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Jeff Meade

How to Be Irish in Philly This Week

Are you ready to get in the holiday spirit? With several Christmas-y events on tap, this is your week.

Here’s what’s on:

Saturday, November 30

Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfe Tones return to The MacSwiney Club, 510 Greenwood Avenue in Jenkintown.

Due to popular demand, that’s for everyone who couldn’t get tickets to the Friday night show in this cozy space. The show starts at 8 p.m.

(If you’d like more insights into Derek and his long musical history, check out our podcast.)

Sunday, December 1

Break out the mistletoe. The holiday kicks off with a Christmas Tree Lighting and Open House at the Commodore John Barry Arts & Cultural Center (the Irish Center), 6815 Emlen Street in Mount Airy. You really have to put this one on your calendar. If you’ve not visited the Irish Center, here’s a chance to see the place at its absolute family-friendly best, with music, dancing, vendors and sooooooo much more (including a visit from you know who). It all starts at noon and goes on ‘til 6 p.m. (Full story here.)

November 29, 2019 by Jeff Meade

Dance

You Think Your Kids Can Dance? Bring Them to the Kids’ Ceili!

Many were introduced to the Philadelphia Ceili Group and its festival through dance.

One of those was Marian McGill McFeeters. Over time, though, she says, the number of dancers drawn to the Ceili Group has dwindled.

After the last festival, Ceili Group board members decided it was time to do something about that. The answer: a Ceili Og, or young ceili, to be held December 8 at the Philadelphia Irish Center. Kids will be under the tutelage of longtime dance instructor Rosemarie Timoney.

“Bringing children to the festival doesn’t seem to be sparking any interest in the Irish culture,” McFeeters explains. “For them, the festival hasn’t been as exciting. It seemed to have been pushed to the wayside. And we asked ourselves … how can we bring it back?”

November 29, 2019 by Jeff Meade

How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philly This Week

Welcome to another compelling episode of “As the Irish Philly World Turns.”

Here’s how it turns this week.

Saturday, November 23

It’s “Tara Gael Night with the Hooligans” at St. Dominic’s Marian Hall, 8532 Frankford Avenue in Philly.

Join the Tara Gael Dancers as they host a fun-filled night with great music, starting at 7 p.m. The event is a benefit for the Tara Gael Dancers to help them go dancing in the streets in the 2020 Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Tickets are $35 per person, including beer, wine, soda and buffet. BYOB for additional drinks.
If you would like to pay via Venmo @Danielle-Pastella.

November 22, 2019 by Jeff Meade

News

All Are Welcome to the Irish Center’s Open House and Christmas Tree Lighting

The folks at the Commodore John Barry Arts & Cultural Center (also known as the Irish Center) want you to get to know what a singular contribution the venerable institution makes to the Philadelphia Irish community and to the surrounding neighborhood of Mount Airy—and what better time than at the beginning of the Christmas holiday season.

The Center will host its first Christmas Tree Lighting and Open House December 1 from 12 noon to 6 p.m. You can find the Center at 6815 Emlen Street in Mount Airy. Best of all, it’s free, although donations will be accepted.

“There will be something going on in every room of the Center,” says board member and vice president Lisa Maloney. “In the Fireside Room, there will be Irish music from noon ‘til 6. We have a number of Irish musicians already confirmed. From there you move into the Barry Room, where we’re hosting a Christmas market. We have about 12 or 13 vendors already confirmed. Bette Conway will have jewelry, and there will also be antique jewelry, and handmade candles made by Maureen Barry Connor. Bewley’s Tea will be there with tea and jam and other yummy treats.

November 22, 2019 by Jeff Meade

Arts, Photo Essays, Photos

“Straight Out of Ireland” Draws an Enthusiastic Audience

Between 600 and 700 art lovers eager to savor the best of the Emerald Isle’s contemporary works visited the “Straight Out of Ireland” exhibition last weekend in Bryn Mawr.

Organized by the Philadelphia Irish Immigration Center in an ornate mansion on the campus of Sacred Heart Academy and pulled together by a dedicated crew of volunteers and committee members, the display showcased the work of 20 artists from Ireland and another dozen artists from the United States who have been influenced by the culture of Ireland. “Straight Out of Ireland” featured a range of contemporary art, including ceramics, glass, drawings, lace, jewelry, photography, paintings, fashion and more.

The event began with a grand gala Friday night, followed by a day of exhibits and informative panel discussions the next day, and a special family day on Sunday.

Immigration Center organizers were expecting 500 or so visitors, so the event exceeded expectations, says Emily Norton Ashinhurst, executive director of the center.

November 21, 2019 by Jeff Meade

Music

A Dream Come True for Megan Ruby Walsh, Celtic Woman’s Newest Member

Like so many children of musicians, Megan Ruby Walsh, the newest member of the Celtic Woman cast, was destined to join the lyrically inclined ranks.

Both her parents were musicians. She was just 4 years old when her mother took her to a rehearsal of the local musical society. At that point, Walsh was hooked.

“Music just speaks to everyone,” Walsh said in a recent interview, “and I fell in love with it. I fell in love with singing. I fell in love with the feeling I got when I sang. I think that was because I grew up in a musical family where music was played every day, like when we were in the car, while mom was cooking, while dad was cooking—the music was playing all day. It just became such a big, big part of my life. I knew what I wanted to do when I was 4.”

And actually, to be more specific, Walsh’s first love was musical theater. She sang her first solo at age 7. It was “Tomorrow” from the musical “Annie.”

From that point on, there was no looking back.

November 20, 2019 by Jeff Meade

News, People, Photo Essays, Photos

A Look Back at the Delaware Valley Irish Hall of Fame Dinner 2019

The Delaware Valley Irish Hall of Fame held its 2019 Dinner this past Sunday night, honoring four well-respected representatives of the local Irish community. They included: Judge Patrick Dugan and Sister Marguerite O’Beirne, OSF, with a Commodore John Barry Award presented to Russell W. Wylie. The beloved Liam Hegarty, of Gaelic Athletic Association Fame—and so much more—was honored posthumously.

About 400 friends and relatives of the honorees filled the Philadelphia Irish Center ballroom wall to wall. All told, one of the best DVIHOF celebrations ever. Standing O’s all-round.

November 19, 2019 by Jeff Meade

Music, People

No Strings Attached: An Outpouring of Generosity for John Byrne Band Cellist Maura Dwyer

It was the first of November, the night the John Byrne Band hosted a release party for Byrne’s new CD, “A Shiver in the Sky,” at World Café Live.

Maura Dwyer, who plays both fiddle and cello for the band, had just gone offstage to the green room to warm up the violin. Before she did that, she had propped the cello up in a corner, which, she says, is usually a stable position. Suddenly, she heard the sound of guitarist Andy Keenan crying out in alarm onstage. That was followed by a resounding bang.

Long story short: Dwyer’s cello had tumbled off stage, breaking in two pieces.

John Byrne, who was also offstage, has a pretty fair idea how it happened.

“We were sound checking the drums,” Byrne explains. “I guess the vibrations from the kick drum (the bass drum) somehow did it. The cello went right off the stage. Nobody was even near it. None of us could believe it.”

November 15, 2019 by Jeff Meade

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