John Byrne and Andy Keenan of the John Byrne Band: at the Irish Center on Friday!
It’s a tough call for Sunday night. At Quest Fest 2 in Philadelphia, you can see All-Ireland fiddler Haley Richardson, 11, with her fiddling friend, Paraic Keane on stage, along with singer Marian Makins who will do a tribute to the late poet Seamus Heaney.
At the Irish Center, Portland, Oregon’s Colleen Raney has chosen the City of Brotherly Love for the release party for her new CD, “Here This is Home.” Raney sings traditional music from the Celtic tradition and will be performing with Dublin-born accordionist Johnny B. Connolly and bouzouki and guitar player Sean Ernest.
Either way, you can’t lose.
On Monday, the Irish American Business Chamber and Network and the German American Chamber are co-sponsoring a luncheon with the German Ambassador to the US, Peter Ammon, at the Union League. There will be networking opportunities for those inclined.
On Monday night, the first of many events leading up to the centennial of the 1916 Easter Uprising in Dublin: A lecture on the 1913 Dublin lockout, when members of the Irish Transport and General Worker’s Union were locked out of their jobs until they signed a pledge not to unionize. The Irish Citizens Army, an outgrowth of this fight, played a pivotal role in the 1916 uprising. Patricia Campbell, president of the Independent Worker’s Union in Ireland, is the guest speaker at the event, being held at Finnigan’s Wake in Philadelphia.
The John Byrne Band will be performing next Friday night at the Irish Center to benefit the Center, which is in dire need of repair. The popular band will be doing its Pogues’ show, which sold out at the World Café Live. Tickets are $15 and are available at the door or by calling 215-843-8051.
Also on Friday, Blackthorn is headlining a benefit at the FOP Lodge #5 for the Fallen Officers Fund; Irish country music performers Ally Harron and Marian Curry will be at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Newtown Square (wear your cowboy boots and be prepared to dance); and Olive McElhone is appearing at the newest Irish pub in the region, St. Declan’s Well, at 3131 Walnut Street in Philadelphia (where we hear they have a lovely breakfast on the weekends).
Enjoy the week!
