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Denise Foley

Travel

Travel 2012: Edible Ireland

You'll stay and dine at Ballynahinch Castle.

Cookbook author Margaret M. Johnson has eaten her way across Ireland. Now, you can join this New Yorker at the table, in the kitchen, and even at the fishmonger’s and the cheesemakers when she goes on her “Flavors of Ireland” tour with Quinlan Tours of Cape May Courthouse, NJ.

Johnson, known as “The Irish Cook,” has written six books on the new Irish cuisine, rounding up recipes for mouthwatering dishes from home and personal chefs, from restaurants, hotels, and pub, all across Ireland. Her latest, not surprisingly titled, “Flavors of Ireland: Celebrating Grand Places & Glorious Food,” will debut in late February.

It’s her first tour and it all came about because she met Gerry Quinlan of Quinlan Tours in Ireland. “I said to him, ‘You should let me lead a ‘Flavors of Ireland’ tour and he said go ahead,” she said, laughing. “It’s like I was using the easy button from Staples.”

Johnson herself designed the tour that will take a group to many of the hotels where she knows a superlative meal awaits because they’ve all contributed recipes to her books. They include Ballnahinch Castle in County Clare, Lough Erne Resort in Fermanagh, The Merrion Hotel in Dublin, and Killarney Park Hotel in Kerry.

A luxury coach will take guests from one four- or five-star hotel to another, allowing a couple of days in each locale so Johnson can also show the group where the raw materials come from for the meals, including a local salmon smoker and farmers’ markets (with real farmers). There’s also an option for a round of golf at Doonbeg, Lough Erne, and Old Head of Kindsale, as well as visits to must-see spots like the Cliffs of Moher, Slieve League cliffs, the Rock of Cashel, and Blarney Castle.

“We’ll be doing touristy things like stopping at the Beleek Factory,” says Johnson. “And Catholic or not you want to see Our Lady of Knock in Mayo.”

The tour isn’t really designed just for foodies, she says. “It encompasses all the flavors of Ireland, including historical, cultural, the landscape and, of course, food.”

Ah, the food. You’ll enjoy three drinks receptions over the 13-day tour, as well as nine dinners, 11 full Irish breakfasts, as well as an opportunity to continue your education about Irish food by making something from Johnson’s “Flavors of Ireland” cookbook when you get home. Everyone on the tour gets an autographed copy. Noel McNeil, the chef at Lough Erne who has contributed recipes to Johnson’s book, will also give a cooking demonstration.

Don’t let any of the fancy surroundings scare you. “You don’t have to get dressed up every night,” says Johnson reassuringly. “We’re not going to any restaurant that requires a jacket. My husband vetoed that.”

Your only worry will be the calories.

The “Flavors of Ireland” tour costs $4,575 per person based on double accommodation and doesn’t include airfare. The trip, which leaves on May 5, can be booked through Quinlan Tours (800-2217-7887, or info@quinlantours.com). See their website  for more information and to view the full itinerary.

February 10, 2012 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish In Philly This Week

Playwright Elaine Murphy

It’s tough to compete with Super Bowl Sunday, and it looks like few are. Even the Sunday session at Molly Maguire’s in Phoenixville has been cancelled. If you’re planning to go to a regularly scheduled Sunday event, call first.

But it’s not a weekend phenomenon. You can see and hear the phenomenal Next Generation Irish traditional musicians and Dansations Irish dancers on Sunday at the Garden State Discovery Museum’s Annual Irish Children’s Festival, starting at noon.

Tom Mchugh with Jimmy and Kevin McGillian will be playing for the dancers at AOH Notre Dame Div. 1 Hall in Swedesburg on Saturday night. It’s become the go-to place for the region’s ceili dancers.

Also on Saturday, the popular band Jamison is going to Curran’s in Palmyra, NJ.

Opening this week: “Little Gem,” a play by Dubliner Elaine Murphy, the latest from Inis Nua Theatre Company in Philadelphia, the only theater group producing contemporary works from Ireland and the UK. It’s in preview on Tuesday, opens on Wednesday, then runs through February 26 at the Inis Nua’s new digs, First Baptist Curch on Sansom Street (and 16th) in the city. The funny and touching play centers on three generations of Dublin women each experiencing an emotional crisis.

On Thursday, Daniel Tobin, PhD, poet and scholar, will be giving at talk at Villanova, Tobin is author of “Awake in America, ” a book of essays on Irish American poetry that looks at 19th and 20th century poets as well as contemporary writers.

The Second Street Irish Society Dancers are a fixture in the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade. It takes money to look that good, so they’re trying to raise a bundle at a Coach Bag Bingo Night on Friday, February 10, at the EOM Athletic Club on Moore Street in Philadelphia. As the name suggests, the prizes include Coach bags, a fashionista must-have.

Coming up the following week: Fiddler Jess Smith, a young man from Baltimore, will be performing at the Coatesville Cultural Society on Saturday. Both Smith’s parents are musicians and he studied with renowned fiddler Brendan Mulvihill. Smith moved Ireland in 1998 and toured with the band, Danu. His CD, Jigs and Reels, was among the top 10 traditional CDs of 2002 cited by “The Irish Echo.”

Also next week, a freebie concert for kids at Calvary United Methodist Church by the Heartstring Quartet, composed of noted Irish musicians Arty McGlynn {Planxty, Patrick Street, and DeDanann) , Nollaig Casey (Plaxty and Coolfin), and Maire Ni Chatasaigh and British flat-picking guitarist Chris Newman.

February 2, 2012 by
News, People

Remembering Shane Kelly

Kelly Flite spread out her fingers to show off her nails. They were painted white, and each carried one letter of the name of her childhood friend, Shane Kelly.

“My brother always joked with him that if he married me, I’d be Kelly Kelly,” she said, laughing. “We grew up like brother and sister. He was an all-round great guy, the jokester of the group who brought all the groups of friends together. If you met him, he’d have been your best friend.”

On November 13, while he was walking home with his girlfriend from a bar in Fishtown where the friends had gathered after a day of paintballing, 27-year-old pharmacy technician Shane Kelly was shot to death in an attempted robbery. His girlfriend, Maryelise Doyne, was dialing 911 before the two would-be robbers had even fled the scene. Two men have been arrested and charged in the killing.

His friends, his fellow Hibernians—Shane was the Sentinal or AOH Div. 61—his soccer buddies, colleagues at Jefferson University Hospital—made up the winding trail of people who waited hours to honor the young man at his viewing. And it was standing room only at Canstatter’s hall on Sunday, January 29, when his AOH brothers and sisters celebrated his life with a fundraiser to benefit Kelly’s family.

“A lot of wonderful people have been there for us,” said Shane’s mother, Maryanne, her eyes watery with tears. She stood in one room of the catering facility in Northeast Philadelphia where rows of tables were lined with raffle prizes. There were 96 of them, ranging from baskets of cheer to a signed Man United soccer jersey. Shane was heavily involved with Casa, a Philly-based amateur soccer league, which has renamed its league championship “The Kelly Cup” in his honor.

A group of Shane’s friends—a mix of old and new—sat together at one table, all wearing the green Div. 61 shirts on which was printed “In loving memory of Shane Kelly,” all sharing memories of a young man, president of his high school class at Frankford High, who was a born leader and the glue that held them together.

“He got everyone together through the AOH,” said Kelly. “I became part of the group when I started dating her,” said Jeff Morrison. “Shane was always the go-to guy.”

“Yeah,” added David Crego, “if you want to know what was going on, you texted Shane.”

“He was also really good at talking,” said Morrison, and the friends laughed.

The Shane they knew was a friend to all, a stand-up guy who died protecting the woman he loved.

“Him and Mar had just bought this house in Fishtown,” said Kelly Flite. “That’s where they were going when it happened. She called 911 and the cops were there fast, but it was too late. She still got to look into his eyes until he lost consciousness.

“There’s a reason there were a thousand people at his funeral,” said Kelly. “He was one in a million.”

View our photos of the Shane Kelly “Celebration of Life” event.

February 2, 2012 by
News, People

Calling All Cavan Folk

Angela Cassidy and Msgr. Michael Doyle

They came from Philly, New York, New Jersey, Bucks and Delaware Counties and even from Florida. What they had in common: They’d all once called Cavan home. (And some still do!)

A group of Cavan people met on Sunday at the Newtown Grill in Newtown Square for dinner, conversation, and, as the pictures show, lots of laughing. “The highlight of the evening was a talk by Sister Lucia and Msgr. Michael Doyle from Sacred Heart Parish in Camden,” said Cormac Brady, one of the local organizers. “Sister Lucia now lives in Florida but worked in New York for 10 years helping undocumented Irish immigrants. Her wit and storytelling enchanted everyone.”

Brady shared his photos of the event with us. You can see even more photos here.

January 27, 2012 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How to be Irish In Philly This Week

On November 13, 27-year-old Shane Kelly—an officer in the Ancient Order of Hibernians Div. 61, soccer player, pharmacy tech specialist at Jefferson Umiversity Hospital—was shot to death during an attempted robbery in Fishtown.

This Sunday,January 29, his friends and fellow Hibernians will be remembering him and raising money for his family at a benefit they’re calling “A Celebration of Shane’s Life” ay Cannstatters in Northeast Philadelphia. There will be lived bands, a DJ, live and silent auction, food and beer. Space is limited, so contact AOH Division 61 at 215-624-3007 for tickets, which cost $40.

Saturday night marks the return of Blackthorn to Archbishop Ryan High School in Philadelphia to raise money for the school’s scholarship fund. This annual event is always a sellout so check for details on our calendar and get tickets asap.

Also on Saturday night, the annual Celtic Spring concert at Sacred Heart Parish in Camden raises money for this parish and The Heart of Camden, a program founded by the late Sister Peg Hynes to help the poor and homeless. Singers Timlin and Kane, Marian Makins, fiddler Mary Malone, piper Den Vykopal, and the Miller Dancers plus other performers will be donating their talents.

On Sunday at noon, tune into WTMR-800 AM for the latest pledge drive for “Come West Along the Road,” the Sunday Irish radio show hosted by Marianne MacDonald. Eileen Lavin and the Tara Gael Dancers will be in the studio to take calls. Donors can win some great prizes, including tickets to see Solas, Paddy Maloney and the Chieftains, Altan, Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfetones. Pledge $50 or more and you’ll be entered into a a contest in which the grand prize is tickets to see “Evita” on Broadway–transportation included!–on March 24, or two tickets to Irish Night at the Phillies on June 19. Anyone who donates at least $50 will get a CD.

The Cara Irish Society of New Jersey is holding a membership drive open house on Sunday at the VFW Post on Black Horse Pike in Williamstown, NJ, from 1 to 5 PM. There’s food, beer, wine, and soda, and music will be provided by Celtic Spirit.

The Irish American Family History Society is meeting on Thursday at 11 AM in Voorhees, NJ. Genealogist Deborah Large Fox will present a program on the basics of Irish research.

Annalivia, five seasoned folk and Celtic performers, will appear at the Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, DE, on Thursday night.

Also on Thursday, the group Sylvia Platypus, is performing its rock opera, “Le Mirage/Dead City Philly” at the Rotunda at 4014 Walnut Street in Philadelphia.

On Friday, one of the most electrifying Celtic groups in the world, Solas, will be doing two shows at World Café Live in Philadelphia. And another of our favorite bands–this one local–will be playing at JD McGillicuddy’s. The John Byrne Band will be sharing the stage with the reunited band, Lazlo. Okay, so they share Andy Keenan, who also plays with Amos Lee and Citizens Band Radio. They’ll all be there together, and Keenan will be doing double duty.

On Friday, you can also catch up with Belfast Connection–they’re a spinoff ffrom Paddy’s Well–at Doc’s Irish Pub in Burlington, NJ (that’s right across the bridge from Bristol–you know, the Burlington Bristol Bridge).

We’ve been updating our calendar this week, and there’s plenty of craic coming up. Wait till you see the lineup in March. You’ll be seeing green! Have a St. Patrick’s Month event? You can put it on our self-serve calendar or email us with the information and we’ll put it on for you.

January 26, 2012 by
Music

Sylvia Platypus: A Musical Chemistry Experiment That Works

Sylvia Platypus, from left, Bill Barone, Michael Southerton, Charlie Rutan, Rosealba Gallo, Janet Bressler, and Ruchama Bilenky.

If it hadn’t been for an intriguing ad on Craig’s List, the indie group Sylvia Platypus might not have been a Celtic band.

The ad that band founder, Cheltenham’s Janet Bressler, saw was from a professional bagpiper named Charlie Rutan.

Rutan is well known in bagpipe circles—and beyond. He owns and operates Bagpipes FAO (for all occasions) and has piped for everyone from President George H.W. Bush to Rod Stewart. He’s played at the Smithsonian, as principal bagpipe of the Reading Symphony Orchestra, on the John DeBella Show, and, of course, for countless funerals.

“Basically, the ad said that he was looking for gigs where he wasn’t wearing a kilt and playing bagpipes standing in a cemetery,” explained Bressler, a tiny, stylish woman who was wearing feather earrings, a stingy brim fedora, and an artfully ripped blazer when we met recently at a Starbucks in Flourtown.

Bressler, who has founded half a dozen other musical chemistry projects over the years, was looking for someone to replace a musician who didn’t work out.

“It was a 400 pound baritone sax player,” said lead guitar player Bill Barone, who contributes some historical chops to the group (he was once the guitarist and only American in the ‘70s symphonic “krautrock” and cult band, Wallenstein). “He didn’t weigh 400 pounds,” scolded Bressler. Barone, sporting a Grateful Dead t-shirt that he probably didn’t buy as “vintage,” paid no attention. “We didn’t think he would fit on stage,” he added, chuckling.

Enter Rutan, who is considerably smaller. “This all came about from one St. Patrick’s Day, I was asked to come on the John DeBella show on WMGK because they wanted to run a contest to see who could identify rock songs played on the bagpipe,” explains Rutan. “So I spent a lot of time learning a lot of rock songs. Then I thought, why waste all this effort. It was another way to be creative and I wanted to see where I could go with it. So I put some tentacles out there.”

Tentacles, as in Craig’s List. Now, Sylvia Platypus is on Rutan’s resume and this oddly named group, which is not a Sylvia Plath tribute band (“I was looking for something literary,” explains Bressler. “When people ask me about it, I just say it’s a duck-billed suicide”), can bill itself as a psycho-celtic glam-blues band. And as their recently released EP illustrates, that’s a pretty accurate chain of adjectives.

“Like a Vampire,” sung with earthy fullness by Bressler, who has been likened to Edith Piaf, is rock at its best, with some hot guitar from Barone with a surprisingly delicate underpinning of bagpipes from Rutan. Then, they set rock on its ear with their cover of the Stones’ “Paint it Black,” where Rutan’s pipes take center stage.  “Raggle Taggle Gypsy,” a standard for Celtic bands, is  re-imagined wildly and with passion by Bressler’s raw vocals. And there’s the haunting “The Seagull (An Faoileag), my back button favorite, which sounds traditional but was written by Bressler and Rutan, who now write many of SP’s songs together. (Several have been picked up by a company that markets music to movies and TV shows.)

Only two years old, Sylvia Platypus have already brought its rock opera, “LeMirage/Dead City Philly” to the Philly Fringe Festival and will be doing a reprise on February 2 at The Rotunda at 40th and Walnut in Philadelphia. Bressler penned the whole thing, which is based in part on Georges Rodenbach’s 1892 novella “Bruges La Morte.” Members of the band—bass player Ruchama Bilenky, founder of the DysFUNctional Theatre Company (and Bressler’s daughter) and Michael Southerton, an English and drama teacher at South Philadelphia High and founder of the band Song Dogs and the Night Jar—both act and play, while the band plays the role of Greek chorus in this multi-media show.

They’ve also appeared twice at World Café Live and at the Tin Angel, a notoriously difficult gig to get in the city.

Bressler gives credit for their early success to her years in the business and the musicianship of her band, which also includes noted drummer Rosealba Gallo, who also plays with a group called The Non-Domestiks. Although the pipes were initially a hard sell, “we all hit it off musically,” says Rutan, who plays nine different pipes, including the rare Italian double chantered zampogna pipes. (“There are only a few in the country and mine are the only ones that are working,” he jokes.)

Barone agrees that “there’s a real chemistry of musicianship. There’s a desire to make everything work together so that everyone fits in and no one steps on anyone else.”

He also credits Bressler, with whom he’s worked in bands before, for giving the SP both its solid musical underpinnings and its charisma and glam on stage . “She’s the classic rock front person,” he says. “Her stage presence is incredible. People just can’t take their eyes off Janet. It makes it easier for us. For me, I’m more up there to be heard than seen. Plus, she writes great stuff. Fortunately, she writes like crab grass grows.”

Barone, whose stint in Germany with Wallenstein (“the ancestor of ‘Yes’” is how Rutan describes them) earned him a place in a Wikipedia entry  and some interesting spots on YouTube , almost abandoned the business. He hadn’t done music fulltime for years (he’s retiring soon from his job as heavy equipment mechanic at Giles and Ransom) then re-whetted his appetite with the cover band Classic Jurassic in 2008 (he is proudly 60, so doesn’t actually remember dinosaurs).  Bressler found him again a couple of years ago and drafted him into Sylvia Platypus.

“I had pretty much sworn off,” he admits. “She”—he nods towards Bressler—“got me back in and I’m focusing on the music fulltime.” And behind the graying ‘stache and beard, Bill Barone looked pretty happy about that.

January 26, 2012 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How To Be Irish in Philly This Week

The mural, in Derry, depicting a famous photo taken on Bloody Sunday 1972. A Mass will be said at the Irish Center to commemorate the 40th anniversary.

You may not be making plans for St. Patrick’s Day yet, but lots of other people are. In fact, on Saturday, the High Street Grill in Mt. Holly is holding its Beer Tasting Fundraiser for the Burlington County parade, traditionally the first on the street in March in this region. There will be more than 30 craft beers to try at $30 for the event.

That’s not the only fundraiser this weekend. Blackthorn is back to help raise money for AOH charities supported by the AOH Black Jack Kehoe Div. 1 in Delaware County. Hone your knowledge of local history: Look up Black Jack Kehoe on the Internet and read about a fascinating chapter in Irish American—and Pennsylvania—history.

You can also catch the cute and cuddly Gerry Timlin and Tom Kane at The Shanachie in Ambler on Saturday night.

On Sunday, the Sons and Daughters of Derry (The Derry Society) is sponsoring a Mass at the Irish Center, 6815 Emlen Street, Philadelphia, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the event that came to be known as Bloody Sunday, when 13 people were killed by British troops during a peaceful protest march in Derry on January 30, 1972.

On Thursday, join in the networking fun (and grab some free eats) with Irish Network-Philly at The Black Sheep, an Irish pub near Rittenhouse Square. There will be drink specials as well as a chance to meet up with other Celtic folks like yourself.

On Friday, look for the Broken Shillelaghs at Dublin Square Pub in Sewell, NJ.

And next Saturday, Blackthorn returns to raise even more money, this time for Archbishop Ryan Alumni Association’s scholarship fund. This event sells out so make your reservations quickly. You must be over 21 to attend.

January 20, 2012 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How To Be Irish in Philly This Week

Blackthorn is on tap this weekend--and for the following two.

A minor snafu last week put our calendar on the disabled list, but it’s back and you can post your events again, so please do.

Blackthorn is appearing this Saturday at MaGerk’s Pub, formerly The Bent Elbo, in Fort Washington. That’s always a good time. Looking ahead, the group is also going to be making return engagements to the Black Jack Kehoe AOH Div. 4 fundraiser on January 21 and Archbishop Ryan High School on January 28 for its benefit for the Ryan Tuition Assistance Fund, always a sellout.

Also this Saturday, the Centre Theatre in Norristown is presenting “She Moved Through the Fair,” a play adapted from the works of one of Ireland’s best known and critically acclaimed novelists and short story writers, Edna O’Brien, a native of Clare.

The Irish American Genealogy Group meets on Thursday at the Irish Immigration Center. This is a great way for family history newbies to get started on finding their Irish ancestors.

This is a slow week, Irish-wise, but we’re going to need a few slow weeks because the St. Patrick’s Day festivities always start gearing up earlier and earlier every year—like in February.

One thing that won’t be happening in February though, is the Scottish & Irish Festival in Valley Forge. No, don’t wring your hands and tear your hair out. It’s just been moved to the last weekend in March. Taking its place this year is a one-night (February 18) iconfluence of high-energy Celtic groups, two of which travel together so much they’ve combined their names, a la Brangelina. It’s Bronach—Brother and Albannach, two big favorites of the Valley Forge Festival. They’ll be sharing the stage in the Waterford Room (hope it’s big) at The Radisson Hotel in King of Prussia, adjacent to the Valley Forge Convention Center along with Barleyjuice and Arvel Bird. Bird is a Native American musician whose work is haunting and has a touch of Celtic because his father is Scots-Irish (his mother is Paiute). Listen here.

Another heads up for fans of the Vince Gallagher Irish Radio Hour. After moving his show to a new station (WNJC 1360 AM) for a few months, Vince is moving back to join his old partner-in-crime Marianne MacDonald at WTMR 800-AM at his old time of 11 AM the end of the month. That gives you two hours of Irish music without having to switch channels.

This week, you really can check out our calendar for all the details.

January 13, 2012 by