the lineup:

A Celtic Christmas at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia features the Jubilate Deo Chorale with two guest choirs featuring Irish music and a live Nativity scene.

Celebrate an Irish Christmas with the popular Irish group, Danu, at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square.

The annual Celtic Christmas in Doe Run holiday show—there will be two performances– will feature the Brandywine Harp Orchestra (Dec. 2) and Burning Bridget Cleary (Dec. 9) along with dancing, gifts, free holiday hors d’oeuvres and more.

We’re not done Irish Christmasing—not by a long shot. Take a look at our calendar to see what’s coming up.

November 23, 2012 by
Arts, Music

A Joyful Noise for Christmas

Ron Matthews

Conductor Ron Matthews

For most orchestras, it’s just about the music. For the Jubilate Deo Chorale and Orchestra, a large non-profit classical ensemble founded in 1991 by two Catholic priests in the Camden diocese, it’s also about faith. And that means a Jubilate Deo Christmas concert—like the group’s Sunday, December 2, Celtic-themed extravaganza at the Kimmel Center—celebrates Christmas as something much more than just a commercial holiday.

“We try to integrate faith into the arts and common culture,” says Ron Matthews, Jubilate Deo conductor and music director. “The spiritual aspect is part of our mission. The orchestra is about 21 years old. (Msgrs.) Louis Marucci and his brother Carl were the founders. Louis was the executive director, and he took over more of the administration and creative planning. Carl was one of the primary directors.”

After 10 years, Carl stepped down. Matthews took over the helm after reading about the job opening in a music union newspaper, and passing a rigorous interview and review process.

Jubilate Deo performs year-round, of course—but Christmas is special. Matthews explains, “In one sense, the season facilitates our mission. We can be who we are because it’s the nature of the season.”

The theme of this year’s Christmas concert, billed as “A Celtic Christmas at the Kimmel,” also ties in with the group’s inherently spiritual mission. In case you’ve somehow missed all of the Black Friday advertising, in many quarters Christmas has nothing to do with the birth of Christ. In Celtic lands, Matthews says, Christmas historically is a more subdued affair, with a far greater emphasis on the Nativity.

This is not the first time Jubilate Deo has integrated Celtic culture into a performance.

““We actually had done a Celtic theme, I think it was two years ago,” Matthews says. “We had some young local Celtic dancers, and we had a penny whistle and Celtic harp. This is a theme we have used periodically, but this performance is the first fully intentional and integrated one.”

Celtic music has been much more popular over the last decade or so, probably beginning with Riverdance, but you also have to give credit to all of the Irish and Scottish bands and performers who took the ball from Riverdance and ran with it. Matthews understands the appeal.

“There’s a grounded energy and authenticity to Celtic music,” says Matthews, who also serves as chair of the Fine and Performing Arts Division and Music Department at Eastern University. “Because of the interest in world music over the last four or five years, with some prominent groups playing Celtic music, there are some great arrangements out there that feature high-energy, Celtic themes. It’s a good bridge to the classical.”

The Kimmel concert features many holiday pieces that come from—or stem from—the Celtic tradition, such as The Wexford Carol, I Wonder As I Wander, A Celtic Silent Night and Celtic Christmas Celebration. The performance also includes many non-Celtic holiday classics, both sacred and secular, such as The Little Drummer Boy, O Come Let Us Adore Him, and It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. There will also be three new pieces, including one by Matthews. If you like Irish-style dance, there will be plenty of that. And if you want to join in on some of the best-known Christmas carols, you’ll have a chance to do that as well.

The Jubilate Chorale will be joined by the Eastern University Ensembles and Church of the Saviour Festival Choir, bringing the number of singers in the overall choir up to 200.

The concert begins at 3 p.m. on Sunday, December 2. You can learn more and get tickets by visiting the Jubilate Deo website.

 

November 23, 2012 by
Sports

Up Donegal!

Kids might have been the most excited fans ... but it would have been a close contest.

Kids might have been the most excited fans … but it would have been a close contest.

Up Donegal! If we heard it once, we heard it a thousand times, and it never got tired. On a Tuesday night when a lot of kids otherwise would have been home getting ready for bed, they were instead decked out in their bright yellow Donegal jerseys and running around the Philadelphia Irish Center like children possessed.

And possessed they were, perhaps, by the presence of the shiny Sam Maguire Cup, brought to Philadelphia by three incredibly proud representatives of the 2012 All-Ireland Football champion team from Donegal: coach Jim McGuinness, along with all-stars Mark McHugh and Michael Murphy.

When the kids weren’t setting land-speed records running from one end of the Irish Center ballroom to the other, they were standing in line with their parents, relatively patiently, waiting for the chance to get their pictures taken with cup and players.

And yes, the place was jammed with ecstatic adult fans, too, including dozens of Donegal natives, and sons and daughters of natives, celebrating the county’s first All-Ireland championship in 20 years. (And they were just as eager to get their picture taken, too.)

After a couple of hours smiling and posing, McGuinness and his players adjourned to the ballroom, where they accepted presentations from the Philadelphia Donegal Association, along with local Gaelic Athletic Association representatives, the Philadelphia Irish Center, state lawmakers Kevin and Brendan Boyle, and many others.

For the Donegal footballers, it had been a long day, but they showed no evidence of tiring. Player Mark McHugh, son of legend Martin McHugh, was still a little wound up—or maybe just jet-lagged—as he spoke about his Philadelphia welcome, and the rigors of the tightly coordinated U.S. victory lap.

“We just got in this morning,” he said. “We flew into New York, and we just drove down. We’re flying off to Chicago at 9 o’clock in the morning, and back to New York on Thursday. It’s just a full-time job, but it’s a good complaint to have. If we hadn’t won the All-Irelands, we wouldn’t be here.

“It’s so good to see all the American kids wearing the Donegal jersey. That’s one of our main reasons for coming over, to promote the GAA, to get young kids involved. And as they get older, maybe their kids will get involved. You never know what could happen.”

Addressing the many fans who have waited a long time to see the cup return to Donegal, McGuinness thanked his hosts for the wildly enthusiastic turnout.

“It’s a great honor for us to be here tonight,” he said. “And along with the honor goes a lot of pride. We’re very happy to bring the Sam Maguire Cup to Philadelphia and the United States. There’s obviously a lot of people in the room tonight who have very, very strong connections to Donegal who were not able to make the journey home for the final, and that’s why I feel it’s very special to take the cup across the water and let the people who were not fortunate enough to be there on the day get their hands on the cup and pretend you’re Michael Murphy.”

McGuinness also recalled his brief time playing football in Philadelphia in the summer of 1999. “I made a lot of very good friends here that I still have to this day. It’s fantastic to be back amongst everybody tonight. I just hope it won’t be 20 years before we’re back with the cup.”

We have many photos from the night’s celebration. Check out our photo essay, above.

November 16, 2012 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How To Be Irish In Philly This Week

The Young Wolfetones will be at The Plough and the Stars.

If you’re of Irish descent and are thinking of starting a family, take time out on Saturday morning to be tested for Tay-Sachs disease at the Irish Immigration Center in Upper Darby.

This insidious genetic condition strikes babies and is always fatal. The Irish, as well as Eastern European Jews and French Canadians, have a higher than average risk of being carriers of Tay-Sachs. The Albert Einstein Society and National Tay-Sachs and Allied Diseases Foundation of the Delaware Valley are offering free screenings to anyone over the age of 18 who had at least three Irish grandparents. The screenings start at 11 AM.

On a lighter—and musical—note, Catherine Rooney’s Pub in Delaware is scheduling more live Irish music to take us through the holiday season, starting with Benny and Bill on Saturday night. Timlin and Kane and Gary Quinn are also coming up, as well as sessions, starting with one this Sunday. Check our calendar for times and details.

Also on Saturday, The Shantys will be at the Red Rooster Inn in Philly while Jamison is at Dublin Square in Cherry Hill, where you may be able to pick up one of their brand new CDs. We just listened to it and love it—it’s live, so it’s just like being there, but it’s much easier to admire that high level of musicianship that characterizes this local band.

Tullamore Crew, the old gang from the late, great lamented Shanachie’s kitchen, will be serving up a fine Irish meal on Sunday at the Irish Center starting at 5 PM.

Also on Sunday, The Plough and the Stars celebrates its 15th birthday with a concert by the Young Wolfetones. Go down for dinner—the food is outstanding and the atmosphere couldn’t get more Irish (is that peat you’re smelling?)—then stay for the concert.

At Coatesville, the Irish traditional music duo, Lilt, will be on stage.

Of course, on Wednesday night you’re probably baking pies. Thursday is Thanksgiving, after all. What? You bought pies this year? Well that’s good because that means you have some free time to go see Jamison at Curran’s in Northeast Philadelphia.

Next week being Thanksgiving weekend, look for two annual events: The Mary from Dungloe pageant, which is part of the Donegal Association of Philadelphia Ball, held at the Irish Center, and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Oireachtas, a major Irish dance competition drawing dancers from the Atlantic Coast states for three days of jigging, reeling, and fun-having at the Philadelphia Downtown Marriott. We like to go for the kicks and giggles—and believe me, there are plenty of those.

Have a great week and Happy Thanksgiving from all of us who give thanks for all of you!

November 16, 2012 by
News, People

Irish Hall of Fame Inductees Honored

=”http://irishinphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/front-photo.jpg” alt=”” width=”380″ height=”356″ /> Maureen Brett Saxon, vice president of the Delaware Valley Irish Hall of Fame, presents the award to Siobhan Lyons, executive director of the Irish Immigration Center and the Brehon Law Society.

 

 

It’s hard to recall what drew the most laughs—longtime Irish Edition newspaper photographer Tom Keenan asking how many people in the crowd of more than 400 at the Delaware Valley Irish Hall of Fame dinner Sunday night he he’d never photographed (then whipping out his camera to capture the three people who raised their hands) or Montgomery County Court Judge Kelly Wall revealing that her mother, president of the organization, “thought gourmet cooking was putting a can of fruit cocktail into a can of baked beans.”

There were plenty of laughs—and a few tears during emotional speeches—at the 12th annual awards ceremony at the Irish Center in Philadelphia during which Keenan, Burns, and Irish Immigration Center Executive Director Siobhan Lyons were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Burns is retiring this year after 7 years as president of the organization, which honors those who have made significant contributions to the Delaware Valley Irish community. Also honored this year with a special award was the Irish American Business Chamber and Network, founded 13 years ago by entrepreneur Bill McLaughlin to build a business bridge between the US and Ireland.

We were there and took photos. See the celebration here.

November 16, 2012 by
People

A Leprechaun, Remembered

/2012/11/eshome-300×199.jpg” alt=”Ed Slivak” width=”300″ height=”199″ /> Ed Slivak

Pete Hand remembers the point at which Ed Slivak decided to become a leprechaun.

Hand, who was then president of Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 1 in Swedesburg, says he was sitting around the club one night, and Slivak came over and popped the question.

“He walked up, and he said, ‘Do you mind if I dress up like a leprechaun?’ I said, ‘Sure, you look like one, anyway.’”

And he really did. Edward J. Slivak, who died this week at the age of 70, was small of stature, with a face that always looked like he was ready to ask a question. The turned-up nose, the laughing eyes, and the little scruffy beard completed the picture. It didn’t take much makeup to complete the transition. After he added a set of latex pointed ears, tinted his beard orange, and donned the green bowler hat (sometimes a crumpled top hat), that’s who and what he was.

The women of the division’s Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians helped Slivak flesh out the other elements of his wardrobe―jacket, vest, bow tie, knee pants, athletic socks with green and orange stripes, and green Converse All-Stars. “He looked good,” says Hand.

(Slivak’s own recollection of events was a little different. In a 2010 interview shortly after he was named Grand Marshal of the Montgomery County St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Slivak said his outfit wasn’t quite all there yet: “I looked like an immigrant, just off the boat.” He also confessed to not being completely at home in the role at first: “I felt a little goofy. I thought, here I am a grown man dressing up as a leprechaun.”)

In time, Slivak reached his comfort level, and then some―maybe because there was a lot more to being a leprechaun, in his view, than just dressing the part. His leprechaun had a charitable heart.

“He always remembered being sick in a hospital when he was a kid, and he really liked to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House (at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children),” says Hand.

Current Division President Mark Ryan says Slivak was tireless in his pursuit of the greater good. “He was the one who came up with the idea of collecting money for the children’s hospital. He did a lot of events, like our annual Irish Festival in Montclare and the Scottish-Irish festival at Green Lane. He always seemed to enjoy it very much, and he loved to take pictures with the kids. What he did was important. He really exemplified our values. Charity is one of the things the AOH is about.”

Slivak kept it up until 2009, when he became ill at the end of the Montgomery County St. Patrick’s Day in Conshohocken. Someone gave him a ride home, and that was the last thing he remembered until waking up in Montgomery Hospital. He had suffered a debilitating stroke. After he returned home to his wife Gi (short for Virginia) and a little pug dog named General Patton, he began several long, trying months of rehabilitation.

In spite of it all, he counted himself lucky to be alive. “I think the Lord was calling me for judgment day,” he recalled in his 2010 interview. “But St. Patrick, St. Brendan and St. Bridget all went to the Lord, and they gave me a little extra time on earth.”

Slivak, of course, is not an Irish name. Growing up in Fishtown, he took the name of his stepfather, whom he recalled as “a good man.” His mother Clare had roots in Cork and Donegal, however.

After working for 25 years as a tearsheet clerk at the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, Slivak and his wife moved to Swedesburg in 2001. AOH Division 1, up the hill on Jefferson Street, beckoned, and the curious Slivak joined the same year―even though he only had a vague notion what the AOH was all about. “I remember, I didn’t know what the initials stood for,” Slivak said in his interview. “But in the past 10 years I’ve learned a lot more about being a Catholic and Irish.”

Once in, Slivak was completely in. His commitment to the AOH was noticed and appreciated: in 2007, he was the division’s Hibernian of the Year. “He made a lot of friends,” Hand recalls. “But he wasn’t hard to make friends with. He was just a good guy.”

Funeral arrangements for Slivak have been announced. Learn more here.

November 15, 2012 by