They’re heeeere!
Expect a wild weekend in Philly: The Celtic supporters are here!
Fans of the Celtic Football Club of Glasgow are descending on the city for a series of events, many of them at The Plough and the Stars on Chestnut Street, home of the 2nd Street Plough Bhoys Celtic Supporters Club. They’ll be watching a game—Celtic Vs. Motherwell—and holding a sing-song in front of the Plough’s fireplace afterwards. A couple of Tyrone guys—Patsy Ward and Raymond Coleman—will be performing, as well as members of the Irish Thunder Pipe Band. Check the calendar for a list of events.
On Saturday, get your tux out and head to the Sheraton Downtown for The Hair O’ The Dog black-tie party which this year benefits The Claddagh Fund, founded by Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys. The Fund supports underfunded nonprofits in Boston and Philadelphia.
If you’re in Upper Darby this weekend—and it’s not a bad idea—head to Cawley’s Tavern on West Chester Pike to help this popular Irish pub celebrate its 40th anniversary with specials and music through Sunday night. The food is good and you may see someone you know there (I always do).
Paddy Whacks Pub has live Irish music almost every weekend, and this Saturday you can catch the Shantys with fiddler Paraic Keane at the Roosevelt Boulvard sports bar.
Martin McDonagh’s darkly comic play—does he do anything else?—“The Pillowman” debuts at Luna Theater in Philadelphia on Saturday. It’s the story of an author of grisly short stories who becomes the suspect in a rash of child murders that bear an uncanny resemblance to those in his works. It runs through February 8. Check our calendar for a schedule of dates and times.
On Sunday, tune in at noon to 800AM, WTMR, to call in your pledge to Marianne MacDonald’s “Come West Along the Road” Irish radio show. Marianne works tirelessly (in her spare time) to produce the show and relies on pledges to keep it going. You can win tickets to hear Clannad, Solas, the John Byrne Band, and Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfetones, as well as CDs, DVDs, and gift cards to local Irish shops. Tune in online at www.wtmrradio.com and/or call in your pledge at 856-962-8178. Let’s keep Irish music on the air, and Marianne out of trouble.
On Wednesday, performer Billy McGovern will be doing an acoustic show at the AOH Div. 61 Clubhouse at Rhawn and Frankford in Philadelphia. Stop by for a pint even if you’re not a Hibernian.
A head’s up for the coming weeks:
A Mass to commemorate the 42nd anniversary of Bloody Sunday will take place at the Irish Center on Sunday, January 26.
The Inis Nua Theater Company is doing a staged reading of director Tom Reing’s “High Noon in Grays Ferry, Twilight on Falls Road,” about the lives of teens in Philadelphia and Belfast, on Monday, January 27, at the Off Broad Street Theater at First Baptist Church on Sansom Street in Philadelphia.
Ever seen sand dancing? You can, done by dancer Nic Gareiss, who will be performing with harpist Maeve Gilchrist, in a house concert in Philadelphia on Wednesday, January 29. Gareiss, a Michigan native, has perofmed with The Chieftains, Dervish, Beoga, Teada, Martin Hayes, Liz Carroll and more. Gilchrist, who is from Scotland, has shared the stage with everyone from Alasdair Fraser to Kathy Mattea. Here’s your chance to share a livingroom with two great performers. Since it’s a house concert—and there needs to be room for sand dancing—space is limited. To reserve your spot, email barnstarconcerts@gmail.com.
