This is going to be a busy week, with a particularly busy weekend.
Let’s jump right into it.
Friday, January 24
A quick look at tonight’s schedule: The Shantys will appear at the Black Taxi, 25th and Aspen Streets in the city’s Fairmount neighborhood, starting at 7:30 p.m. Tunes and pints!
Saturday, January 25
It’s Burns Night at Plough & the Stars, 2nd Street between Market and Chestnut in Old City. Poet Robert Burns was Scottish, not Irish, but he was a Celt, and that’s close enough—and the Plough is nothing if not Irish, of course. The festivities start 6 p.m. There’ll be pipers on hand to play tunes, Highland dancers, and an opportunity or two to sample a wee dram. And best of all (maybe not, though—it’s an acquired taste) haggis!
Sunday, January 26
You’ve seen the horrifying news reports out of Australia. Their bush fires have been devastating. Well, here’s your opportunity to help out. Kildare’s Irish Pub, 18 West Gay Street in West Chester, is sponsoring an Australia Day Bushfire Fundraiser starting at noon. Donations will be collected at the door, with $20 suggested. Given the depths of this tragedy, more is always welcome. The pub will also be selling Aussie meat pies and sausage rolls—they’ll be on sale all week, actually—with $5 from each sale being donated to the cause.
Several other events are happening on Sunday, starting with the annual Bloody Sunday Mass at the Irish Center, 6815 Emlen Street in Mount Airy, beginning at 3 p.m. and sponsored by the Derry Society. It’s the 48thanniversary of the January 30, 1972, massacre in Derry’s Bogside area in which British soldiers shot 28 unarmed citizens, killing 14. Refreshments will follow in the center’s Fireside Room.
At the Locks, 4417 Main Street in Manayunk, dynamic Portaferry singer-songwriter Ryan McMullan is scheduled for two shows. The first is at 4 p.m.; the second at 7:30. Tickets here. Check it out.
Finally, The Shantys are back, this time presiding over Irish happy hour at the Fainting Goat, 105 S MacDade Boulevard in Glenolden. Starts at 4 p.m.
Thursday, January 30
Genealogy buffs should really make room in their social calendars for an event at the Irish Diaspora Center, 7 South Cedar Lane in Upper Darby. The Rev. Dr. Hillary Raining offers a presentation on blood memory. She’s done a good deal of research on the subject on Ireland. The event starts at 7 p.m.
That’s all for this week. See you next time.
