How To Be Irish in Philly This Week

I love how creative the Irish are about raising money. This Saturday, the folks at McShea’s Bar and Restaurant in Narberth are hoping you’ll bet on the horses. They’re holding a fundraiser for the Beacon Lodge, a Lions Club charity and camp for adults and children with special needs, that they’re calling “McShea’s Summer Derby.” It features “10 races and cheeky narration from the British Isles” and it will be held mid-afternoon at the pub. Sounds like fun for a good cause.

And on a serious note: The Friends of Irish Freedom, an organization that supports Republican political prisoners and their families (no, not the GOP Republicans), is having an informational meeting at the William Way Community Center on Spruce Street in Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon from 3-5 PM.

For you shore goers, Jamison is performing at Shenanigans in Sea Isle City on Sunday night. They’ll be back there again on Sunday, August 26.

Get out of work early on Tuesday so you can see some team go up against the River Sharks of Camden at Campbell’s Field in the city across the Delaware from Philly. It doesn’t matter what team it is—it’s Irish Heritage Night, so there will be pregame Irish dance performances, food, and music. Plus, it’s Dollar Tuesday, so some food and drink is just a buck. See our calendar for special codes that will get you discounted tickets. You don’t need to prove that you’re Irish.

Don’t forget two great upcoming events: On Labor Day weekend, GAA players will be descending on Philadelphia from all over North America for the National Championships in football, hurling, and camogie to be held at Pennypack Park at the Riverview Fields in Northeast Philadelphia. Tickets for the entire weekend are only $45 and there will be action on five fields, plus some tasty Irish food and drink.

And the Philadelphia Ceili Group is holding its annual festival of Irish music and dance (its 38th), with special guests the legendary group DeDannan and piper Paddy Keenan giving a concert on Saturday night, September 8. On September 6, Galway’s Gabriel Donohue hosts the annual singers’ night, and on Friday, Irish folk singer Sean Tyrell brings his one-man show, “Who Killed James Joyce,” to the Irish Center, which is also hosting a ceili with live music by the McGillians and Friends, the region’s best ceili band.