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Jeff Meade

Music, News

First Irish Center Pub Concert “A Good Start”

Jim and Betty O’Brien of Ambler dancing to the music of the John Byrne Band.

It was serendipity. Ed Weideman, vice president of the Philadelphia Irish Center board, was talking to musician John Byrne about booking Byrne’s band for the Donegal Ball at the end of November when he got a call.

When he finished on the phone, he must have looked seriously concerned because Byrne asked him what it was about. To pass a board of health inspection, Weideman told him, the Center needed to replace a new sink and ice bin in the bar, install a prep sink in the kitchen, and replace a range hood which alone could cost five figures.

“Then John said, ‘I’ll do a benefit concert for you,’” recalls Weideman.

And that’s what he did last Friday night. Stormy weather may have kept back some potential concert-goers, but what the crowd lacked in quantity it made up for in enthusiasm. There was food available and the ballroom was set with tables to create a pub atmosphere while Byrne and his band—Andy Keenan, Rob Shaffer, and Maura Dwyer—recreated their Pogues’ tribute show from World Café Live, interspersed with Byrne’s own songs and some familiar favorites that got people up and dancing.

Both the band and the Irish Center won new fans. “They’re really good,” said Denise Hilpl, also a Center board member, who said she was hearing the band, which has a wide following, for the first time.

Weideman estimated that about a third of the people who came to the show were either at the Irish Center for the first time or had only been there once or twice. “There were some people who’d never been there before who became members that night. A lot of those people are asking if we’re going to do it again, and we are.”

Over the next few months, Weideman is planning a series of “pub nights” featuring local Irish contemporary bands, along with The John Byrne Band, to introduce the bands—and the Center—to a wider audience. “I’m really excited about this—it’s something different, something new,” he says. “The concert was a good start—a successful start, with more to come.”

Check out our photos from the evening.

October 18, 2013 by Jeff Meade

How to Be Irish in Philly

How To Be Irish in Philly This Week

Mick Molony, right, with Saul Broudy, at St. Malachy’s.

The Philadelphia Rose of Tralee Centre is the first to yell “Boo!” this year. They’re holding their Halloween Party at the newest Irish pub in town, St. Declan’s Well on Walnut Street in Philadelphia on Saturday, October 19, and while there will be a prize for the best Halloween costume (for kids), you older folks are encouraged to bring formal dresses for all ages and sizes for The Fairy Godmother. The Cheltenham-based organization provides gowns for junior and senior high school students who might not otherwise be able to attend their proms.

Saturday is a busy day. At the Irish Center, dancer Shannon Dunne will teaching sean nos dancing—that’s Irish step dancing but without the gymnastic moves. There are two classes, one for beginners and one for more advanced dancers.

There’s a fundraiser in Port Richmond to provide the dependents of Irish political prisoners with money at Christmas time. See our story.

And the Shanty’s are playing at Paddy Whacks on Roosevelt Boulevard in Northeast Philadelphia.

On Sunday, musician and folklorist Mick Moloney, who was recently honored by the Irish government for his lifetime of work promoting the Irish culture, will be performing at St. Malachy’s Church in North Philadelphia, an annual fundraiser to which he invites some of the best Irish musicians from around the world to play with him. This is a standing-room only event every year, so get there early.

Moloney and mates will be doing a session later in the evening at Maloney’s Pub in Ardmore. On Monday, Moloney will be giving a lecture at Villanova University on Monday evening on “Two Roads Diverged: African and Irish Mornings and Afternoons.” There will be a reception afterwards.

Also on Sunday, there’s a ceili and potluck at the New Castle County Irish Society in Wilmington. On Wednesday, learn Irish ceili dancing from teacher Mary Collins and set dancing from Bud Burke also at the New Castle County Irish Society.

Kudos to the Irish Thunder Pipes & Drums of AOH Notre Dame Div. 1! They raised $2,500 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation of Philadelphia to help fight breast cancer through the sale of a pink version of the band’s t-shirt. You can see the shirt at www.irishthunder.org. They’re making the donation on Wednesday at the AOH hall in Swedesburg.

That same night, musician Mike Brill will be perfoming at AOH Div. 61 in Philadelphia—all are welcome.

On Friday, there will be a tribute to the late Irish poet laureate Seamus Heaney, featuring Inis Nua Theatre Company, Barn Star Productions (which does house concerts), and Irish-American writers and artists from the region.

Olive McElhone will be performing Friday night at Tip O’Leary’s in Havertown.

And next weekend the Irish Memorial will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a gala at the Hyatt Penns Landing in Philadelphia. It all starts with a rededication of the Memorial at Front and Chestnut Streets.

October 18, 2013 by Jeff Meade

News

Looking for Help for the Families of Political Prisoners

Jim Lockhart

Though he traces his roots back to Tyrone and Down, Jim Lockhart has never been to Ireland. The “Port Richmond born-and-bred” carpenter and former Ancient Order of Hibernians president (AHO Div. 87) will be making his first trip in July to attend a friend’s wedding. But since he was a 10-year-old walking with his mother on a picket line “in front of British Airways or Gimbels, I can’t remember which” to protest British treatment of the Irish in Northern Ireland, he’s known he has Irish Republican blood coursing through his veins.

It was brought home to him again a few years ago. “One of our [AOH Div, 87] members brought some literature in about the Friends of Irish Freedom, an organization that helps the families of Irish political prisoners,” he recalled. “We’re always discussing Irish politics and current events at the hall and some of us thought this was something our guys could get into.”

Lockhart contacted the head of the organization in New York. FOIF was founded in 1916—the time of the Easter Uprising–to support Irish Republican prisoners and their families, though by the 1950s the group had virtually vanished. It was revived in the late 1980s when there was a split in the Irish Republican movement, specifically Sinn Fein, with one group (Provisional Sinn Fein) becoming part of the power-sharing administration in Northern Ireland and the other (Republican Sinn Fein) refusing to reject violence as a means to bring about a unified Ireland.

Lockhart, a voracious reader of books on Irish history and politics, understood the fine line between supporting needy families and funding violence. “Some of these prisoners belong to groups on State Department terrorist lists,” he acknowledges. “What I liked about Friends of Irish Freedom is that it’s a non-political group. The money goes directly to the kids, wives, mothers, and families of these men and women, many of them breadwinners, and not to the prisoners themselves. It’s actually placed directly into their hands, tucked into a Christmas card.”

So, three years ago, he organized a beef-and-beer night to help raise funds for the FOIF’s annual Christmas Gift drive, which for many years was aided by Irish civil rights leader and nun, the late Sister Sarah Clarke as well as the Tyrone Prisoners Dependents Fund, and others in what was essentially a “no questions asked” way—a prisoner’s political affliliation wasn’t a consideration.

The third annual benefit is being held on Saturday, October 19, starting at 2 PM, at Bobby T’s Cigar Bar in Port Richmond. Tyrone-born musician Raymond Coleman will be performing and there will be a buffet, raffles, and door prizes.

One of the beneficiaries will be the family of Sharon Rafferty, a 38-year-old single mother of two from Pomeroy, County Tyrone, who is being held in prison on charges of “directing terror” after wiretaps caught a phone conversation in which she spoke with a man named Sean Kelly about, among other things, targeting police officers and the need for firearms training and financing an organization—in this case, the IRA. Her two children are living with her mother, Lockhart says.

Another, Stephen Murney of Newry, County Down, a member of the Republican group Eirigi, was arrested for collecting and distributing information that may be of use to terrorists—he photographed police at political protests and posted them on Facebook. And although the judge in his case questioned the validity of the charges—in one published report, Murney’s attorney told the court that his client was taking the photos to bolster accusations of police harassment– he offered bail only if Murney never returned to Newry or lived at home with his wife and children. “He has two young boys,” says Lockhart.

Americans, says Lockhart, would be horrified at what’s permitted under the British legal system—like the use of “secret evidence” that’s kept from defense attorneys and the revocation of parole (known as license in Northern Ireland) of former political prisoners who are held without charge or trial. Before his arrest, Lockhart says, Eirigi spokeman Murney was stopped and searched as much as 40 times a week “every week.” But politics is one thing, and children are another, he points out.

“With their mothers and fathers gone, these children go without,” he says, “so we try to help.”

October 18, 2013 by Jeff Meade

News

Missing Delco Man Returns

“Gaffer” Haughey is back.

Haughey—his given name is Gareth—disappeared September 27 from his room at the Summit Motel on Township Line in Upper Darby. Seamus Meenagh, a local contractor, phoned Haughey at 7 a.m. to offer him work for the day. Haughey said he wasn’t available.

And that was the last anyone heard of the well-known part-time laborer from Armagh—until Wednesday afternoon at about 4.

“He phoned his friend, Seamus, who had initially informed me he was missing,” says Siobhan Lyons, executive director of the Irish Immigration Center of Philadelphia. “Gaffer said he was with a friend that he sometimes stays with. We don’t have a lot of details.”

Not long after that call, Haughey showed up at the center. Lyons called off the search, and quickly disseminated the good news via social media.

“We got the word out almost as soon as we found out,” Lyons says. “He wanted everyone to stop worrying.”

“Worried” doesn’t half describe the fear and concern that swept through Delaware County’s Irish community as the days stretched into weeks. Tuesday night, more than a dozen of Gaffer’s friends and acquaintances met at the Immigration Center to devise a plan to find him. That plan called for a massive sweep of the Cobbs Creek Golf Club this Saturday afternoon. The club is not far from the Summit, and it’s a place where Haughey has been known to hang out.

If that was where Haughey was, those concerns were well-placed. Cobbs Creek Golf Course, owned by the city of Philadelphia, can be a chancy place. Long overdue renovations are in the works, but the shabby course has a well-known and unsavory history. A recent news story compared Cobbs Creek to the world-class Merion Golf Club. Merion is just five miles distant, but worlds away. The comparison wasn’t flattering:

Merion has hosted five U.S. Opens. Cobbs Creek has a fallen tree on the fourth tee box which has been there for two months. Merion has mansions lining its outer edges. Cobbs Creek has local homeless occasionally sleeping on its greens. At Merion, you can run into the who’s who of the city. At Cobbs Creek, you can sometimes get propositioned by a prostitute.

Cobbs Creek is a place where anything can happen—and often does. Ten days before Haughey vanished, someone trying to retrieve golf balls from the creek found something else—something exceptionally disturbing. It was a decomposing body floating in the rippling waters next to the golf course.

Last Wednesday, a walker discovered another body, this one in Cobbs Creek Park, three miles away from the golf course. The news sparked widespread speculation in the Irish community that the body might be that of Gareth Haughey. As word spread, Lyons fielded countless text messages and phone calls, all with the same question: “Is it Gaffer?” they asked. The answer, without question: No. Still, the rumor mill was working overtime. Many people continued to assume the worst.

It wasn’t unlike Haughey to go missing. It has happened in the past. But this was the longest he’d ever stayed away without notifying the people closest to him. After the meeting, Shannon Rice—another contractor friend—described Haughey’s prolonged absence as “really scary.”

“He’d at least call somebody,” Rice said at the time. “He might go away for two or three days, but he’d always call.”

Now that Haughey is back, all those fears have been set aside.

“Gaffer was a little bit overwhelmed by the number of people who cared about him. He really has great friends. People are just delighted. We got a lot of phone calls, e-mails, and text messages. Literally thousands of people found out about this,” Lyons says. “At the same time, she laughs, “they’re also lining to slap him for being so much trouble. But it’s nice to have a happy ending.”

October 17, 2013 by Jeff Meade

People

Making a Virtue of Thrift

The Thrifty Irishman, Robert J. McCormac

It’s a sunny Sunday afternoon in the parking lot of Our Mother of Consolation Church in Chestnut Hill. One car after another pulls into the lot, and volunteers from the St. Vincent dePaul Society walk out to greet the drivers, gratefully accepting bags of clothes, shoes, housewares … anything that can be recycled or re-sold. With some assistance from overeager OMC elementary school kids, they tote all the plastic bags and clothing on hangers up a ramp and pile them up inside a large trailer.

If your church has ever held its own clothing drive and you’ve wondered where all that stuff wound up, Robert J. McCormac can tell you. He provided the trailer, and all of the goods, in this case, will go to his soon-to-open thrift store at Aramingo and Cedar in Port Richmond. It’s called The Thrifty Irishman.

From a trailer like the one parked on the OMC lot, McCormac salvages what he can—which is usually a lot—and the proceeds go to the organizations like the St. Vincent dePaul Society.

“If a program like the St. Vincent dePaul Society or your kid’s church wants a clothing drive, we try to have it be a win-win for everybody,” says McCormac. “They get a cut.”

If anyone understands the economics of salvage, it’s McCormac. He was taught by experts.

McCormac was born on St. Patrick’s Day, 1968, and he grew up in Kensington. At 14, McCormac went to work for salvage impresario Dick Segal, who ran a thrift store called Jo-Mar, also in Kensington. Segal’s shop would buy up department store seconds, and re-sell them at a fraction of their department store price.

Some kids hear music, and resolve they’re going to be the next Stevie Ray Vaughan. They go to the see a play, and they want to be a stage manager. They help revive a baby bird, and they want to be a vet.

Bob McCormac wanted to be just like his newfound mentor, Dick Segal.

“I watched what he did. He could sell anything. He used to say, ‘Anybody can sell the good stuff’,” McCormac recalls with a laugh. “He’s an amazing salesman. He could take a gently used $600 Armani suit, and say to the customer, ‘You could have a tailor take it in.’ Whatever success I’ve had in my life, I owe to Dick Segal. I’ve never not been in the salvage business.”

From 14 on, McCormac never looked back. He’s always had a knack for taking what some people might consider trash, and turning it into other people’s treasure. The salvage trade, he explains, holds undeniable appeal for anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit—and a high degree of risk tolerance. “It’s a matter of being your own man,” McCormac says. “You’re always out and about, trying to make a deal. Sometimes, it means I’m eating peanut butter and jelly. Sometimes I’m eating filet mignon. I’m OK with that.”

In his early 20s, McCormac set out on his own, joining with partners to open a thrift shop operation called Budget Express. It lasted eight years and, even though the business didn’t last, he believes he learned even more about what it takes to make it in his chosen line of work.

Banking on that experience, he set out to try it again. “I looked at several locations over the years. Then I found this building in Port Richmond. It had heavy wooden posts, with brick walls. It was very open.”

In McCormac’s business, lots of open space is essential. In this case, it’s 10,000 square feet.

“It has to be that size,” McCormac says. “You don’t want people coming in the door, and saying to themselves that they’ve seen everything. You want it to be a treasure hunt.”

Then there was the question of what to name the place. Two friends immediately stepped up to the plate.

The first was Mike Schweirzer, who stated the obvious. “You were born on St. Patrick’s Day,’ he said. ‘You’ve always been lucky like a leprechaun. You should name your store the Thrifty Irishman’.”

Next, his son’s art teacher, Marcie Hull , volunteered to design his logo—a dark green leprechaun with a shamrock, his booted foot propped up on a jar. Presumably, of gold.

McCormac’s landlord is working with the city to have all the permitting finalized and, if McCormac’s legendary luck holds, the shop will open on or about November 8. In the meantime, he’s busily amassing lots of saleable goods.

When the store opens, McCormac will continue to follow the example of his mentor Dick Segal—and his simple yet tried-and-true business plan. “We’ll sell clothing, household items, design items, a little bit of architectural salvage. We come across a lot of stuff. The real goal is to sell a lot of stuff for not a lot of money.”

October 17, 2013 by Jeff Meade

News

Have Yourself an Irish Little Christmas

By Dana Schellings

The Christmas season is rapidly approaching, and Santa Claus isn’t thing only one making a list. There’s no denying that Christmas shopping can be stressful; with images of crowded malls and long checkout lines dancing in their heads, more and more people are choosing to do their shopping online. However, sometimes the most frustrating part of Christmas shopping isn’t how or when to shop, but what to buy. An Irish gift is an excellent solution to this problem. Ireland produces a wide range of clothes, jewelry and other goods that make great gifts for even the most hard-to-shop-for person.

The Irish are known the world over for their warmth and hospitality. The Irish blessing is a longstanding tradition where wishes of love, happiness and good health are bestowed upon friends and family. This blessing for the home is cast in bronze and mounted in a sturdy frame adorned with Celtic artwork. Whether displayed on the wall, dresser or windowsill, it will bring joy and comfort to all who see it.

The weather is getting cooler, and for those who love the great outdoors a good jacket is a must. A GAA Hoodie Fleece is light, warm, and durable, perfect for activities such as hiking, biking, or enjoying a leisurely stroll on a chilly day. This jacket is a colorful blend of white, blue, and green, the official colors of the Irish flag, with GAA Logo proudly displayed on the front and back. It’s a great gift for athletic types who aren’t afraid to get dirty, since it’s also machine washable.

Sweaters have long been a staple of holiday gift giving, but finding a really nice one that’s also comfortable can be a challenge. The Mens Traditional White Irish Aran sweater along with the Ladies Traditional Turtle Neck Sweater is one of the country’s most popular exports due to its excellent quality and unique history. The sweater first appeared in Ireland in the early 1900s, but the design is based on clothing used by fisherman in the British Isles for centuries. They’re made from soft, fine wool that is both water resistant and breathable, allowing the wearer to stay warm and cozy. Finally, the stitching comes in a variety of different patterns that weave a rich, compelling tale of Irish culture. Available in both men’s and women’s sizes, they’re the best defense against a long winter.

Of all the iconic images to come out of Ireland, few are as admired for their beauty and symbolism as the Claddagh ring. Jewelry often holds some type of sentimental meaning, and the Claddagh ring is no exception. Its simple yet elegant design—two hands clasping a heart surmounted by a crown—has represented friendship, love, and loyalty for over 300 years, making it a lovely gift for a close friend or loved one. Claddagh rings are most commonly made from gold or silver, and little tweaks such as including a birthstone add a more personal touch while still preserving the integrity of the original model.

These are just a few examples of all the wonderful choices that are only a few mouse clicks away. So if you’re looking for a gift that’s fun, interesting, and a tribute to a country rich is culture and spirit, think Irish. Happy browsing!

October 16, 2013 by Jeff Meade

Arts, News

Magnificent Desolation: Tour the Divine Lorraine

The Divine Lorraine

It’s an imposing 10-story frosted layer cake of a building on North Broad Street, designed by Willis G. Hale and built around 1892, when North Philly was home to the stylish high and mighty. Anyone who’s driven past the once flamboyant Divine Lorraine Hotel knows that it long ago fell on hard times, with a crumbling interior, its sooty brick walls a high-visibility canvas for local graffiti artists.

None of which stopped Siobhan Lyons, executive director of the Irish Immigration Center, from wanting to see it. That’s just what she did earlier this year, and she wants you to have the same opportunity.

“I took the tour with Next City (a Philadelphia urban improvement nonprofit),” Lyons says. “That was the first time I realized groups were able to get in there. I’ve wanted to go inside the Divine Lorraine since I arrived in Philadelphia seven years ago. Who doesn’t want to see the Divine Lorraine? It’s one of my favorite buildings in the city. I first came across Willis Hale’s work when I worked at the World Affairs Council. One of his buildings is at Juniper and Chestnut—it’s a fantastic building, very ornate. When I saw the Divine Lorraine, I realized it was another building by the same architect. He did very fancy architecture that fell out of favor almost as soon as the Divine Lorraine was completed. He died a pauper. I really like his story.”

The Divine Lorraine’s story is pretty interesting, too. Initially conceived as a luxury apartment building, it became a hotel in 1900—the Lorraine Hotel. African American spiritual leader Father Major Jealous Divine—who claimed to be the almighty himself—purchased the building in 1948 for for $485,000. It became the first fully racially integrated hotel in the nation. Among his many dictates and pronouncements, Father Divine preached the virtues of celibacy—even among married couples. Perhaps not surprisingly, that “no sex” commandment had a limited appeal. Membership in congregation dwindled. The hotel closed in 1999, and Father Divine’s International Peace Mission sold it the year after.

The hotel lapsed into decrepitude, but now there’s new hope for a revival. And not just for storied hotel, but for the North Philly neighborhood. Visionary developer Eric Blumenfeld purchased the property at sheriff’s sale in 2012. He plans to rehab the building to include rental units, with restaurants on the first floor.

For now, work hasn’t begun—which means this relic of a grander time is open for tours appealing to the curious.

That’s exactly who Lyons hopes to attract, as the Immigration Center conducts an exclusive tour—20 people only—Monday, October 14, 2013 from 3 to 5:30 p.m. “I just thought, this is a great opportunity, and it could raise some money for the Irish Immigration Center. It all worked. When I first did the tour myself, a lot of my friends said they would like to do it if they ever had the chance.”

So, once inside, what’s on the itinerary? Well, you’ll have to watch your step-and you’ll be be expertly guided, so no worries—but the payoff, Lyons says, is the magnificent view. “You get to walk all the way up to the top of the building and look out over the city. That’s just beautiful. And down in in the basement they show you a store that used to be a speakeasy during prohibition. I don’t know anyone in Philadelphia who has walked by it and didn’t want to look inside it. So now you get to see.”

Want to satisfy your curiosity? Sign up here. Another tour is planned for the spring—but for now, better hurry. Tickets are going fast.

October 11, 2013 by Jeff Meade

News

Help Find Gareth Haughey

Gareth Haughey

The Irish Immigration Center is asking for your help in locating a local man, Gareth Haughey, who went missing on September 27.

At the time of his disappearance, Haughey was living at the Summit Motel on Township Line Road in Upper Darby. His nickname is “Gaffer,” and he has worked in construction. His family is from Armagh.

“We were approached on Monday by friends Gareth works with regularly,” says Siobhan Lyons, executive director of the Irish Immigration Center in Delaware County. “They hadn’t seen him in quite a while, and weren’t sure how to go about trying to locate him. So, considering the circumstances, they reached out for help and advice.”

Lyons contacted the Irish Consulate on Tuesday for assistance notifying Haughey’s family. The Center issued a request for help in locating him a couple of days later, Lyons says, to give the Consulate a chance to inform the family “before we started broadcasting it to the broader community.”

At the moment, the Upper Darby police are waiting for notification from a family member before they can file a missing person’s report. “We need someone in the family to give us some information about where he was last seen, and information about his mental and physical status,” says Upper Darby Police Superintendent Mike Chitwood. Any family member who can provide that information is advised to call Capt. George Rhodes at (610) 734-7677.

If you know where Haughey might be, or if you have seen him recently, please contact the Irish Immigration Center at 610-789-6355.

“Thus far, we have called the hospitals, morgues, homeless shelters, but no joy,” Lyons says. “His family in Ireland and friends here in Philadelphia are anxious to make sure he is okay.”

October 11, 2013 by Jeff Meade

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