“You—oo-oo, my brown-eyed girl. . .”
What? Oh, sorry, we just couldn’t help ourselves. Van Morrison is in town—Friday night at the Tower Theater, Saturday night at the Borgata in Atlantic City. Whenever we hear his name, we can’t help humming one of his biggest hits. Ticket prices to see the Belfast cowboy top out at $300 at the Tower and $500 at the Borgata. All we can say is “Sha la la la la la la la la la la te da.”
The good news is, there are cheaper ways to be Irish this week. Like heading over to Cardinal Dougherty High School in Philly on Sunday for the hurling championships. We’ve said it before and yet we see so few of you there—this is one action-packed game that is way more fun to watch than baseball. You can bring your beach umbrella, a couple of lawn chairs, and your picnic cooler and have a great old time—all for free. So head out to the field for the 2:30 PM match—and wear your Celtic-strength sunscreen. Read all about it here.
There’s still time to get tickets to hear the Three Irish Tenors at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville on Thursday, July 17. See our interview with the witty and talented Ciaran Nagle, a founding member of the group.
Then, on Friday, July 18, the inimitable Ceili Rain will be performing at the Tin Angel in Philly.
Check our calendar to plan your calendar for the next few weeks, which are jam-packed with Irish events. Coming up:
The 2008 Continental Gaelic Youth Championships come to West Chester, kicking off (literally) with a parade on Gay Street on Thursday, July 24. Young Gaelic sports players will be coming from around the country for this event to be held at the Greater Chester Valley Soccer Association Arena all weekend. It’s an honor for our area to be hosting the national finals for youth Gaelic games, so get out and support them! If you have the time, they’re looking for field marshals to make sure the games start on time, the teams are in place, and the referees are on the field (sounds like a job for a CEO, shift supervisor, or any Mom). If you can help, please contact Tommy Higgins at 215-275-0591 or email: tom_higgins2000@yahoo.com or John McDaid @ 267-226-8581, or email: johnbmcdaid@msn.com
On Saturday, July 26, you can hear Angelina Carberry (on banjo) and her husband, Martin Quinn (on button box) at the Coatesville Cultural Society. Trad music lovers alert: This a must-see!
On Sunday, July 27, do your good deed for the day by supporting Team Ratty Shoes (it’s a Blackthorn reference) in their quest to raise money for research into multiple sclerosis, a crippling disease affecting mainly young adults. Random Blonde will perform (yes, they’re Irish and they’re rocking) and for your $30 per person donation, you get free eats and draft Miller Light. All the fun will be at Brittingham’s Irish Pub and Restaurant in Lafayette Hill (which is now smoke-free!). Hang around till after dinner and hear Oliver McElhone at 7:30.
While you’re perusing the calendar, check out the month of September. We’ve posted the dates but not all the details for two major annual Irish events in the area—the Philadelphia Ceili Group’s Irish Traditional Music and Dance Festival and the North Wildwood Irish Festival. And check out our photos of all the fun you could be having if you got off your duff and went.
