The Dropkick Murphys' Ken Casey. Photo by Brian Mengini. Image may not be reproduced without the photographer's permission.
They said their goal was to be “the AC/DC of Celtic rock,” and, if you’ve ever heard their kickass version of “The Fields of Athenry,” it’s pretty clear that Dropkick Murphys can scratch that one off their bucket list.
This Celtic punk band, born in 1996 in the basement of a Quincy, Massachusetts barbershop, is best known for its hard-driving beat and its working class political leanings. In 2010, those pro-union sentiments spawned a re-release of their tune, “Take ‘Em Down,” to show their solidarity with public union workers in Wisconsin who had taken over the state capitol building to protest Gov. Scott Walker’s plan to curtail collective bargaining rights. The band also produced a T-shirt they sold to benefit the Workers’ Rights Emergency Response Fund.
But what many don’t know about the band is that since 2009, the Dropkick Murphys have been doing all kinds of good things through The Claddagh Fund, founded by front man Ken Casey. Honoring the three attributes of the Claddagh ring—love, loyalty, and friendship, they’ve sought out and supported largely underfunded community-based groups serving the most vulnerable populations, including children, veterans, and recovering substance abusers.
The first year they started in their backyard, funding Massachusetts charities including the Dorchester Boys & Girls Club, The Franciscan Hospital for Children, and the Greater Lowell YMCA. Since then, they’ve gone international, donating to The Belvedere Youth Club in Dublin Ireland, Springboard Opportunities in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and the Hope for Haiti Children’s Center in Port Au Prince.
When the Dropkick Murphys come to Philadelphia on September 18 at the Electric Factory with their Shamrock-N-Roll Tour, they’re bringing the Claddagh Fund with them—to stay. They’ve chosen Philadelphia—where they have a huge fan base—as the next target of their largesse. The first organization they’re supporting is Stand Up For Kids, a little known program, staffed almost entirely by volunteers, that does outreach with homeless and street kids.
“One of the things that the Claddagh Fund can bring to the table for an organization like Stand Up for Kids is to give them the kind of exposure that they would not ordinarily get,” says Ken Casey.”Through our family, friends and fans, the Dropkick Murphys can make sure people hear about all of the great things organizations like StandUp for Kids do. Since we have partnered up with StandUp for Kids in May, they have already been setting up tents and tables at Electric Factory events assisting with raising awareness and increasing their volunteer base which inevitably makes fundraising easier.”
Kate McCloud, director of the Philadelphia Chapter of The Claddagh Fund, says the Claddagh Fund was born out of Ken Casey’s own giving nature. “This comes right from Ken’s heart,” she says. “He just wants to give back and to assist those communities that have supported the Dropkick Murphys on their journey.”
The idea to create the fund, says Casey, “came up during a conversation with Boston Bruins legend Bobby Orr while we were planning a Golf Tournament. One of the things I really liked was the idea of establishing a formal nonprofit that gives fans an even clearer picture of where their donations are headed.” Next was figuring out how to harness the energy of Dropkick fans outside of New England and spread the Claddagh Fund’s themes of friendship, love and loyalty. Casey says that his decision to expand to Philadelphia was an easy one. “It is just a natural fit. There are so many similarities between the two towns. They both love their communities, families, and sports teams. Philadelphians are good hardworking people and have always been good to the Dropkick Murphys. We want to do what we can to give back to a community that has been so good to us.”
From the beginning, the Claddagh Fund, which raised more than a half a million dollars in its first year, has deliberately adopted lesser known charities. In Boston they give to hospitals,for example, but tend to avoid giving to the larger ones. The sentiment is simple. “Those institutions are well established. We want to find those organizations that no one sees, the ones that are helping those in our communities that otherwise would not have any assistance.” says Casey.
The Claddagh Fund’s local board members are also a resource. They include Bryan Dilworth, well known Electric Factory concert promoter; Mike McNally, general manager of the Electric Factory; sports radio personality Al Morganti; Dan Rudley from Comcast Sports Net; Greg Dupee of RBC Wealth Management; Robert Coyle, who serves on the executive board of District Council 47, of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees; Kathy McGee Burns, a local realtor and president of the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Observance Association, and several other influential Philadelphians, some of whom volunteered, says McCloud with a laugh, “because they’re die-hard Dropkick Murphy fans.
Stand Up for Kids, which has its headquarters in Atlanta and chapters around the country, is the perfect choice for the fund’s first Philadelphia effort. “We want to reward folks who are doing the work for the right reasons,” says McCloud. “We want to be their tipping point, so they can continue to do great things.”
If you want to learn more about the Claddagh Fund and Stand Up for Kids, buy tickets to the Shamrock-N-Roll concert at the Electric Factory on September 18. You get to hear the Dropkick Murphys along with Street Dogs (featuring former DM frontman Mike McColgan), the Mahones, and the Parkington Sisters, among others. Also on the bill: “Irish” Micky Ward, the Boston fighter played by Mark Wahlberg in the film, “The Fighter.” And you’ll learn how you can help support the house that Celtic punk rock built.
For more information now, contact Kate McCloud at kathleen.mccloud@claddaghfund.org
