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March 2015

News, People

The Party Before the Parade

Grand Marshall Kathy McGee Burns with her daughter, Judge Kelly Wall.

Grand Marshall Kathy McGee Burns with her daughter, Judge Kelly Wall.

The Irish are great about a lot of things, but maybe the best thing they do is never restrict a big party to just one day. St. Patrick’s Day is Tuesday and the Philly Parade is on Sunday, but there’s been one party after another all week.

On Thursday, The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick held its annual wreath-laying at City Hall under the plaque honoring the Irish who signed the Declaration of Independence and fought in the Revolutionary War. Councilman-at-Large Ed Neilson took over Mayor Michael Nutter’s job (he was unavailable) of reading the city’s proclamation honoring the Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.

Later, the annual sashing of the Grand Marshal–this year, Kathy McGee Burns, president of the Irish Memorial and the Delaware Valley Irish Hall of Fame and a member of more than half a dozen other Irish organizations–and the St. Patrick’s Ring of Honor took place at the Doubletree Hotel on Broad Street in Philadelphia.

Below you can see our photos from both events.

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March 13, 2015 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How To Be Irish in Philly This Week

The late Paul Phillips and Knute Bonner: No one will be as Irish as these two! We miss them.

The late Paul Phillips and Knute Bonner: No one will be as Irish as these two! We miss them.

Saturday’s rain forecast has scuttled most if not all of the parades scheduled for March 14, including Springfield, Conshocken, Trenton, and Hamilton. Fortuantely, Conshohocken does have a rain date: March 28. Bucks County is planning to make a decision by 7 PM tonight (Friday, March 13). The Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade is expecting better weather on Sunday and will start as usual around 12:15 PM.

This is St. Patrick’s Week, so there’s a lot to cover. Let’s get this party started.

SATURDAY

9 AM: As far as we know, the Leprechaun Run is still on for Saturday morning on West River Drive. All proceeds benefit Special Olympics.

NOON: The Erin Express Pub Crawl starts in Philadelphia.

1 PM: Folks shave their heads for a good cause—children’s cancer research—at a St Baldrick’s Event at Brittingham’s in Lafayette Hill.

2 PM: The group Fake Mackenzie is on stage at Maggie’s on the Waterfront in Philly.

2 PM: The McHugh School of Irish Dance will be at Timothy’s Riverfront Grill in Wilmington, DE.

3 PM: The Jameson Sisters will join the VOICES Chorale, with tenor James Walsh and fiddler Mary Malone for a musical exploration of Irish harp and song at St John’s United Methodist Church in Ivyland.

3 PM: Join Celtic rockers Blackthorn for their annual “Event in the Tent” at Ridley Park Marina.

4 PM The Paul Moore Band is booked at The Great American Pub.

5 PM: The Conshohocken Parade is rescheduled to March 28, but the party goes on at the Notre Dame Div. 1 clubhouse in Swedesburg.

5 PM: The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick will hold its annual gala at the Union League. Tainaste (Deputy Prime Minister) Joan Burton is expected to attend, along with the provost of Trinity College in Dublin.

5 PM: Time to board the bus with Galway Guild to go to their gig at Mauch Chunk Opera House in Jim Thorpe.

6 PM. The Green Parrot Irish Festival continues in Newtown with various acts including, this night, Luke Jardel and the Hooligans.

6 PM: The McHugh Irish dancers will be entertaining at AJ Stephens Crab House in Glenolden.

7 PM: Jamison headlines PaddyPalooza at Curran’s in Tacony.

7 PM: Celtic singer Stephen Dodds is on stage at The Plough and the Stars in Philadelphia.

7 PM: There’s a St. Patrick’s Day Beef and Beer (with music) att he Woodstown Parish Center of the Holy Spirit Catholic Community in Woodstown, NJ.

8 PM: The Jameson Sisters, VOICES, Mary Malone and James Walsh will take their Irish harp and song show to Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton.

8 PM. The Hooligans are at the Whitman Square Fire House in Blackwood, NJ.

8 PM: Thanks to local Indian dancer Shaily Dadiala we know that Irish and Indian musical traditions blend beautifully. Tonight, the Philadelphia Mandolin Ensemble and Indian mandolinist Snehasish Mozunder will present an evening of music from Ireland, the Irish diaspora, and North India at Swarthmore Friends Meetinghouse.

8 PM: If you’re anywhere near Riverside, NJ stop in at Dooney’s Irish Pub and hear the fabulous Tyrone singer Raymond Coleman.

8 PM: The Fake MacKenzie group is at MaGerks in Fort Washington.

8 PM: Catch the Galway Girls (Meredith Beck, Janice Landry, and Irene Molloy) at the Bucks County Playhouse, with lots of songs.

8 PM: There’s another showing of the interactive Irish play, Lafferty’s Wake, at Society Hill Playhouse in Philadelphia.

8 PM The Shantys will be at JT Brewski’s Pub in Delaware County (Aldan).

9 PM: Steve Moran will play at Marty Magee’s in Prospect Park.

9:30 PM: The Sherwood Brothers bring their mix of Irish, folk and country to Brittingham’s in Lafayette Hill.

10 PM: The Bogside Rogues have lots of fun (and you will too) at Tir na Nog in Philadelphia.

SUNDAY

The Philly St. Patrick’s Day parade traditionally starts with a Mass at St. Patrick’s Church at 20th and Locust, kicks off between 12:15 and 12:30 PM, and ends at 3-4 PM at the Art Museum.

There are loads of post-parade parties, including one at the Irish Center, but this year for the first time, Philadelphia joins other cities across the country to celebrate Sober St. Patrick’s Day, an alcohol-free event that’s being held at WHYY studios on North 6th Street in Philadelphia. Music will be provided by a bevy of All-Ireland champion musicians and singers and the group Irish Blessing from York. The International Rose of Tralee, Maria Walsh, who is herself an abstainer, will also be on hand. The organization was founded in New York to accommodate people in recovery and families who don’t want to be around overindulging revelers. The event starts at 4PM.

10 AM: The Celtic League Cup Final Match is being broadcast at The Plough and the Stars in Philadelphia.

1 PM: Learn a little about the Irish dead in the historic Laurel Hill Cemetery on Ridge Avenue in Philadelphia with their annual St. Patrick’s Day Tour, Toasts, and Tastes—yes there’s beer and food at the end of the tour.

2 PM: There’s a matinee performance of the play, Lafferty’s Wake, at Society Hill Playhouse.

2 PM: The McHugh Irish Dancers will be at Downeys in Philadelphia.

3 PM: The Bogside Rogue will continue the fun at Brittinghams.

3 PM: Join a hands-on tour of the works of James Joyce, Bram Stoker, and other Irish authors at the Rosenbach Museum in Philadelphia.

3 PM: The Hooligans are whooping it up at the Red Rooster in Philly.

3 PM: The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick are holding their second annual parade on Main Street in Clinton, NJ.

3 PM: Galway Guild will be entertaining at New Deck Tavern on Sansom Street in Philadelphia.

3 PM: The Paul Moore Band will play at Paddy Whack’s Pub at Second and South.

4 PM: Clancy’s Pistol is at Katie O’Donnell’s at the Franklin Mills Mall in Philadelphia.

4 PM: Irish Network Philadelphia is holding its annual after parade party at Marty Magee’s Pub in Prospect Park.

4 PM: Stephen Dodds is singing at The Plough and the Stars.

4 PM: The McHugh Irish dancers are at Cavanaugh’s in Head House Square, Philly. Catch them later at Downey’s and at AJ Stephens Crab House in Glenolden.

4:30: Gabriel Donohue will be joined on stage by Cathy Maguire, Deb Shebish, and Marian Makins at Regina Academy at St. John the Baptist in Ottsville.

7 PM: The Fake MacKenzies will be at O’Mare’s in Bustleton.

8 PM: It’s the evening show of “Lafferty’s Wake” at Society Hill Playhouse.

MONDAY

7 PM: Philly’s favorite adopted son, Raymond Coleman, will be at Behan’s Pub in the Bronx. Singing and playing, of course.

7:30 PM: Singer Rosaleen McGill will be performing with Tim Buchanan and Diarmuid MacDuibhne at Tir na Nog in Philadelphia.

8 PM: The Rogue Diplomats will take the stage at Brittingham’s.

TUESDAY, ST. PATRICK’S DAY

Hughie Sweeney and friends will be performing at St. Declan’s Well on Walnut Street near the Penn Campus all day. It’s an Irish-owned bar, so you know there will be great Irish food. Brittingham’s is launching its St. Paddy’s Day ith kegs and eggs and live music all day. And I saw the menu for Paddy Rooney’s Pub in Delco—mmmmmm. You’ll have plenty of choices today, but get there early.

7 AM: Judge Jimmy Lynn’s regular St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast starts bright and early at The Plough and the Stars. It’s a place where local pols, actors, musicians, and just plain folk rub elbows (and everything else—it’s crowded) on St. Patrick’s Day. Judge Jimmy is a jovial host who’s been known to sing a song or two.

7 AM: A St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast that benefits the Patrick Kerr Scholarship Fund is being held at Breen’s Huntington Inn in Jenkintown.

7 AM: The annual AOH St. Patrick’s Day Charity breakfast will again be at Fado Irish Pub on Locust Street in Philadelphia.

11 AM: St. Patrick’s Day at the Irish Memorial starts with Mass, some ceremony, singing, and then, adorable and talented Irish dancers.

11:30 AM: The Shantys are at the Erin Pub in Norwood.

Noon: The Erin Express takes off again in Philly. Watch out!

Noon: The McHugh Irish dancers are jigging at Chick-Fil-A in Glen Mills.

Noon: The Broken Shillelaghs are playing at the St. Patrick’s Day Open House at the Gloucester County AOH in National Park, NJ.

12:30 PM: Have your dancing shoes ready. The Theresa Flanagan Band will be playing at McGillicuddy’s in Upper Darby.

1 PM: Clancy’s Pistol is at Dooney’s in Delran.

2 PM: Jamison Celtic Rock is Celtic rockin at Paddy Whack’s on South Street in Philly.

3 PM: The Bogside Rogues are at the Red Rooster on Dungan Street in Philly.

3 PM: Do yourself and everyone else in the Irish community a favor and get tested for the Tay-Sachs Disease gene at Einstein Medical Center. The disease has been discovered in Irish people (there are three cases in Philadelphia) and Einstein is doing a study to determine how prevalent it is and whether Irish people need to be routinely tested. The disease strikes babies and is always fatal.

3 PM: Galway Guild is traveling to Newark, DE, to perform at Kildare’s.

4 PM: Mick’s Company will be entertaining at McGillicuddy’s in Wayned.

5 PM: Jerseyites: Patch, Bob, and Mike Glennan will be performing at Max’s Seafood Café in Gloucester City, NJ.

5 PM: The River Drivers, a hot new local band, is booked at Dolan’s Irish Pub. I’ve gotten emails about them from Ireland! They’re from Bristol Borough.

6 PM: The Broken Shillelaghs are at Tavern on the Edge in Gloucester City.

7 PM: Fake MacKenzie is at O’Mare’s in Bustleton.

7 PM: Karen Boyce and the Lads will be at Maggie O’Neill’s in Drexel Hill.

7 PM: Find the McHugh dancers at Duffer’s on Route 1 in Concordville.

7 PM: Novelist Claire Kilroy will be reading from her work at Villanova University’s Connelly Center Cinema.

7:30 PM: A St. Patrick’s Day tradition: Bill Monaghan and Celtic Pride at the Sellersville Theater.

8 PM: Gary O’Neill and Lee McCarron will be performing at Cawley’s Pub in Upper Darby.

8 PM: The Hooligans are at Sugarhouse Casino on Delaware Avenue in Philly.

8 PM: Find Clancy’s Pistol shooting up the Triumph Brewery in New Hope.

8 PM: Galway Guild moves from Delaware to Kildare’s in West Chester.

8 PM: Jamison is at RP Murphy’s in Holmes.

8 PM: The Shanty’s are at Marty Magee’s in Prospect Park.

WEDNESDAY

Phew! And it’s not over yet! Not by a long shot.

2 PM: The Theresa Flanagan Band plays at Broomall Presbyterian Nursing Home in Broomall.

8 PM: Dervish is at the Grand Opera House in Wilmington, DE.

THURSDAY

5 PM: Eoin McEvoy will be lecturing at Villanova’s Falvey Library on the Irish language.

6 PM. Order from the four-course prix fix vegan menu being tested out at The Plough and the Stars.

6:30 PM: The Irish Conversation group continues to converse in Irish at Villanova.

7:30 PM: If you missed them at the Irish Center, FullSet is back in town, performing at the Sellersville Theatre.

 FRIDAY

7 PM: Finnegan’s Wake Interactive Dinner Comedy is slated at the Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collingswood, NJ.

7:30 PM. The Henry Girls, an amazing trio of musical sisters from Donegal, is appearing at Burlap and Bean in Newtown Square. Read our story.

8 PM: Another evening performance of “Lafferty’s Wake” at Society Hill Playhouse.

A word about next weekend: Big doings at the Upper Darby Performing Arts Center in Drexel Hill. Popular singer Tony Kenny brings a group of amazing young performers for a celebration of Irish music on March 21. Also, Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfetones are at The Plough. There’s plenty more, but I now have carpal tunnel syndrome and have to stop writing.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Jeff, Lori, and me! See you somewhere!

March 13, 2015 by
News

Duffy’s Cut Memorial 2015

Bill and Frank Watson lead the procession.

Bill and Frank Watson lead the procession.

On the third anniversary of the burial of the victims of Duffy’s Cut, a crowd of local Irish and Irish-Americans showed that no one is about to forget the 57 Irish railroad workers who died in 1832 along Mile 59 of the Pennsylvania-Columbia Railroad in Malvern.

After a week of bad weather, the sun shone brightly on the procession of well-wishers last Sunday, as they made their way from the main building of the West Laurel Hill Cemetery to a tall monument—a stone Celtic cross engraved with elegant knotwork. They were led by brothers Bill and Frank Watson in full piping regalia.

It was a time for a brief period of reflection. Singer Charlie Zahm set the tone with a moving rendition of the classic “Four Green Fields.” Prayers were read by Frank Watson, a Lutheran minister, while others spoke words of remembrance.

Frank McDonnell, president of the Donegal Association of Philadelphia, paid tribute to the Watson brothers who, with their colleagues and volunteers, have led the effort to recover the remains from a mass grave along the tracks—and to help solve the mystery of how they came to die. Many of these lost souls succumbed to cholera, certainly, but at least some of them murdered.

“You talk about history, and you talk about recorded events,” said McDonnell. “Those events will become part of our history. They remain part of our heritage.”

In standing alongside the monument, McDonnell added, “we stand on the edge of history. And we would not be here if it were not for these two brothers.”

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March 12, 2015 by
Music, People

The Henry Girls Coming to Newtown Square

Joleen, Lorna, and Karen McLaughlin, the Henry Girls

Joleen, Lorna, and Karen McLaughlin, the Henry Girls

Before three of them became “The Henry Girls,” a rising Irish folk and trad trio who will be appearing next week in the Philadelphia area, they were known as the Henry sisters, six girls named McLaughlin brought up by music-loving parents in the countryside around Malin, a pretty little town on Trawbreaga Bay on the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal, the northernmost point of Ireland.

The “Henry” honors their grandfather, but the name comes from a practice common in Inishowen, a tiny, remote spot with a small pool of surnames. Like all the Dohertys, Divers, and McDaids—common names on this rural peninsula—the McLaughlins acquired a nickname to distinguish them from all the other McLaughlins they’re not related to. They became the Henry McLaughlins, after their grandad.

The music was familial too. Their mother Kathleen sang around the house, their father Joe played the button accordion and mouth organ, and all six girls took music lessons “and Irish dancing as well,” says Lorna McLaughlin, who taught herself to play the accordion so she could busk with older sister, Karen, in Australia, where they lived for a time after college.

But only three of the girls made music a career. There’s Karen, who is 40, a fiddler, Joleen, the youngest of all the Henry sisters at 30, who plays harp, and Lorna, 38, who also plays the keyboard.

They were raised on a mélange of music from Donegal’s Altan (“the first band I saw live,” says Lorna) and Clannad to Queen, Beck, the Everly Brothers, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, and the Andrews Sisters, whose tight harmonies are often used to describe the Donegal sisters’ own vocal blending, the kind of exquisitely close melodic interplay only siblings and can achieve.

“I can see how our voices just clicked,” says Lorna. “Karen has a deeper voice, Joleen has a higher voice and mine is in the middle. We also have similar speaking voices. Our voices are similar in tone so when we sing together it sounds like one voice.” (Listen to those harmonies on this live version of “Sweet Dreams.“)

One thing that didn’t come naturally to them was the idea that they could become well known and acclaimed for doing what they love to do. “When you grow up in rural Ireland, you never imagine you’re going to become a recording artist,” says Lorna who, along with Joleen, still lives in Malin. “It was not something that was encouraged. We were encouraged to love music and to enjoy playing it, but we never pushed ourselves in that direction.”

In fact, the Henry Girls are the epitome of the old saying, “Do what you love and the money will follow.” They had no strategic plan. When Lorna and Karen returned from their Australia sojourn, the three sisters hatched the idea of making a recording. Lorna and Karen had written a few songs while they were away and had played in a band together. “We didn’t know what we were doing and we hadn’t even any gigs,” laughs Lorna. “We got help from the rural development board and then, suddenly it began getting played on the radio. We started getting more coverage. People picked us up in Germany. It’s all a bit of a mystery how it evolved.”

Despite the warm welcome to the field of folk music, it still didn’t occur to the McLaughlin sisters that this might be the start of something big.

“We really weren’t focused on it. We all had different things going on. I was busy teaching community music,” says Lorna, who is co-founder of the Inishowen Gospel Choir, modeled on the Dublin Gospel Choir. The community choir, which she says “came together like magic” when she and friend Siobhan Shields advertised for singers, backs the trio on several tracks on their latest CD, “Louder Than Words” and has since performed all over Europe.

At the time, “Joleen was just finishing her degree and Karen had gotten married and started having kids,” Lorna explains. None of that kept from a nomination for an Irish Film and Television award for best original score for the film, The Shine of Rainbows, starring Aidan Quinn which featured songs from their roots-influenced first album, “Dawn.” Or from joining Irish music icon Mary Black on her album, “Stories from the Steeples” and doing a song with Dublin singer-songwriter Imelda May. Or from recording a second album, “December Moon.”

“But I suppose we didn’t focus on things until we were invited to the Milwaukee Irish Festival (in 2011). We got such great reactions, that’s when we realized that this could be something we could do. Something we could do seriously.”

The Henry Girls have produced three CDs that reflect their eclectic musical influences and wrap everything in those killer sisterly harmonies. For lovers of trad, “Dawn,” their first, showcases their loving familiarity with Irish roots music. You can hear Joleen’s sharp harp playing on tunes like An Portan Beag, Lorna’s sweet accordion tones on Glashedy Boat Song, and their harmonies, as precise as a murmuration of birds, on Richard Thompson’s “Dimming of the Day.”

“December Morn,” their second offering, is the first of likely many singer-songwriter albums, mixing their own work with brilliant covers, like their cute version of Elvis Costello’s reggae-rhythmed “Watching the Detectives.” (Hear the Henry Girls’ take on the tune on this video.)

“That seemed like an unlikely song for an Irish group to do,” says Lorna of the Costello tune. “But it’s an amazing song. We just liked it. When we do it live, we don’t introduce it anymore. When we get to the chorus, people just go, “ahhhh. I know that song.’”

“Louder Than Words” again showcases the Girls’ own work along with reworkings of songs they previously recorded, like “ James Monroe,” a song, “Reason to Believe,” that they picked up from the Inishowen Gospel Choir, which sings along on the track, and what sounds like an Andrews Sisters throwback, “So Long but Not Goodbye.”

The Henry Girls have already started a whirlwind tour of the US—10 gigs in 10 days—starting in Massachusetts and ending in Madison, NJ, on March 21 at Drew University. They’ll be appearing at Burlap and Bean, 204 South Newtown Street, in Newtown Square on Friday, March 20, starting at 7:30 PM.

They still have no strategic plan. Not only that, but they do their own business management and booking, Lorna’s job. But they are more focused on being and growing The Henry Girls as a musical entity.

“Chatting to our mother early on about what we were doing, she said, ‘God, girls, you are living the dream,’” laughs Lorna. “We feel lucky to where we’re at at the moment, having the opportunity to go overseas and play at all these lovely venues, writing music. Of course, you never really think you’ve done your best. You feel your best is yet to come, and that’s what drives you, keeps you from getting too settled. Because once you think you’re a success, you’re done, aren’t you? We’re still developing our sounds. We want to keep growing musically. But we want to keep enjoying it so we’re not going to push ourselves too hard.”

So far, for The Henry Girls, that no-push non-plan has been working. There’s no reason to change it now.

You can see and hear more of The Henry Girls on their YouTube Channel.

March 12, 2015 by
News

Insiders’ Guide to the Philly St. Paddy’s Day Parade

Best costume, best location, best Irish spirit!

When you’re Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade veterans as we are, you get wise to the best places to watch the parade, grab a bite to eat, take a potty break, and rest up (or party) afterwards. We list the post-parties on our calendar, so we thought we’d share some other insider info so you can watch the parade like a pro.  ~ Jeff and Denise

Best Place to Watch the Parade: The reviewing stand or, if it’s cold, inside the CBS3 trailer. Failing that (and you will unless you have a special ticket or are doing color commentary), we like the spot down around 16th and Arch. The route is narrow there, you can sit on the walls or, better yet, at the tables outside Tir na Nog and watch the parade pass you by. The performing area—where the bands play, the dancers dance, and the AOHers wave at the cameras—is just past 23rd Street on the Parkway.

Rowdiest place to watch the parade: Around 16th and JFK. What a difference a block makes. This corner presents your best opportunity to run into bare-chested young hooligans, typically well advanced along the path to inebriation. No worries, though. They’re loud and boisterous, but generally harmless. We once witnessed a “Silly String” fight there. Philly is no Hoboken.

Warmest place to watch the parade: Inside one of the pubs along the route—or at home, in front of the TV. The CW-Philly57 network broadcasts it live starting at 1 p.m. An encore airs on St. Patrick’s Day—Tuesday, March 17, on CBS3 from 9 a.m. to Noon.

Best place to warm your hands: Wrap your frigid little fists around a latte or just a plain (but strong) cup o’ joe at the Starbucks at 16th & Arch. We start our parade day early, when it’s usually the coldest time of the day, and we’re in and out of the place once or twice.

Best costume to wear to the parade: Something green, preferably silly and undignified. That will assure that you’ll get your picture taken or wind up on TV. And you’ll gain some measure of immortality. You’re sure to pop up on Facebook or YouTube where you will live for eternity.

Best food along the parade route. You can always grab a dishwater dog or soft pretzel from one of the street vendors, but there are a couple of nice Irish pubs right along the parade route, including Tir Na Nog at 16th and Arch and Con Murphy’s Pub at 1700 Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

Best place to excuse yourself. There are plenty of portable toilets down by the reviewing stand. Or pop into one of the pubs or restaurants along the route (there aren’t all that many), grab a bite, a brew, and a bathroom break.

Best opportunity to spot a monster Irish Wolfhound. We can’t guarantee it, but the overlarge McGuinness and his kilted owner Jim Kilrain often stake out a spot near 17th and the Parkway. (The dog you see in this post is not an Irish Wolfhound. It is Irish Wolfhound kibble.)

Best parking. There are two places: One is the garage at 16th and Arch under the LOVE Park. The other is on 17th Street between the Parkway and Arch Street, near (as luck would have it) Con Murphy’s Pub. There’s VIP parking at Eakins Oval but you need to be a VIP or to have mugged one for their windshield sticker.

Place with the smallest crowd. Where Race blends into Logan Square, just above the Cathedral. Crowds typically thin out here. You can have the sidewalk all to yourself. Many of the groups—especially the dance groups—go through their routines before making the last long trek up to the reviewing stands and the TV cameras. The Mummers have also been known to strut a bit.

Best way to get to the city: The train. There’s a One-Day Independence Pass that costs $12 per person and is good on all SEPTA trains, buses, subways, or trolleys, except for week-day rush hour runs. A $29 pass lets a family of five traveling together hop on any SEPTA vehicle—well, maybe not those cool little track inspection cars—all day. 

 

 

 

 

March 12, 2015 by
News

Your St. Patrick’s Day Reading List, Part 2

"One of the best books to come out of Europe," said the San Francisco Chronicle about this Sebastian Barry novel set in post World War I Ireland.

“One of the best books to come out of Europe,” said the San Francisco Chronicle about this Sebastian Barry novel set in post World War I Ireland.

What do these books have in common? Nothing, except that they explore various parts of the Irish experience, both in American and in Ireland, in the past and the present. Some of this week’s reads were mentioned several times by our Irish Philadelphia Facebook group members. I’ve read all but three of them. One, Irish Blood, is by a local Irish author.

Click on the book’s title and you’ll be taken to goodreads.com where you can see how others rated the book and where you’ll also find links to buy the book online. If you have other book suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments section after the story.

Look for part 3 of our reading series next week.

Fiction
Trinity by Leon Uris
From the author of “Exodus,” “Trinity” is an epic adventure tale of a young Irish Catholic man fighting for Irish freedom and the beautiful (because they always are) Irish Protestant girl who defied her own culture to join him. It was a real favorite of our Facebook readers.

Lion of Ireland by Morgan Llywelyn

This is the first of a series of books written by American-born historical novelist Llywelyn that explores various aspects of Irish culture. The Lion of Ireland was, of course, Brian Boru. Other Llywelyn books include Druids, 1916: A Novel of Irish Rebellion; Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish; Finn MacCool, 1921: The Great Novel of the Irish Civil War; 1949: The Novel of the Irish Free State; 1972: A Novel of Ireland’s Unfinished Revolution; 1999: A Novel of the Celtic Tiger and the Search for Peace; and many others.

Foster by Claire Keegan

Set in rural Ireland, this spare little gem of a book tells the story of a little girl who is sent to live with foster parents in the country. While there, she finds affection she has never known before—and learns a secret that changes her life forever.

Irish Blood by Brendan Sean Sullivan

Local author Sullivan tells the tale of an American, Mick McKenna, who lost his wife in a carbomb attack in Belfast on their honeymoon and returns to Ireland to find himself embroiled personally in “the troubles.” In this thriller, the choices he makes can affect the success of the Good Friday agreement.

The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty by Sebastian Barry

Called “the finest book to come out of Europe” the year it was released, playwright Barry’s novel follows the happy-go-lucky Sligo man, Eneas McNulty, through his tumultuous life post World War I, first as a member of the notorious British-led Royal Irish Constabulary, then as fugitive pursued by the IRA who finds redemption on the Isle of Dogs, a sailor’s haven.

Nonfiction
Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom by John O’Donohue

Poet, philosopher and scholar O’Donohue provides an inspirational guide through the spiritual landscape of the Irish psyche using stories, teaching, and blessings that provide insights on friendship, love, solitude, and death.

Paddy Whacked: The Untold Story of the Irish American Gangster by T. J. English

The notorious Boston criminal James “Whitey” Bulger may be one of the last of the Irish gangsters, but he certainly wasn’t the first. Organized crime expert English brings to life nearly two centuries of Irish gangsters, from the Gangs of New York, to Bulger, who was caught after 16 years on the lam and is now in prison, invicted of racketeering and playing a role in 11 murders.

Green Suede Shoes by Larry Kirwan

Fans of the Celtic rock group Black 47 may not know that founder and lead singer Kirwan is an accomplished writer and playwright whose autobiography takes the reader from his birth in County to Wexford to his years on the New York rock and punk scene. Kirwan has a new book coming out this year.

No News at Throat Lake: In Search of Ireland by Lawrence Donegan

Scottish-born journalist Lawrence Donegan, obviously of Irish descent, longs for the simple life far from the big city and thinks he may find it in Creeslough, a quaint Irish village whose name translates—very loosely—to Throat Lake. He takes a job at the Tirconaill Tribune, a quirky local paper run by two men and a dog. And what can we say? Hilarity ensues. One of my personal favorites.

Are You Somebody? The Accidental Memoir of a Dublin Woman by Nuala O’Faolain

One of nine children of a Dublin couple, O’Faolain follows in her father’s foosteps and becomes a reporter who then turns her eye on her emotionally starved childhood, her wandering father, and, for a time, finds solace in alcohol just as her father did. It’s a very honest book, a little too name-droppy for my taste, but women born in the ‘50s in particular will find resonance in O’Faolain’s struggles as a woman in what was a largely man’s field at the time.

March 11, 2015 by
Columns

Yet Another Reason Philly Isn’t Like New York

Our babies may also be cuter. This one's with Second Street Irish Society.

Our babies may also be cuter. This one’s with Second Street Irish Society.

Just recently, irishcentral.com published a slide show of the top 10 controversies surrounding the New York St. Patrick’s Day Parade, including the ban, until 1989, of a woman being grand marshal and the refusal to allow Bernadette Devlin, the Berrigan Brothers, writer Brendan Behan, and gay groups to march in the parade.

I found myself wondering if I could come up with 10 controversies about the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade. I got stumped after, “the city made us put up the money for our own port-a-potties a few years ago.” We are a seriously boring people. And if that’s bad, I don’t want to be good.

There’s never been a ban, to my knowledge, against women as grand marshals. There just haven’t been that many—four, counting this year’s honoree, Kathy McGee Burns, president or former president of [fill in just about any Irish organization in Philly here}.

While we’ve had Sinn Fein members marching in the parade, the truth is, most people wouldn’t know it. Or care. We don’t usually get anyone famous, unless you count the CBS3 crew and WMMR’s Preston and Steve. The modern-day equivalents of Devlin, the Berrigans, and Behan are not clamoring to march up the Parkway for their 10 seconds of fame live on local TV. Even the delegate from the Irish government, which always sends someone to visit this time of year, isn’t marching in the parade. Tanaiste (deputy prime minister) Joan Burton is leaving the city the night before. Was it something we said? We are a humble people; most of our floats were being handmade in someone’s neighborhood last week.

I don’t know that any gay groups have applied to march, but I would like to think they would not be turned down, that it wouldn’t become a controversy. We live in a city where we have an official “gayborhood” marked by rainbow flags and one of our sweetest, loveliest and most famous Irish pageant winners is openly gay. I like to think we’re more than tolerant here. I like to think we’re party people whose attitude is, “Ahh, sure, the more the merrier.” We have been not asking, not telling, and not caring longer than most people. I’m not naïve. I know that there are bigots in our community. I hear things. But I’d like to believe that their small voices would be drowned out by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir of the right-thinking people who live in this city.

We do like to party. Some of us party hard. Some of us throw up in the streets; most of us do not wrestle there. There have never been any serious incidents associated with the parade to my knowledge. I did once see a silly string fight at 17th and Arch, but no one was seriously injured in the mele. I once interviewed two guys having beers and laughing together at Tir na Nog and asked them how long they’d known one another. They turned and looked at each other. “Oh, I don’t know,” said one. “About 20 minutes?” Chill. We are chill.

I was a member of the St. Patrick’s Ring of Honor one year, and marched in the parade with about 10 other women, including two nuns and two judges. We heard a lot of calling and cheering from the crowd as we went by. I wondered whom they’d recognized from the group until it suddenly dawned on me—they were former students yelling to the Sisters of Mercy who were marching behind us. We are a people who cheer their nuns.

In fact, when I started thinking about our noncontroversial St. Patrick’s Day Parade, I was only able to come up with a handful of questions that really didn’t lend themselves much to a click-bait slideshow. Here’s what I’m wondering (see photos below):

Will the lady who wears the cabbage and potato necklace be hanging around 16th and Arch? And will she be wearing the leprechaun shoes?

Now that traffic guy Bob Kelly is at Fox29, who will be bouncing around the streets doing random interviews for CBS3 and CW Philly?

What is with the folks in the full-body suits? A couple of years it was a green man, one year a shamrock person. I use those descriptors deliberately. These are skin-tight suits. I knew one was a guy. The other. . .hmmmm.

Will Murphy the Irish wolfhound be on the Parkway or has he gone to the great dog park in the sky? Wolfhounds, alas, are not long-lived animals and we didn’t see Murphy last year.

What will make Parade Director Michael Bradley smile during the parade? It certainly won’t be seeing a camera.

How many city blocks will the Second Street Irish Society contingent take up when standing still? That has to be the largest group in the parade. No complaints. They have music, adorable kids, and they dress really well. But why aren’t they the Two Street Irish Society? Everyone knows that in Philly, that’s what we call that stretch of road in South Philadelphia. You know, because we’re quirky like that.

Can I crash the McSweeney-Sears party that’s been in the same spot on the Parkway since 1993? They always have liquid refreshments. In New York, is it possible to know spectators along the parade route because you see the same people year after year? I will be missing some familiar faces, people who are no longer with us, including Mary Walters, who I met 9 years ago during my first parade; the AOH’s Joe Montgomery, always the best-dressed man on the Parkway; the guy with the beard who was the best St. Patrick ever; and always, Knute Bonner and Paul Phillips, two parade veterans.

And finally, what shall I wear? Some years, the weather for St. Patrick’s Day Parade is as warm and balmy as a Caribbean night. Other years, this rain-or-shine parade lives up to its name. One year, my hands were so cold that the photo IDs I took down looked like they were written by someone with tremors. Like everyone else in the city, I blame the weather on the local meteorologists because, of course, they control it. We once drove a guy out of town for overhyping a snowstorm. That’s the kind of people we are here.

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March 9, 2015 by
Music

FullSet Warms a Cold Winter’s Night

Piper Martino Vacca

Piper Martino Vacca

Michael Harrison, fiddler and leader of the stunningly talented Irish traditional band FullSet, admitted their tour might have been better planned.

It began in New England, about at the same time the region was blanketed with 120 feet of snow, accompanied by plagues of lice, frogs, locusts and rivers of bloods.

OK, maybe not that much snow, and maybe we’re making it up about the lice, frogs, locusts and rivers of blood, but the timing couldn’t have been worse, and the travel was harrowing at times.

Last Friday night, the band rolled into Philly for a concert at the Philadelphia Irish Center, where the weather outside was frigid, but subtropical in comparison to New England.

In no time at all, the joint was jumping, bringing the ballroom crowd to its feet at the end.

We have the pictures.

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March 6, 2015 by