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Jeff Meade

Music

To Galway and Back

Irish Thunder circling up in Galway (Photo courtesy, Irish Thunder Pipes and Drums)

Here’s how popular Irish Thunder Pipes and Drums was as they paraded through one of Ireland’s most picturesque cities for annual Galway Sessions Parade.

“Three times along the parade route, the band was asked to stop and play,” says Drum Major Pete Hand. “When we did that, the band was circled with onlookers. Each time, the Garda had to clear a path for the band to continue.”

The parade—the focal point of a trip planned by piper Joe Cassidy, with assistance from Frank Larkin—was just the beginning of a trip that will hold a place of prominence in the memories from a lot of pipers and drummers—along with a lot of other travelers who joined the band on the trip. Including band members and guests, there were 119 people.

The trip included some pretty great stops.

“All of the sites we saw were inspiring,” Hand recalls. “The Lady of Knock Shrine, The Great Causeway, the Aran Islands with its 300- foot incline to the top. The Rope Bridge, Titanic Museum, Trinity College, Book of Kells, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Cliffs of Moher—and let us not forget the Guinness and Tullamore Dew Tours!”

Of course, if an Irish pipe band is going to travel to Ireland, you’d expect them to play. And that they did. In addition to the parade, they played out in front of the famous Crane’s Pub, and along Shop Street, both in Galway.

One notable unscheduled appearance: what Hand refers to as “an Irish pipe band flash mob at The Temple Bar in Dublin. And there were other moments, some inspirational, like the time Cassidy and fellow piper Mike Brown played “Amazing Grace” on Inis Mor.

And yet one more moment, Hand thinks, that no one in the band will forget. It came on a visit to Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 1 in Derry.

“There was a ceili going on, and when the band went on break it was our turn to play. After playing some tunes that everyone really enjoyed, the people in the hall were asked to rise for the “Anthem Set.” When we played the “Soldiers Song,” everyone sung at attention. It was a very moving moment.”

The band shared some of their photos. Here they are.

July 3, 2014 by Jeff Meade

News

Bristol Celtic Day 2014

Sean and Nicole Palmetto

It’s a small festival as festivals go, but this one gets bigger every year.

Celtic Day’s home is on the Bristol Borough waterfront, including the historic wharf.

Philadelphia Police and Fire Pipe Band opened the day’s festivities, which went on to include bands like No Irish Need Apply, and local Irish dancers.

Small as it is, this festival’s vendors somehow manage to offer a much different line of Celtic-themed tchochkes from what we’ve seen elsewhere. Admittedly, you’d be stretching the definition of “Celtic” a bit for some of the items on display, but nobody seemed to notice or mind. All told, great variety.

One very sentimental vendor for me: Mignoni’s Jeweler’s, where I bought my then-girlfriend (now wife) a silver Claddagh ring—which she still wears.

It helped that the day was warm and breezy, not a cloud in sight, pleasure boats plying the Delaware. Jut a great, friendly day in the borough.

Here are a few photos.

July 3, 2014 by Jeff Meade

How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philly This Week

Liam McLaughlin

Happy Fourth!

If you’re going to a parade tomorrow, it’s likely you’ll run into an Irish pipe band or two. But from Friday on, this week is jam-packed with Irish goodness.

Here goes:

On Saturday, check out “I’ll Make a Ghost of Him: Joyce Haunted by Shakespeare” exhibition at the Rosenbach Museum, 2008 Delancy Place in Philadelphia. The exhibit is open from noon to 6 p.m., and the exhibition itself runs through August 31. There’re plenty of chances to take it in.

If you’re goin’ down da shore this weekend, you can check out two of our most popular bands. Slainte shows up at Keenan’s, 113 Olde New Jersey Ave, North Wildwood, Saturday at 5. Later on, at 9:30, Jamison takes the stage at Casey’s, 3^rd and New York, in the same great town along New Jersey’s Irish Riviera.

The South Jersey Irish Society hosts a picnic Sunday from 11 to 7 at the CYO-Yardville Branch, 453 Yardville-Allentown Road, in Yardville. And there will be no shortage of fun things to do, including dancing, swimming (not at the same time), mini-golf, basketball, and, of course, the obligatory picnicking. Charcoal grills are available.

Last weekend, at the Celtic Festival in Bristol, I ran into a couple of guys who play at the Bristol Traditional Irish Music Session Tuesday nights at Kelch House Eatery at Mill and Radcliffe Street, not far from the wharf, and they swear by it. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a newbie or a more experienced player—everybody is welcome. And if you don’t play or sing, you’re more than welcome to drop by and listen. The session starts at 7.

If you’re near Ardmore, there’s a great session at Maloney’s on County Line Road the same night, at the same time. Fado in the city has its own session, starting at 9.

So if you’re looking for live Irish music, Tuesday’s a great night, but … the Philly area is positively up to its eyeball in Irish music sessions. Check out our calendar!

But wait! There’s more Irish music in a great summer setting.

Jamison’s in action again (do these guys ever sleep?) Wednesday night from 7 to 9:30 at Pennypack Park, at the Ed Kelley Amphiteatre, Welsh and Cresco in the Great Northeast. Also on the bill: The Bogside Rogues. Two great bands for the price of one. Which is to say: it’s free.

Thursday night, from 5:30 to 8:30, Irish Network-Philadelphia joins forces with the German American Chamber of Commerce to celebrate a single saint. It’s the St. Kilian’s Day Celebration at Brauhas Schmitz, 718 South Street in the city. (Irish missionary St. Kilian traveled to Bavaria in the 7th Century. Both nationalities hold him in reverence. Cash bar, complementary light hors d’oeuvres. Slainte! And Prost!

On Friday night, from 8 to 11, a rare treat: Liam McLaughlin, renowned as an Irish country music fave, in concert at the Philadelphia Irish Center, Carpenter and Emlen, in Mount Airy. You can take the train, too. Carpenter station is just steps away. But whatever you do: Support the Irish Center!

So put on your track shoes, and get out there.

July 3, 2014 by Jeff Meade

Arts

Leading the Parade

Irish Thunder tenor drummer Bernie Murray loads his gear onto the bus.

At this moment, members of Irish Thunder Pipes and Drums are in Galway City, less than a day away from leading the parade that is the centerpiece of one of the largest and most important cultural events in Ireland: The Galway Sessions.

Irish Music Magazine, in an online promo story about the event, described Irish Thunder as “famed.”

Drum Major Pete Hand doesn’t know where that description came from, but he’ll take it.

Standing by the side of the bus that would take him, the rest of the band and family members from the Sacred Heart Church parking lot in Swedesburg down the Philadelphia International Airport, Hand said all of the pipers and drummers are looking forward to the honor.

Other pipe bands will be in the parade, too. “There will be a Scottish band and an Irish military band, as well.”

That performance is just one of many exciting moments the band expects to experience in Ireland during the weeklong trip.

Actually, they were scheduled to experience one exciting moment already, en route from Dublin Airport to Galway. “Of course, we were planning on stopping at the Tullamore Dew Distillery for a little break,” Hand said. He was grinning when he said that.

Another highlight: A visit to an Ancient Order of Hibernians hall in Derry for a night of fun with their AOH brethren.

“They’re holding a ceili that night (music, dancing, and all-round partying),” Hand said. “Their hall is a short walk from our hotel. And then there will be some entertainment at a nearby pub.”

Along with band members, a lot of folks who wanted to travel with the band (I’ve done it, and it’s memorable) are on the trip. Together with the band members, it’s a substantial crowd—about 120.

After Derry, the tour heads further north, where everybody will get a chance to see the Giant’s Causeway, one of Ireland’s true wonders, and the relatively nearby Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge from the mainland out to a little island. Both tourist sights are in County Antrim. A visit to the Titanic Museum in Belfast comes later.

After that, it’s back home to Philly.

Several families are making the trip together. One of the biggest is the Murray family.

“There’s a whole passel of Murrays,” said Bernie Murray, a longtime Irish Thunder tenor drummer.

This is Bernie’s second trip to Ireland. The first was in 2000, when the band played at the All-Ireland Pipe Band Championship in Kilkenny. He expects this to be an even better trip.

“I know more now than I did the first time,” he said. “Plus, I’m going to be playing a lot. I love it.”

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June 20, 2014 by Jeff Meade

Sports

A Soccer Kid’s Dream: CFC Comes to Philly

Chris Heron and Seamus Cummins

They’re one of the roughest, toughest, hardest-hitting soccer teams on the face of the earth. Founded in Glasgow in 1887, and formed from the local Irish immigration population and native Glaswegians, they’re 45-time winners of the Scottish League Championship. They have a rabid following throughout the world, including more than a few here in Philadelphia

Recognized the world over by their distinctive four-leaf clover logo, they’re the Celtic Football Club (CFC). And several of their coaches are coming to Upper Moreland this summer for what is likely to be one of the most popular youth soccer camps ever.

Actually, it’s not the coaches of the adult team who are coming. That might be a little intense for 8- to 14-year-olds. Celtic (they pronounce it “sell-tick,” not “kell-tick”) has an academy for young players, some starting at 5. It’s those coaches who will hold sway over the Upper Moreland Soccer Club camp the week of August 4-8.

Celtic’s interest in a local team is a rare honor. The club has partnered with only five other U.S. youth soccer clubs. “We would be their sixth,” says coach Seamus Cummins. “They don’t choose just anybody. They look for the right fit. We were a good match for them, and vice versa. We’re excited to be number six.”

It didn’t hurt that there are two extremely devoted CFC fan clubs in Philadelphia—the Second Street Plough Bhoys (“The Bhoys” is an old team nickname) and the Philadelphia Celtic Supporters. Celtic coaches realized that fact all too well last year, when The National Soccer Coaches Association of America hosted its meeting in Philadelphia. Willie McNab, CFC’s International Celtic Soccer Academy manager, spoke at the annual meeting, Cummins says.

“We have very involved CFC supporters in Philadelphia,” Seamus says, “and Willie took notice. Celtic had been looking to partner with a club in the Philadelphia area. I passed that information on to Chris (Heron), who’s on our board of directors.”

The Upper Moreland club’s board was enthusiastic. Heron contacted McNab, and the deal was done.

Heron expects CFC’s coaches to strongly reinforce to the basics, and to keep the kids on their toes.

“They’re going to do a lot of quick drills to keep them engaged,” he says. “There’ll be a lot of ball touch.”

Most soccer kids know exactly who Celtic Football Club is, and Heron expects keeping the kids engaged will be no problem at all. “Kids are always wearing Celtic soccer jerseys.”

CFC is such a draw, Cummins adds, that he’s already heard from one soccer parent in Myrtle Beach, North Carolina, who’s seriously considering driving his kid up to Montgomery County for the week. “That’s a 10- to 12-hour drive,” he laughs.

That’s probably a sign of the dad’s interest as much as the kid’s, Cummins says. In fact, Cummins is already hearing from adults who are just desperate to come and watch.

Cummins and Heron understand the attraction. They’re both devout Celtic fans, and Cummins for a personal reason.

“There’s a bond that the Irish have with this team,” Cummins says. “The reason I support Celtic is that my grandparents came from Ireland. They supported Celtic, and I support Celtic.”

And it’s a pretty safe bet that by the end of that week in August, Irish or not, most of the kids who attend the camp will support Celtic—if they don’t already.

Cummins and Heron aren’t sure how many of those kids are likely to register, but Upper Moreland can accommodate a large number, with two separate playing facilities available throughout the week. The number of coaches who will fly over from Glasgow will depend on the number of kids who register. Celtic’s coaches prefer a 1 to 20 ratio.

Those coaches are expecting a lot of enthusiasm. Soccer is one of the fastest growing youth sports in America.

And now, the world’s eyes are riveted on the World Cup in Brazil. Cummins says. “It’s the perfect time to promote soccer.”

The CFC camp is open to boys and girls in the 8 to 14 age range. Registration for UMSC families will be only $150. For non-UMSC members, registration will be $175. The camp will be held at either (or both) Pileggi Park or at the Middle School complex. Details are being finalized.

June 13, 2014 by Jeff Meade

Music, News

Penn’s Landing Irish Festival 2014

Butterfly girl

You didn’t have to be Irish to enjoy the Penn’s Landing Irish Festival.

As usual, the festival down by the river drew a diverse crowd, lots of people who were all too happy to be Irish for a day.

And they picked a good day, sunny skies against the scenic backdrop of the Delaware, with pleasure boats bouncing on the rippling water. And also providing visible proof that not all men are hearty sailors, and should definitely wear shirts.

Many of the city’s top Irish bands filled the Great Plaza with music all day.

And, hey, if you wanted to dance, who was going to stop you?

Vendors sold everything from T-shirts to wedding rings, and if you wanted a cheesesteak, a pretzel, an ice cream, or a brew, it wasn’t too hard to find them.

The day started, as it always does, with an outdoor Mass on the grounds of the Irish Memorial at Front and Chestnut.

We captured the day’s festivities with a pretty hefty photo essay.

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June 6, 2014 by Jeff Meade

People

“He Only Knew How to Be a Friend”

Alan Nicholl won’t forget the day his friend Tony McCourt passed away.

It was Wednesday, July 25, 2012. McCourt, 37 years old and born in County Derry, Northern Ireland, had been dealing with a liver disease for about a decade. He had been admitted into Abington Memorial Hospital to have fluid drained from his lungs.

Nicholl and McCourt were close friends, in part because they were both from Ireland—Nicholl was born in County Monaghan, and grew up in Dublin. But they forged their closest ties through soccer. Both played for the Phoenix Sport Club in Feasterville, which boasts one of the hottest soccer programs in the country.

Theirs weren’t the only Irish accents out on the field, Nicholl recalls, but in part because of their similar backgrounds they quickly became the closest of friends. When Tony married his sweetheart Liz, friend Alan was his best man. The reception was at the Phoenix Club.

Because of his disease, McCourt had experienced “some close calls,” Nicholl says, but still he wasn’t overly concerned. “We didn’t think it was life-threatening.”

Nicholl’s wife was eight months pregnant with twins, and they had scheduled a doctor visit at Abington for the morning of July 25. “After that, we thought we’d just slide over and visit Tony.”

That visit never happened. At about 7 o’clock on the morning of the 25th, Nicholls’ phone rang. It was Liz calling. Tony McCourt was gone.

“It was the worst phone call I had ever received,” Nicholls says. “It was my worst day. I got off the phone with Liz and I called my parents. They were like Tony’s parents here in the States. I could barely get the words out. It was unbelievable.”

It was all the more unbelievable because, to everyone who knew Tony McCourt, no one on this earth was more full of life.

Teammate Brian McKinney remembers when he first met McCourt. “I had just come out of college when I started playing at the Phoenix Club. Tony was like the mayor of the place. Everybody knew Tony as a friendly guy with a great laugh.”

McCourt’s fondest dream had been to play professionally, McKinney remembers. McCourt’s cousin Paddy played for Celtic Football Club, one of the most storied clubs in the British Isles, with a history dating back to 1887. Tony McCourt was a good player, but not good enough to play on the pro level.

All the same, what McCourt lacked in talent, he more than made up for with the enthusiasm—and the unstoppable force of his personality.

“He was never the most valuable player,” Nicholls concedes, “but he was the best teammate, that’s for sure. Socially, nobody came close to Tony. He was magnetic. Tony didn’t know how to be an acquaintance. He only knew how to be a friend.”

Word of McCourt’s death spread rapidly throughout the soccer community, and the news left his friends reeling. “It was shattering to some people,” Nicholls says.

For many of Tony McCourt’s friends, the pain of his parting was eased, somewhat ironically, by his wake.

“My mom and his wife were instrumental in having his body brought back to the house, and not the funeral home,” Nicholls says. “We stayed up with him all night. He was laid out in the house like he would have been back home. That was definitely up Tony’s avenue. We sang a few songs, we had a few laughs, we had a few cries. It was quite beautiful, actually.”

Nicholls’ twin boys were born two weeks after the funeral.

“My one son,” he says, “is named after Tony.”

Tony McCourt’s friends will continue to honor his memory on June 22 with “Tony’s Tourney,” a day of soccer matches, live music—and lots of other fun—at the Phoenix Sport Club. It’s a benefit to help fund a college scholarship for a worthy player on the Council Rock High School South soccer team, which Nicholls coaches. And “worthy,” in this case, does not carry the usual definition.

“It’s going to be awarded in a way that would be consistent with Tony,” says Nicholls with a smile in his voice. “It won’t go to the best player, but to the best teammate.”

The event runs from 12 noon to 6 p.m. The entrance fee is $20 for adults, and $10 for kids. The Phoenix Sport Club is at 301 West Bristol Road in Feasterville, Bucks County.

June 6, 2014 by Jeff Meade

Music

The Sligo-Bound 6 Bring Out Their Sunday Best

Livia Safko, with Haley Richardson waiting in the wings.

“We’re always nervous. We just have to make sure that the worst we do is pretty good.”

It doesn’t seem like such a heavy burden for fiddler Alexander Weir, 15, of West Chester. It least it didn’t seem that way on Sunday when Alexander and five of his friends who are headed to the All-Ireland music championship this summer played at a big fund-raiser in their benefit at Molly Maguire’s in Downingtown, emceed by Terry Kane.

But playing at a fund-raiser is one thing. Standing in front of judges in Ireland, judges who are accustomed to hearing the best players in the world—most of them with the advantage of competing on their home turf—that’s another thing. But two of the Sligo-Bound 6 are world champs from last year—under-12 fiddler Haley Richardson, and Emily Safko, also in the under-12 category, on harp. These kids are used to competing, and they’re all dazzling players. You never know what might happen.

Alexander might be pretty typical of most of the kids. Competing in Ireland isn’t something he thought he’d be doing when he took up the Irish fiddle. He started playing violin at 3, and at 5 he took up Irish fiddle. He’d already been Irish dancing, and he thought it might be fun to play dance tunes. “I was just trying something out,” he says. “I thought it could be something to do in my spare time.”

It’s turned into something more than that, but Alexander’s parents are really just taking it all one day at a time. To qualify to go to Ireland, all of the kids—Emily, her sister Livia on fiddle, Alanna Griffin, a fiddler and concertina player, Haley, Alexander, and Keegan Loesel on whistle and uilleann pipes—had to place first or second in the Mid-Atlantic Fleadh Cheoil. It’s not clear who will still be playing at a competitive level years from now, so Alexander and his friends are just focusing on right now, and supporting each other—as they have for years, even though they got into Irish music at different stages, and even though there are age differences.

“Alanna is 18 and the younger ones are 10 or 11, but they’re all respectful of one another. It’s so fabulous that they have each other. They encourage each other. That’s one of the best things about Irish music,” says Alexander’s mom Katherine Ball-Weir.

And there is also this parental side benefit, she laughs: “When our friends are out on a cold, wet soccer field, we’re in a pub with a pint in front of us.”

You can find out how much fun it was, for parents and kids. Check out our photo gallery. And there’s a neat little video under that.

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May 23, 2014 by Jeff Meade

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