The Hall of Fame Dinner is on Sunday night.
This is one jumping weekend, Irish-wise. And the week is shaping up too.
We have the Delaware Valley Hall of Fame dinner on Sunday, honoring Jim McGill, former president of and moving force behind the Philadelphia Ceili Group; popular tavern owner Emmett Ruane who gave many local Irish musicians their start and, till his Emmett’s Place pub closed a few years ago, provided a dance floor for local ceili fans; and Bill and Frank Watson, twin brothers who brough the tragedy of Duffy’s Cut to light. This marks the first time that the Commodore John Barry Award will be given—and, appropriately, the winner is Commodore Barry himself, the Wexford-born father of the US Navy, a Revolutionary War hero, and a Philadelphian.
Tickets are not being sold at the door.
And for the rest of the weekend, let’s start from the top:
On Saturday, 11 AM is tee time for the Philadelphia Irish Golf Charities, which raises money for families in need. It takes place at Cobbs Creek Golf Course.
At 3 PM, catch Slainte—that Jamison’s Frank Daly and C. J. Mills—at Paddywhacks on Welsh Road in Philly.
At 6 PM, a little Celtic with a French flair—a Fest Noz, a traditional dance from Brittany, one of the seven Celtic nations—is happening at Sts. Simon and Jude Parish in Bethlehem.
And at 7 PM, the Jameson Sisters—Ellen Tepper on harp, Teresa Kane on everything else—will be performing their annual “Concert at the Castle,” at Fonthill, the concrete castle in Doylestown. Great ambiance, fabulous music.
At 9 PM, Jamison will be rocking out at Tir Na Nog in Philly, while the Broken Shillelaghs will be at Nipper’s Pub in Westville, NJ.
On Sunday morning, the Coyle School will be holding its feis at Sportsplex of PA in Feasterville.
At 2 PM on Sunday, Sister Marie Hubert Kealy of Immaculata College will be speaking on Celtic spirituality at the Riverton Library in Riverton, NJ.
At 4 PM, local musicians, including Bob Hurst of the Bogside Rogues, John O’Callaghan of Jamison, Joe Mullan and Pat Tohery of Celtic Connection, and the groups One Shot Paddy and the Shantys will be jamming at Ashburner Inn at 8400 Torresdale Avenue in Philadelphia, all to raise money for the AOH Freedom for All Ireland Christmas appeal, which helps many groups and individuals in Northern Ireland.
Also at 4 PM, Blackthorn is on stage at Spring Hill Manor in Ivyland also raising money, this time for Shamrock Reins, an equine therapy center in Pipersville for military veterans, first responders and their families. Read our story about the center.
At 5 PM, the Montgomery County AOH/LAOH will have its annual memorial mass at Sacred Heart Church in Swedesburg.
Well, that’s about all I can do in one weekend. But, wait, there’s more—the whole rest of the week!
On Tuesday, Galway Guild (Joe Magee’s band) will be playing the Smithville Irish Fest in Smithvill, NJ.
Also on Tuesday, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1300 Locust Street, in Philadelphia will offer a free program featuring many experts on 19th century Irish immigration. The focus will be on Philadelphia. My people came here in the 19th century—did yours?
More Tuesday doings: The Irish Pub is hosting a fundraiser to raise money for a statue of Babe Heffron—one of the Philadelphia vets who was part of the “band of brothers”—to be erected in the city. Appropriate for Veteran’s Day, a is he program at the AOH Notre Dame Div, 1 Hall in Swedesburg, featuring Montgomery County Sheriff Russell Bono and the Irish Thunder pipes and drums.
On Wednesday, the Battlefield Band will bring some Scottish folk music to the Sellersville Theater. You’ll be surprised—or maybe not—at how it sounds a lot like Irish folk music. Same people, different country.
On Thursday, this may be your last chance to catch Black 47 as they hit World Café Live in Philadelphia as part of their farewell tour.
On Friday, Dublin singer-songwriter Declan O’Rourke will be headlining at World Café with Robert Williams, a critically acclaimed writer and filmmaker who is also a musician and songwriter. And apparently an overachiever. I’ve heard lots of great things about Declan O’Rourke too. Since he’s in Philadelphia, he’s likely to perform his new song about Duffy’s Cut.
All-Ireland fiddler Dylan Foley will be joining fiddler Rose Conway Flanagan of Cherish the Ladies and flute-player Laura Byrne at a house concert on Saturday in Ambler. This was originally scheduled for the Irish Center. Check the Philadelphia Ceili Group’s website for more information.
As always, check out the calendar for all the details and any late-breaking events that are added during the week. We always try to update you on Facebook, so join our group there. There’s more than 4,500 of us!
