Monthly Archives:

April 2013

Sports

Glenside GAA Takes Its First Baby Steps

Never too young to learn hurling.

Never too young to learn hurling.

Why do hurlers wear helmets? Every one of the little people who lined up to learn a bit about the no-hold-barred Irish sport, knew the answer, summed up by one little girl eager to take a crack at the ball herself: “‘Cause if you don’t, you will hurt your head.”

The football field at Bishop McDevitt High School on Sunday afternoon was filled with small, enthusiastic kids, all of them running, jumping, and kicking. Because those are the things you do when you play the traditional Irish sports of hurling and Gaelic football.

Brendan Gallagher and his many colleagues on the new Glenside Gaelic Athletic Association club are hoping the fun of the weekend clinic will carry over into a season, and more, of youth GAA competition.

“I’m very happy with the turnout today,” Gallagher said. “We probably had around 35 kids. I’m not sure how many have registered so far. Some were here out of curiosity, and some were friends of kids who had already signed up. We’re encouraged by the numbers and the interest level. For a club to get off the ground with a sport that maybe 99 percent of the population in an area have never heard of, that’s always going to be a challenge, but we’re very happy.”

A hands-on clinic is one of the best ways to get kids interested in Gaelic sports, Gallagher said. Also helpful? A demonstration game by kids from the Delco Gaels GAA.

For Gallagher, a youth GAA club based in Glenside is about more than sports. It’s also about the survival of Irish culture in the Philadelphia area, including music, dance and more.

“Any Gaelic club formed in a parish in Ireland is well known because of its sports, but it also has speech and drama. It has music. It has dancing. It’s all part of the club. It’s a hub for the whole community. And that’s what we want; we want to be part of the community.”

Other Irish cultural organizations have had a good deal of success in perpetuating all the various aspects of Gaelic culture—notably, the dance schools. “They’re our role model,” Gallagher said. We’re trying to emulate their model. They’ve been so successful. We have a little catching up to do. If we want our culture to be passed on down and survive, we have to step up and do something about it.”

The next registration will be held April 20 at 10 a.m. at the MacSwiney Club, 510 Greenwood Avenue, in Jenkintown.

For more information, contact: gaelicclubglenside@hotmail.com

April 12, 2013 by
News

There’s a New Philadelphia Rose of Tralee

Brittany Killion

Brittany Killion

There was formidable competition—this might have been the first year a globe-trotting chemical engineer was in the running—but Brittany Killion emerged Saturday night as Philadelphia’s new Rose of Tralee. A caseworker for Rep. Patrick Meehan, Killion made quite an impression on the audience—and with the judges, obviously—with her enthusiastic answers to emcee Jim Donovan’s many questions.

The festivities took place at the Radnor Hotel.

An effervescent personality probably doesn’t hurt in Killion line of work. And as with all of the Rose candidates, from one year to the next, her life is already filled with accomplishment. Among other things, Killion is a member of the Fair Housing Task Force of Delaware County, a volunteer member of the Youth Aid Panel in Marple Township, and a member of the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 4 in Delaware County.

Honors went to one other very accomplished woman—Denise Foley, co-editor of irishphiladelphia.com and an award-winning writer, editor and author. Foley accepted the Mary O’Connor Spirit Award, named after the original “Rose” of the famous song, annually awarded to an Irish-American woman who embodies O’Connor’s strength, humility, courage, and dedicated service to the community.

Looking out on all of the highly accomplished women in the room, and recalling so many of the smart, strong, courageous Irish women in the Philadelphia area whom she has met and befriended over the years, Foley made one key point: If ever you want to get something done, you know who to ask.

Ask a woman.

April 12, 2013 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philadelphia

Jameson Sisters: Terry Kane and Ellen Tepper at Fonthill on Friday.

Jameson Sisters: Terry Kane and Ellen Tepper at Fonthill on Friday.


Get your running shoes on. The 2013 Irish Memorial 5 K Run takes over Kelly Drive (so appropriate) on Saturday morning starting at 8 AM. The annual exertion raises money for The Irish Memorial, which turns 10 this year.

On Saturday night, the Irish fusion band Tempest comes to Sellersville as part of its 25 Years of Celtic Rock Tour. Local wonders, the John Byrne Band, opens for this popular West Coast group.

Continuing this week, The Hand of Gaul, an original play by local playwright Jared Michael Delaney, is on stage at the Off Broad Street Theater in Philadelphia. The action centers on some Irish fans angry over Ireland’s loss of the 2010 World Cup to France.

If you haven’t seen the film, “The Commitments,” and even if you have, head over to the Connelly Cinema at Villanova over the weekend to catch this endearing comedy about a working class Dublin musical group that had it altogether and let it all fall apart. Worth it just to see Oscar-winning songwriter Glen Hansard electrocute himself with his guitar.

On Sunday, grab the kids and head to the Irish Center for the Derry Social, which has food, music, dancing, and loads of activities for the wee ones.

The weekly senior luncheon moves to the Irish Center from the Immigration Center on Monday. There will be live music provided by the Vince Gallagher band. Dancing is encouraged but not mandatory.

On Friday, April 19, join the Jameson Sisters for their “Concert at the Castle.” Singer Terry Kane and harper Ellen Tepper will pay tribute to the first fundraiser held at Fonthill Castle—a soprano and harp concert in 1913 that contained songs from Ireland and Scotland as well as popular songs and classical arias. Ellen Tepper will perform on the classical pedal harp and also the Irish lever harp. Terry Kane will be singing a mix of classical and traditional pieces similar to those performed in 1913. She will also add Irish tunes played on the mandolin.

The same evening, two of the top names in Irish traditional music, Cillian Vallely and Ryan McGiver, will be appearing at The Irish Center in Philadelphia.

Save the date: On April 25, we’re throwing a party to introduce our new CD, Ceili Drive: The Music of Irish Philadelphia, at the Irish Center. There will be yummy food from Tullamore Crew, drinks, and music, of course. Mingle, network. Tickets are $35, payable at the door.

April 11, 2013 by
History, News

Easter Rising Commemorated

The 69th Irish Brigade fires a salute at Joseph McGarrity's grave.

The 69th Irish Brigade fires a salute at Joseph McGarrity’s grave.

 

To the sounds of bagpipes, several dozen people, many members of the AOH, Clan na Gael and Irish Northern Aid, marched through Holy Cross Cemetery in Yeadon on Sunday afternoon to remember a fight that, to them at least, has never ended.

Every year, the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, which marked the stop-and-start beginning of the Irish Republic, comes alive again, and mingles with the memories of the 10 young hunger strikers in Maze Prison (Long Kesh) who died in 1981 when Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who, ironically, died just this week, refused their demand that they be accorded special status as paramilitary prisoners.

At the grave of Philadelphia-based Irish republican financier Joseph McGarrity, Sean Conlon, a Sinn Fein councillor from County Monaghan who lived for 14 years in Delaware County, read from the Proclamation of Independence. The document, calling for the British to return Ireland to the Irish, was originally read outside Dublin’s General Post Office by Irish leader Padraig Pearse. Earlier, at the gravesite of “Dynamite” Luke Dillon, an Irish immigrant from Philadelphia who waged a literally explosive campaign in London in an effort to bring the war for independence to British doorsteps, Conlon referred to “the unfinished business of 1916,” a reference to the divided Ireland that continues nearly 100 years later.

Though the violence is largely gone and Ireland “some would say has been normalized,” said Conlon, the struggle won’t be over until “we end the partition and achieve a united Ireland, a new Republic based on the principles of the proclamation read in 1916.”

See our photo essay of the event.

April 11, 2013 by
News, People

Fight Night, Part 2

Jackie Daley Photo by Eileen McElroy

Jackie Daley
Photo by Eileen McElroy

Jackie Daley grew up in an athletic family from Delaware County. She played hoops at Haverford High School which earned her a basketball scholarship to Kutztown University. She was the goalie for the Mairead Farrell’s Senior Ladies Gaelic Football Club.

But none of that really prepared Daley for the boxing ring she’s about to enter on April 27. That job has fallen to her uncle, Richard Sand, an ex-boxer. Daley is one of 24 amateur fighters on the card for Fight Night II, the fundraiser for the Young Ireland’s Gaelic Football Club, which is being held at the Irish Center in Philadelphia.

When the center’s ballroom is magically transformed into something resembling Madison Square Garden for the second year in a row (you can see that happen in this time lapse video by Eileen McElroy), Daley will be squaring off against Jess “The Hurricane” Carbin. Daley doesn’t know her. “She’s one of the Irish guys’ fiancés and I hear she’s feisty and competitive out of her mind, so it will be a good fight,” said Daley, 28, a fast-talking, one-liner machine and radiologic technologist who will be boxing under the name Jackie “The Hammer” Daley.

It will be Daley’s first fight. Ever. Hard to believe, but she never even threw an elbow in hoops or clothes-lined a footballer. “I mean, I never hit another person in my life,” she says. “I’m six feet tall, so people tend to not mess with me. I’ve never had the opportunity till now. I mean, if it was about jump shots I’d be all over it. Hook shots, not so much.”

Fight Night is the result of some out-of-the-box thinking about fundraising, says Trish Coyle Daly (no relation), who does publicity for the 28-year-old football club. “We did the usual beef-and-beers for years and we wanted to do something different,” says Daly, who has strong family connections to the YIs: Her brother, Luke, plays; her dad, Luke, was a manager; and she met her husband, Anthony, when he came from Ireland one summer to play football for the club.

Though last year’s novice event was successful, Daly says she expects this one to blow the roof off. “The hype for this year is out of control,” she says. “A lot of people didn’t go last year because they weren’t sure what kind of night it would be. People weren’t sure whether there was going to be fighting amongst the crowd and it would turn into a rowdy night. But it was a great evening, pure entertainment. People weren’t even getting up for food or to go to the bathroom. They didn’t move from their seats.”

(There were plenty of laughs, as you can see from our photo essay by Eileen McElroy.)

Many of the boxers are training at Andy Carr’s Gym in Upper Darby. Because she travels around the country for work, Jackie Daley turned to her uncle for pointers. “If nothing else, it’s a reason to get my butt back in shape,” she laughs.

She may not have all the moves down, says Daley, but she’s definitely bringing game. “I kinda like see red when I’m in the game zone,” she explains. “I’m kinda unstoppable in my own opinion. Right now I’m having a blast, but the second I get in the ring it’s all over.”

She lets that sink in before she bursts into laughter. “I mean, look,” she says. “I’m not trying to break my nose. My face is too pretty for that!”

Tickets for Fight Night II are $40 each and won’t be sold at the door. Get more information on the event at the Young Irelands gfc Facebook page.

Here’s the evening’s lineup:
Kramer V. Jason Radden
Dan Cardell V. Mike Bohannon
Maryellen McCarry V. Abby Block
James Madden V. Pete Avon
Barry Quinn V. Pat Gray
Jess Carbin V. Jackie Daly
Owen Cummings V. Tom Coyle
Ryan Corbett V. Andrew Marinelli
Leslie Stevenson V. Darren McGee
Steven Covington V C.J. O’Brien
Joe Roan V. Jim McElhone
Eamon O’Hara V. Mark Fisher

April 11, 2013 by
Food & Drink

Southwestern Fare, With an Irish Accent

The folks at Tex Mex Connection, a popular eatery in North Wales known for its tasty Southwestern fare, is no stranger to “spirit dinners”—special prix fixe meals pairing food with liquor tastings. They’ve hosted very popular tequila dinners several times.

They’re about to try something a little different—teaming up the spicy heat of chipotle and poblano with the peaty smoke of Irish whiskey and malt.

The restaurant’s first-ever Irish Whiskey Dinner—it’s on for April 18th—will pair dishes such as posole stew with red chile accent and chipotle mustard marinated salmon fillet, with four classic Irish spirits: Kilbeggan, Connemara Irish Malt, Greenore, and Tyrconnel.

It’s not such a stretch, says Tex Mex Connection General Manager Kevin Gross. “The format is not unfamiliar to us,” he says. “It was more just a question of persuading people we could do it with whiskey, and not just tequila.”

The original plan was to do a bourbon tasting, but those plans fell through. Serendipitously, Ruth Dunne, a brand ambassador for Cooley Distillery, which owns the four whiskey brands, was available to host an Irish themed dinner. Gross thought: Why not?

Dunne, he says, will probably wow people with the force of her personality. “She’s adorable. She really plays the part—you expect her to start dancing. Everything about her screams Ireland.”

Once the restaurant had committed to the tasting dinner, the kitchen responded with a mouth-watering four-course meal, marrying influences from both cultures. For example, marmalade whiskey glazed European chicken breast with chorizo apple cornbread stuffing and braised greens, and Irish cheddar, smoked bacon and caramelized onion quesadilla.

Gross was sure the kitchen would be up to the task.

“We have some very talented chefs,” he says. “You don’t need to go full-bore Irish with the food. It’s more pairing the food notes with the notes of the whiskeys.”

If you’re prepared to check your preconceptions about food at the door, Tex Mex Connections is still taking reservations. They’re at 201 East Walnut Street in North Wales. Phone number: 215-699-9552.

April 5, 2013 by
Music

The Philadelphia Ceili Group’s Singers’ Session Welcomes Their Donegal Guests

The McGill Family Singers

The McGill Family Singers

The Singer’s Session hosted by the Philadelphia Ceili Group the first Wednesday of every month generally has a featured singer, but this month’s guests were a little bit extra special; they came all the way from Ardara, County Donegal, to do the honors.

Bernie McGill and daughters Mairead and Aine were in Boston last week where Aine competed in the World Irish Dancing Championships. But a trip to the States wouldn’t be complete without a stop in Philadelphia to visit the McGill cousins, and since they all share a love of music, an appearance at the Singers’ Session was a natural way to cap off the week.

And they brought the crowds with them. Terry Kane, who runs the session, noted, “This is the first time we’ve had more than 30 people here.”

But probably not the last. Although the Singers’ Session takes the summers off, there are two more to go this spring:  May 1st and June 5th. May’s featured singer isn’t set yet, but Karen Boyce McCollum is scheduled for June, and that’s another evening of singing not to be missed.

So if you have a love for singing Irish songs (in English or in Irish), come on out to the Irish Center in Mt. Airy. All levels of singers are welcome. You can find more information on the Philadelphia Ceili Group website.

And to listen to a few songs from Bernie, Mairead and Aine McGill, with a little help from their Philadelphia relatives and friends, check out our videos:  “There Were Roses” and “Gleanntain Ghlas’ Ghaoth Dobhair.”

April 5, 2013 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How To Be Irish in Philly This Week

Elizabeth Spellman when she was crowned the 2012 Philadelphia Rose of Tralee.

Elizabeth Spellman when she was crowned the 2012 Philadelphia Rose of Tralee.

Elizabeth Spellman, a 28-year-old Havertown social worker, will give up her crown as the 2012 Philadelphia Rose of Tralee on Saturday night at the Radnor Hotel. The annual event is open to young women of Irish descent. The winner competes in the televised Rose of Tralee event in County Kerry, Ireland, in the summer.

Also on Saturday night, catch Galway Guild at Marty Magee’s in Prospect Park.

Also, Gerry Timlin—he of the beautiful voice and a million ad libs—will be doing two performances at the Act II Theatre in Ambler on Saturday night.

On Sunday, the annual Easter Rising Observance will be held at Holy Cross Cemetery at the graveside of Joseph McGarrity, prominent financier of the IRA who lived in Philadelphia. Sinn Fein Councillor from Monaghan, Sean Conlon, is expected to speak.

At the Irish Center, catch the GAA weekly telecast: 10 AM, Tyrone vs. Kerry, and at 11:45 AM it’s Cork Vs. Mayo (a delayed broadcast). Pay-per-view cost is $20.

At 1 PM, there will be an open house and free clinic sponsored by the new Glenside GAA, a youth Gaelic sports club, at Bishop McDevitt High School In Wyncote.

On Tuesday, Villanova Theater offers a staging of Oscar Wilde’s “Salome,” a stunning adaptation of the Biblical tale involving St. John the Baptist.

On Wednesday, “The Hand of Gaul,” a new play by Philadelphian Jared Michael Delaney, opens in preview at the Inis Nua Theater Company’s Off Broad Street Theater. It’s been described as “is a wild comedic romp through the ‘what might have been’ of November 18, 2009. That was the day Ireland got bounced out of a place in the World Cup 2010 contention by the unchecked foul of French superstar Thierry Henry. Three ardent Irish supporters decide to avenge their team and get mixed up in international intrigue beyond their wildest imaginings.” You had me at wild and comedic. Opening night is April 10.

On Wednesday, Irish singer Len Graham (County Antrim) and American Brian O hAirt, an award-winning traditional singer, will offer an evening of Irish singing and storytelling at a house concert in Center City Philadelphia, then again on Thursday at The Banana Factory or 25 W. Third Street in Bethlehem. They recently released a CD, “In Two Minds,” and have performed together at the Philadelphia Ceili Group Festival. Please see our calendar for information on the concert in Philadelphia–seating is limited.

Enjoy your week! Buy Irish!

April 5, 2013 by