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Denise Foley

People

Remembering Greg Duffy

Greg Duffy

Greg Duffy was quite well known. Not the kind of “well known” that merits a page 1 headline in the New York Times, necessarily, or that prompts heads of state to issue statements of condolence.

But within the worldwide community of Irish traditional music and culture, it was clear that Greg Duffy’s sudden death on the night of August 28 was truly of great moment. Indeed, notice of his passing had made it onto the Irish Traditional Music Listserv by 3:37 a.m. on Friday.

Local musician Bill McKenty, who has known Greg and his wife Charlotte for 15 years, posted the announcement. It read, in part:

“… husband, father, friend, photographer and great fan of traditional music and its people, Greg lived within the music, befriending many and opening his heart and home to the music …”

Within the traditional community, Greg Duffy was quite well known indeed, and loved. And now, mourned.

Greg was known for his loving photos of Irish traditional musicians. (A good example is currently posted on the Thistle and Shamrock Web site. It’s a remembrance of singer-guitarist Mícheál Ó Domhnaill.) View it here.

He was also renowned for his great hospitality. Many, many road-weary musicians were fortunate to stay in his Jenkintown home.

We asked a few of those who knew him best to share their thoughts and memories. (Of course, you can also offer your comments in the little form that follows.)

Bill McKenty, longtime friend and musician

Greg was always trying to drag me to concerts as I tend not to go to many.

About a year-and-a-half ago, he enticed me to go on my birthday with him and his wife Charlotte to a Flook concert in Wilmington. Michael McGoldrick, one of my favorites, was filling in for Sarah Allen of the band as she’d just had her baby. I agreed to accompany the Duffys as McGoldrick almost never comes to the US of A.

The Duffys were very well known at venues such as the Cherry Tree, Green Willow and Sellersville. They always had front row seats reserved for them as Greg’s wife Charlotte was pretty much confined to a wheelchair.

So we get to the show. I go outside to catch a smoke, and who should bum a butt off me but Michael McGoldrick. We hit it off quite quickly, trading tunes in the “diddly di,” lilting kinda way flute players do.

Later, as I was sitting in the front row with the Duffys, McGoldrick would sit next to me in an open chair on sets in which he wasn’t playing with the band, and egg the band on from the audience. McGoldrick and Flook were quite the characters.

So at half time, McGoldrick and Greg compared notes and friends and chatted away. Nice concert. At the end they did an encore and went to start the first tune but couldn’t remember how it went. Greg looked over to me and said, “You know that,” so I hummed a few bars. McGoldrick hears me and goes, “Ah, that’s it.” He comes over to me, hands me his whistle and shoves me up on stage, much to the horror of the rest of the band, as they didn’t know me from Adam.

After a few awkward moments they ascertained that i did know the tune and great fun ensued. Of course, Greg took much delight in this and started to shoot away …which is where the attached came from.

He had a great eye, a great ear and a great love of the music and the people and characters who lived it.

Andy Irvine, Irish singer-songwriter

I was extremely sad to hear of the unexpected passing of Greg Duffy. He was a man I held in high esteem and respect for many years.

I first met him in Philadelphia, at The Cherry Tree, sometime around 1985/86 and we became friends immediately. As any traveling performer might say, I never had enough time to spend with him and his wife, Charlotte.

I stayed in his house in Jenkintown on a few occasions. He made a pretty good breakfast! Conversations with Greg were always witty and well informed from his side. He took a great interest in all things Irish.

In retrospect I was very happy to have made a detour in June of this year to visit the family on the occasion of Charlotte’s birthday. Greg was in great form and walked me to my car when I was leaving. We had a farewell hug and I never thought it would be the last I would see of him.

A good man has passed.

Lois Kuter, longtime friend and Breton music authority

I met Greg as a fellow fan of Celtic music—and that means not just Scottish and Irish, but also Welsh, Breton, Manx, Cornish, Galician, and Asturian (when you had the luck to hear them).

I can’t recall where or when I met Greg but he and Charlotte listened to the Breton music radio program I did for WXPN from the mid ‘80s to the mid ‘90s. They had impeccable taste in music—picking out the most innovative and interesting. I renewed a friendship with them at a scattering of concerts over the years.

I’ve met very few people who have such knowledge and true appreciation for the rich traditions and innovative variations of music from the Celtic world.

I am sure all the musicians who beat Greg to Heaven are thrilled to have him there to share the joy and beauty of their music. I am sure Johnny Cunningham has a big hug for him.

Kevin Burke, Irish fiddler

He was a great supporter of the music. Ever since Mícheál Ó Domhnaill and I were newcomers to the U.S., Greg and Charlotte were regular attendees at our concerts anytime either of us were in the Philadelphia area.

It was always a pleasure to see them as they always had a few kind, appreciative and supportive words for us. Greg was also a very talented photographer—he had the great and rare skill of being able to remain very inconspicuous with the camera while at the same time getting great live shots of the performers.

To this day some of my favourite shots are those taken by Greg. He was much loved and will be sorely missed by all who knew him. My sympathies go out to all his family and friends.

September 4, 2008 by Denise Foley

How to Be Irish In Philly This Week

This is one great week to be Irish in Philly, and not just because the Philadelphia Ceilii Group’s annual (year 34, folks) traditional music and dance festival starts on Thursday (but let’s face it, if you’ve ever been there, you know it’s an exciting three days on nonstop music, dancing, and carrying on and you love it.)

There’s also the Green Lane Scottish Irish Festival, which promoters say will go on rain or shine.

On Sunday, you have a good deed to do.

Now, you won’t need your walking shoes until October for the annual Susan B. Komen 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk, but you can put on your dancing shoes for the fundraiser a group of local Irish women have planned for Sunday, September 7.

Courtney Malley, BethAnn Bailey, Rosaleen McGill and Anne McNiff—all “residents” of our online Irish community, BallyPhilly—will be participating in the annual walk to raise money for breast cancer research as part of a team of 14 whose goal is to drum up $35,000. They first posted news of the benefit on BallyPhilly to encourage other virtual residents to help out. (There’s lots of interesting stuff going on in the little village of BallyPhilly—proof that if you build it, they will come and take over.) Then, with the help of local musician and manager Fintan Malone, brought in the livewire group, the Hooligans, to play at the beef-and-beer benefit, scheduled for 4-9 PM at the Irish Center, 6815 Emlen Street, in Philadelphia’s Mt. Airy section. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door, and covers everything, including food (if you’re not into beef, there will also be vegetarian options). You can order advance tickets at www.theirishcenter.com/ceili.php.

This is a great cause—Philly’s own version of “Stand Up to Cancer”—so get out, enjoy yourself, and feel good all over because you helped fight a disease that kills an estimated 40,000 women and nearly 400 men a year.

Also on Sunday, a rare chance to see Irish singer-songwriter Luka Bloom (he’s the younger brother of Irish folk singer Christy Moore). An interesting thing about the guitarist, who has played with Eileen Ivers: His style is called “electro-acoustic” but he plays in DADGAD tuning, which is a common tuning for Irish traditional music. While he plays his own material, he’s also done covers of Elvis, LLCoolJ, ABBA, and Bob Marley. Can you say, eclectic, boys and girls? You can catch this amazing guy at the World Café in Philadelphia, a great venue.

Thursday through Saturday, September 11-13, save room for the 34th Annual Philadelphia Ceili Group Traditional Irish Music and Dance Festival, which will be held at the Irish Center. See our story for all the details. Seriously, if you love Irish music, or if you’re a folkie, this is the most fun you’ll have since the ‘60s, about which the wise guys say, ”If you can remember it, you weren’t there.” So create some new memories.

And remember to check out our calendar for all the details–darn thing can’t keep a secret.

And my ankle is still broken, so please, enjoy some of these events for me.

September 4, 2008 by Denise Foley

Dance, Music

It’s Ceili Group Festival Time Again!

Singers Terry Kane and Rosaleen McGill are on the bill for the 34th annual Philadelphia Ceili Group music festival.

Tony DeMarco.

As far as I’m concerned, you don’t get much more Irish than that. Sure, his Dad was Italian, but the part-Irish DeMarco (his mom’s a Dempsey) is one of the finest practitioners of the so-called Sligo style of fiddling. It’s bouncy, intricate (musicians call it ornamentation), and you can’t keep your foot still for love nor money.

DeMarco, who recently produced his first CD, will be challenging you to stay in your seat on Friday night , September 12, when he performs during the 34^th Annual Philadelphia Ceili Group Irish Music and Dance Festival, held at the Irish Center in Mt. Airy. The three-day event is a musical must-see for anyone interested in traditional Irish music and dance–in fact, for anyone with an interest in real folk music.

It kicks off with one of the best additions in recent years—Thursday’s Irish Circle of Song, featuring local singers Rosaleen McGill, Matt Ward, Kathy DeAngelo, Eugenia Brennan, and Terry Kane. Also joining them on stage will be Brian Hart, the only American ever to win an All-Ireland title for singing at the Irish Fleadh Cheoil, and Canadian sean nos (old time) singer Catherine Crowe, who also usually brings her handmade jewelry to sell.

If you really, truly can’t keep your feet still during Tony DeMarco’s performance on Friday, or it gives you a case of the restless legs, head into the Irish Center’s Big Ballroom where you can kick up your heels to Danny Flynn’s The Bog Wanderers, a topnotch ceili band from Maryland. The Washington Post called their first CD “consistently enjoyable.”

On Saturday, the doors open at noon to one jam-packed day, tailor-made for the multi-tasker. There are workshops in fiddle, accordian, bodhran pipes, sean nos singing, and step-dancing from noon to 2 PM in the Ballroom. There’s a tin whistle workshop followed by a pipes, flutes and whistles concert so everyone can show off what they learned.

In the Ballroom, what’s billed as a “continuous killer ceili” will keep you moving and grooving from 2 to 10 PM , followed, if you have the energy or are still living, by a traditional Irish House Party (a dance so called because it was traditionally held in someone’s home, with the furniture pushed against the walls to create a dance floor) with set and figure dancing to live music.

On the Fireside and John Kelly Stages, there will be concurrent performances, from 2 PM to 10 PM, by a variety of performers. They include the father-son team of Kevin and Jimmy McGillian, brother and sisters John, Judy, and Eugenia Brennan, Brendan Callahan, Sean McComiskey, Fintan Malone of Blarney, Tom O’Malley, Caitlin Finley, Dennis Gormley, Kathy DeAngelo, Tony DeMarco, Danny Flynn,The Bog Wanderers, Brian Hart, Jeremy Bingamen, Mary Malone, Paddy O’Neill, Matt Ward, Matt Heaton, Brendan Mulvihill, Kieran Jordan, Tim Britton, McDermott’s Handy, Catherine Crowe, Rosaleen McGill, Terry Kane, Tim Hill, and more. All are welcome to stay for the Open Music and Song Jam Session (seisiún in Irish) until the wee hours!

But if your bent is more the spoken word, at 6 PM there will be a presentation by, well,you, if you want to read or recite a piece of poetry and prose. Festival director Frank Malley says he’ll “tell a story to start it off, then call on one, then another and another for about an hour to recite, read poetry, or tell stories.”

Local Irishspeaker, Tom Cahill, will recite in Irish, then translate into English.

All-festival tickets are $35. Individual tickets cost $12 for Thursday’s Irish Circle of Song, $15 for Friday’s Tony DeMarco Concert and The Bog Wanderers; and $20 for Saturday’s musical extravaganza.

Check out some of last year’s photos here.

And here.

H ere’s where you can buy tickets.

And here’s why I love Tony DeMarco’s music so much. Listen to tracks from his new CD here.

This is why I can’t get enough of Terry Kane’s angelic voice. Listen to clips from her CD here.

September 4, 2008 by Denise Foley

Columns, How to Be Irish in Philly

How To Be Irish in Philly This Week

Want to know how lucky you are? You didn’t slide down a wet, grassy hill this week and break your leg and dislocate your ankle. That means you can be Irish all over the place this week—and especially next month when two great festivals take place. Me (I’m the one who took that tumble), I’ll just have to sit around and wait to get reports and pictures from those of you who have two working legs and know the joys of being Irish.

If I’m going to live vicariously through you, this is what I want you to do:

On Saturday, August 30,check out Beltaine’s Fire at the Barrington Coffee House and Café in Barrington, NJ. This California group marries an authentic Celtic sound with hip-hop. Really. Not kidding. And they’re good. This is not a fusion we ever expected to hear, but it works.

Genealogy buffs, take note: Starting on Wednesday, September 3, the Federation of Genealogical Societies is holding its annual national convention at the Pennsylvania Convention Center at11^th and Arch. There’s lots to learn no matter what ethnic group you’re from, but the Irish offerings are plenty. Here’s a rundown:

September 4, 2:00 – 3:00 “Introduction to Irish Genealogy: Where Do I Start?”by Eileen O’Duill

September 5, 8:00 – 9:00 “Matchmaking and Marriage Customs in 19th Century Ireland” by Sean O’Duill

September 5, 9:30 – 10:30 “An Overview of Genealogical Sources at the National Archives of Ireland” by Gregory O’Connor

September 5, 3:30 – 4:30 “Researching in Ireland: Planning Is the Key to Success” by Eileen O’Duill

September 5, 5:00 – 6:00 “Tracing the Irish in the American Civil War” by Dennis J. Ahern

September 6, 8:00 – 9:00 “The Language Your Ancestors Spoke: Appreciating Irish Gaelic” by Sean O’Duill

September 6, 11:00 – 12:00, “Lesser Known Genealogical Sources at the National Archives of Ireland” by Gregory O’Connor

There’s an Irish Quiz scheduled for Thursday, September 4 at 7:00 p.m. (no charge to registrants), with a focus on Irish immigration and history.There are also a number of Irish-themed exhibits, including Archive CD BooksIreland, Eneclann, FindMyPast — applicable for Irish living in England orWales, Irish Family History Foundation, Past Homes Limited, TIARA (TheIrish Ancestral Research Association), and Tourism Ireland.

This is a rare opportunity to jump-start your family history search, or pick up points for fine-tuning it. It’s taking a broken leg to keep me from attending.

Make some room on your calendar to hear the high-energy Glengarry Bhoys, appearing on Thursday at the Sellersville Theater.

And you absolutely have to go to Coatesville next Friday night. On the bill, Lunasa’s flute player Kevin Crawford, piper Cillian Vallely and guitarist Paul Meehan. This is a rare trio performance of three fabulous musicians. I saw them last year at thePhiladelphia Ceili Group Festival and they brought down the house. If they could make the lame walk – actually, I think they could make the lame dance—I’d be there.

There’s lots more to come on the horizon. Make your plans now for the Ceili Group’sannual traditional music and dance festival the weekend of September 12 and the AOH’s N. Wildwood Irish Festival the following weekend. I may be holding a pity party for myself in there somewhere, so I’ll keep you posted. And meanwhile, check out our calendar for all the important details. It’s able-bodied.

Send pictures and reports! I’m immobile for 6-8 weeks!

August 29, 2008 by Denise Foley

Music, News

Saved!

Pretty early on during the Sunday, August 24, musical benefit to raise money for Irish radio, some people forgot they were at a charity event. “Isn’t this a great party?” one happy stranger asked me as I wove my way through the dancers in the Irish Center’s Fireside Room.

In fact, it was a great party and it raised about $3,000 to support The Vince Gallagher Irish Hour and Marianne MacDonald’s “Come West Along the Road” shows that air every Sunday,starting at 11 AM on WTMR 800AM. Along with pledges and sales of raffle tickets, it’s enough for MacDonald to say, “It saved my show—and Vince’s.”

Both radio hosts bear the entire financial burden of airing the shows. WTMR does not sell advertising for them, as other stations do, so they need to bring in the estimated $35,000 a year it takes to pay for the airtime. Hosts have always contributed their own funds, but this year, with the economic downturn, it’s been harder to find advertisers and sometimes harder to get advertisers to pay, One longtime large advertiser not only stopped placing ads, but also failed to pay for ads that already ran.

But Marianne MacDonald, who organized Sunday’s benefit, was heartened by the more than $26,000 in pledges the station received during its 8-week on-air drive, and the help from all quarters of the Irish community. “It was amazing to see such a cross-section of people,” she said. “Especially the older people who have been listening to the shows for years. They’ve been so nice.”

Most of the Irish societies, AOH divisions, and other Irish organizations not only made contributions, but some helped out as pledge-takers over the summer, including the St. Patrick’s Day Observance Committee, members of the Donegal, Cavan, and Mayo Associations,the Irish of Havertown, AOH divisions in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the NJ, Irish Memorial Committee, DelawareValley Irish Hall of Fame, Mayfair Community Development Corporation, Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, and the Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Delaware Valley Branch.

Door and raffle prizes were donated by Lisa Carbrey of Celtic Scenes, an online photo and gift shop; the Waterford Wedgewood Company Store in Limerick; artist Patrick Gallagher; Liam O’Riordan of Blarney, County Cork; the Eileen Motel in Wildwood Crest; the New Deck Tavern; Emmett’s Place in Philadelphia; Kelly’s Touch of Ireland in Pitman, NJ; Kathy McGee Burns; the Philadelphia Mayo Association; the DelawareValley Irish Hall of Fame; and www.irishphiladelphia.com.

Local musicians also donated their time and talents, including Kevin and Jimmy McGillian, Mary Malone, Den Vykopel, Patsy Ward, John Boyce, Tim Hill, the Gittlemans, The King Brothers, Round Tower, The McHughs, Fintan Malone, Terry Kane, and others. They’re who kept the dancers busy most of the night to help work off the calories from the buffet dinner provided by caterer Mickey Kavanaugh.

The fundraising will continue for several months with a raffle—grand prize is atrip for two for a week to Ireland, free lodgings at Faha House, a home owned by local musician Fintan Malone, in County Clare; standard car rental for a week, and admission passes to various sites. The tickets cost $10, or three for $20, and are available from Robert Gessler. You can call him at 215-806-7298, email him at gesslervs@comcast.net or write to him at 2212 E. Norris Street, Philadelphia, PA 19125.

See some video of the festivities.

August 29, 2008 by Denise Foley

Columns, How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philadelphia This Week

Think of Sunday, August 24, as benefit day.

Starting at 5 p.m., enjoy a terrific group of Irish performers who are donating their time to raise money to keep Irish radio alive at WTMR 800 FM. The show, to be held at the Irish Center in Mount Airy, will benefit The Vince Gallagher Radio Hour and “Come West Along the Road,” Marianne MacDonald’s traditional music show. Both air on Sundays from 11 to 1. On the bill are Blackthorn’s John Boyce (and friends—we’re anxious to see who he’s bringing); the King Brothers, singer Terry Kane, Round Tower, fiddler Mary Malone, piper Den Vykopel, banjo player Fintan Malone, singers Tom and Marian Gittelman, ceili dance specialists Kevin and Jimmy McGillian, and many others. Along with music and dancing, there’s a buffet dinner donated by caterer Mickey Kavanaugh and drinks are always available at my favorite bar. Tickets are $20 and include the buffet, music, and a chance to win some terrific door prizes.

If you’ve already made a pledge and haven’t sent it in, mail your donation to WTMR Radio, C/O Sunday Irish Radio Shows, 2775 Mt. Ephraim Avenue, Camden, NJ 08104. If you haven’t made a pledge and would like to donate, do the same thing. Write “Irish Radio Shows” on your check. Thanks!

And yes, you can do both benefits if you really want to. The other one starts at on Sunday, at Maggie O’Neill’s Pub and Restaurant in Drexel Hill, will benefit Team Ratty Shoes. The name comes from a Blackthorn song, and is the wonderful crew assembled by Blackthorn fan Patti Byrd to participate in the annual fundraising walk for the Delaware Valley Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. Random Blonde will be performing, and we hear that band member Seamus McGroary has become the newest member of Team Ratty Shoes. Yes, he’ll be hoofing it for charity this fall. You rock, Seamus! I mean, really.

We would be remiss if we didn’t remind you of the Berks Celtic Oyster Fest on Saturday, August 23, in Mohnton, near Reading. Along with the oyster-eating contest, you can enjoy music, more seafood, Celtic vendors, and just have a good old time. This festival is in its sixth year, so you know it has to be great.

And if you’re out back-to-school shopping this weekend, head over to Five Below for school supplies. Take this coupon http://pae.nationalmssociety.org/site/DocServer/CHW_Team_Ratty_Shoes_5_Below.pdf?docID=31555 and Team Ratty Shoes will get a percentage of the sale for MS research. You’ll find a list of all the stores in the tri-state area on our calendar.

And speaking of our calendar, check it out for all the details of this week’s events. It misses you when you don’t.

August 22, 2008 by Denise Foley

Music, News

How Do the Irish Raise Money?

Radio hosts Marianne MacDonald and Vince Gallagher, far right, with just some of the folks helping out with the pledge drive. From left, Attracta O'Malley, Vera Gallagher, Jimmy Meehan, Fintan Malone (behind Meehan), Carmel and Barney Boyce, Kathy McGee Burns and Brenda McDonald.

A musical benefit on Sunday, August 24, will mark the end of the on-air campaign to raise money to save two Irish radio shows on WTMR 800AM.

“So far we’ve gotten $26,965 in pledges—and we never expected to get that much,” says Marianne MacDonald who hosts the “Come West Along the Road” traditional Irish music hour every Sunday at noon, following the Vince Gallagher Irish Hour. “To date,” she said this week, “WTMR has received $19,225.”

The pledges and the money raised by the benefit and a special raffle will help offset the cost of producing the shows, which, along with a little advertising money, has been borne by both MacDonald and Gallagher who estimate each has personally spent about $10,000 to keep the Irish music cranking out every weekend.

Many of the region’s Irish organizations have rallied to raise the funds. Along with making donations—some as high as $1,000—Philadelphia’s county societies, AOH divisions, and organizations such as the Delaware Valley Hall of Fame and the Mayfair Community Development Corporation have supplied volunteer pledge-takers every Sunday since late June.

The fundraising effort hits a crescendo with the benefit, featuring John Boyce of Blackthorn, Round Tower, the King Brothers, The Vince Gallagher Band, Fintan Malone, fiddler Mary Malone with piper Den Vykopel, singer Terry Kane, and Kevin and Jimmy McGillian (who will be playing for the all-afternoon ceili dance in the Fireside Room), and many others.

The $20 ticket includes food and music and an opportunity to win several door prizes, among them a “Wheelbarrow of Cheer,” a large framed photograph of an Irish scene, and an original painting. A raffle is planned, but the grand prize is still being “assembled” so details will be available at a later date.

The event starts at 5 PM and the music kicks off at 6 PM at the Irish Center, Carpenter and Emlen Streets, in the Mt. Airy section Philadelphia.

August 15, 2008 by Denise Foley

News, People

2008 Irish Hall of Fame Honorees Announced

Billy Brennan, left, is one of the 2008 Hall of Famers. Here, with fellow historian Sean McMenamin, center, he shows off the Irish Center library to Irish Ambassador Michael Collins.

A poet-priest who devoted his life to the poor, an Irish historian and genealogist, and a tireless worker for many Irish organizations who died last year are the three 2008 honorees who will be inducted into the Delaware Valley Irish Hall of Fame for 2008. Kathy McGee Burns, president of the organization, made the announcement this week.

The honorees are:

Father John P. McNamee
Father MacNamee–known as Father Mac–was, until his recent retirement, the pastor of St. Malachy’s Church and School in North Philadelphia. During his long tenure, he ministered not only to the poor of his parish but the poor of his community. With help from parishioners, former parishioners, and many Irish musicians (like Mick Moloney, who holds a benefit concert each year for St. Malachy’s), Father Mac was able to make St. Malachy’s financially self-sufficient. He is also a published poet. His most recent book is Donegal Suite, the result of two summers he spent in the Gaeltacht area of Ireland. His life was portrayed on screen in the movie “Diary of a City Priest,” based on his memoir.

Billy Brennan
This amateur Irish historian and genealogist who was one of the guiding forces behind the Commodore Barry Library, housed upstairs in the Irish Center in Mt. Airy. The library is a hidden treasure, filled with books, posters, and documents that trace Irish history both here and in Ireland. In a story that appeared this year on www.irishphiladelphia, Brennan explains why he devoted so much time to the library. “Maybe it’s my calling,” he told us. “I always figured the Irish didn’t get the credit they deserve.” In fact, it’s Brennan’s conviction that the Irish need to be recognized for their contributions to the city, the state, and the nation, that keeps him at his volunteer job.

Anne McFadden Donofry
Anne Donofry, who died on Sept. 17, 2007, was the backbone of many of the Irish Center organizations, including the Commodore Barry Club, the Philadelphia Ceili Group, the Donegal Society and the Delaware Valley Hall of Fame. “Anne knew how to do everything and tirelessly shared her talents with all who asked,” says Kathy McGee Burns, who worked with Donofry in many of those groups. “She left us too early but her heart still beats in our community.”

The three will be inducted at a ceremony on November 16 at the Irish Center in Philadelphia. The evening will start with a cocktail hour at 5 PM, dinner at 6 PM, with dancing to the Vince Gallagher Band. Tickets cost $50 and are limited. To get your tickets, contact Kathy McGee Burns at 215-619-0509, Sean McMenamin, 215-663-2328, Bob Hurst, 610-832-0380, or Bill Donohue, 215-886-3669.

August 15, 2008 by Denise Foley

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