Karen Boyce McCollum, here with John Lefty Kelly, will be singing at the Duffy’s Cut Fundraiser.
Well, it’s that time again. And if you have to ask what time, you must have stumbled onto the wrong web page.
March madness starts this week and there’s a lot to cover. Here we go:
On Saturday, Karen Boyce McCollum and the Lads will be performing at Maggie O’Neill’s in Drexel Hill at a benefit for the Duffy’s Cut project, an archeological dig in Malvern that has turned up the bodies of Irish immigrants who died or were killed in 1834 while working on the railroad. Seven of the bodies have been recovered and buried with ceremony at West Laurel Hill Cemetery and in Donegal. Part of the money raised will go toward recovering the other 50 victims and returning the remains of the one woman known to be among the dead, Catherine Burns, to her home county of Tyrone.
The eighth annual Gael Scoil, a total immersion weekend for youth in the Irish language and culture, will be held at Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville, NJ.
Also on Saturday, the 8th annual James Gillespie Sr. benefit will be held at PJ Whelihans in Cherry Hill to benefit the children of Camden’s Catholic Partnership schools.
The Shantys will be at Tir na Nog in Trenton on Saturday night, while Janisom will b at Casey’s on Third in Wildwood on Saturday night.
On Sunday, there’s a big fundraiser for the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade at the new FOP Lodge #5 in Northeast Philly. Jamison, the Bogside Rogues, Celtic Connection, Raymond Coleman and the Celtic Flame dancers will all be there. It was a blast last year. There will also be food, drink, and raffle baskets.
Sligo Pub in Media and Glen Mills have added their weekly sessions to our calendar. We heard that Matt Molloy of The Chieftains showed up at the Media session this week. You never know who you’re going to run into at an Irish session.
On Thursday, the Irish American Business Chamber and Network will hold its annual Ambassador Awards luncheon, honoring QVC, local CEO Frank Reynolds of PixarBio, and CBS3 and CWPhilly, the local networks that air the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day parade. Irish Ambassador Anne Anderson will be on hand to give the awards. Read more about the chamber and the awards in our story.
The Irish conversation group reconvenes on Thursday night at Villanova, and the group, Danu, is appearing on stage the same evening at Longwood Gardens. You can catch Slainte (Frank Daly and CJ Mills of Jamison) at Con Murphy’s in Philadelphia.
On Friday, Blackthorn is playing at Concord Township’s annual dance party; Gaelic Storm is on stage at the Wilmington Grand Opera House; Slainte is at Reedy’s Tavern; Galway Guild is at the Green Parrot in Newtown; and the Cummins School of Irish Dance is holding a trivia night at the North Penn VFW in Glenside.
Also on Friday, the interactive play, Lafferty’s Wake, goes on stage at the Society Hill Playhouse for a March-April run on the weekends. Gargle with lemon and honey—there’s a sing-a-long. The theater cabaret has been turned into Rory’s Pub, where as his final request, Charlie Lafferty is being waked, with his wife Kathleen, daughter Maggie; son-in-law Patrick, the village priest Father Pettigrew, his special friend, Molly; and his best friend Rory in attendance. Sing-alongs with the audience include: Whiskey in the Jar, Sweet Molly Malone, The Orange and the Green, and When Irish Eyes are Smiling.
Information on all these events is on our calendar. Check back frequently this month since things change hourly.
