Denise Foley

You’ve been to a couple or three festivals already and it’s only the middle of September (halfway to St.Paddy’s Day, by the way). So you think you can rest up this weekend.

But noooooo. Start your weekend off on Friday night at the free Rambling House event at the Irish Center. There’s a movie, “Shore to Shore,” about Irish music, and then there’s Irish music, including The Malones (Luke and Fintan are also quite funny, so you get a comedy act too). Free food, free admission, free fun. But you’ll have to buy your own drinks, unless you get lucky.

The Gloucester City Shamrock Festival is scheduled for Saturday. If you haven’t been to Gloucester City, it’s a short hop over the bridge from Philly and is a sweet little Irish town along the river. The festival is held at the Gloucester City Marina and features Blackthorn, among other enticements. And it only costs $5 to get in. A bargain and a great place to entertain the kids.

Also on Saturday, Paddy’s Well is holding a benefit for the Upper Darby Police Department at Casey’s Pubin Drexel Hill. It’s a personal thing: Their sound man, Dennis McNamara, was just a small boy when his dad became the first Upper Darby police office killed in the line of duty. Singer Olive McElhone will also perform.

At Downey’s in Philly, you can hear new group Handy with a Stick at 7 PM. It features many of the Brennan family and Bette Conway.

On Sunday morning, join the Emerald Pipers, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, the 69thPennsylvania Color Party re-enactors and the Heenan family as a memorial to Colonel Dennis Heenan, commander of the Irish Brigade heroes, is unveiled at Cathedral Cemetery in Philadelphia.

Also on Sunday, there’s a ceili-set dance in Wilmington, DE and a concert by the Philadelphia Orchestra to raise money for the Philadelphia police Surivor’s Fund (a Blackthorn benefit for the same cause happens in a few weeks).

On Monday, the golfers and music lovers will be mingling for a good cause—to raise money for the medical bills of Ciara Higgins, whose dad, Tommy Higgins, is well known in the Gaelic Athletic Association. Ciara was born prematurely six years ago and suffers from cerebral palsy. With the help of therapists, she’s learning to walk. But her care is expensive. A day of golf, a dinner, and music at Plymouth Country Club helps raise money for that care.

On Tuesday, former Philly Irish mover and shaker Mick Moloney is back in town. He’s at Villanova to present “If It Wasn’t For the Irish and the Jews: Irish American Music in Vaudeville and Tin Pan Alley.” A little bit lecture, a little bit music.

And on Thursday, the long Irish weekend at the shore begins. This major fundraiser for the Ancient Order of Hibernians in Cape May, held every year in N. Wildwood, features more musical acts than you can shake a shillelagh at, vendors as far as the Irish eye can see, pipers, dancers, food, drink. . .and more shamrock deely bobbers than can be found in the entire western world. It all starts on Thursday with a boxing match between the Harrowgate Club from Philadelphia and the Holy Family Boxing Club from Belfast, Northern Ireland and goes through Sunday featuring popular acts like Paddy’s Well, the Bogside Rogues, and Derek Warfield in the music tent, and various other Irish acts at other venues throughout the area. Blackthorn,for example, is booked at the Anglesea Pub which usually has its own music tent.

If your feet want to take you north, there’s another great Celtic festival next weekend in Bethlehem, the long-running Celtic Classic, which also offers highland games (caber toss, anyone?) and border collies. There’s always lots of great music. We’re going up to hear Fil Campbell, the Irish singer-songwriter who will be making an appearance on October 2 at the Irish Center. Oh, and everyone else we can hear in a few hours.

But mark your calendars for Saturday night, September 26. The incredible Tony DeMarco, master of the Sligo fiddle style, is coming to the Coatesville Cultural Center that evening. If you’re feeling a little low, it’s Tony you want to hear. His lively, foot-tapping fiddle music is just the thing to perk you up. He never fails to make us laugh and smile. And all that foot-tapping does burn calories.

Don’t forget the plays “The Bros. Flanagan” (at Fergie’s on Sansom Street through Saturday) and “Trad” (at the Adrienne on Sansom Street through the end of the month), both part of the Philly Fringe Festival. “Trad” makes an appearance at the Irish Center on October 11 under the auspices of the Philadelphia Ceili Group, which is resting up from its recent Irish Music Festival.

Of the three festivals happening this weekend, only one is sweating the weather reports. The 10^thAnnual Scottish-Irish Festival held at Green Lane Park in Green Lane, Montgomery County, is scheduled to kick off on Friday night, September 11, with Barleyjuice and Raining Hearts (an unfortunate coincidence, since it’s raining buckets as we write this).

 If all goes on as planned, you’ll see more Irish dancers that you do at a feis, an exhibition of Gaelic football, pipe bands, and great music from Barleyjuice, the Hooligans, and the Martin Family Band. The weather is supposed to clear by Sunday. We hope.

 In Mt. Holly, New Jersey, the Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day Irish Festival, which raises money for police coverage for Burlington County’s fabulous St. Patrick’s Day Parade, is scheduled for Saturday. It features the Brimingham Six, the Shantys and Jamison, and only costs $10. And it’s under a tent. 

We’ll try to keep you posted on weather updates.

 The Philadelphia Ceili Group Festival is indoors at the Irish Center in Mt. Airy so it’s going on. In fact, it started on Thursday night with a terrific concert featuring Tim Britton. On Friday night, there are some fabulous singers on tap, including Len Graham, Brian Hart, Terry Kane and Rosaleen McGill, among others. On Saturday, there are vendors, food, educational workshops, music, dancing, and an evening house party—bring your dancing shoes and your party piece.

 Otherwise this week: The plays, “The Bros. Flanagan” and “Trad” are still going on. “The Bros. Flanagan” is being staged upstairs at Fergie’s Pub at 12^th and Sansom Streets in Philadelphia. Buy one entrée and get the second free, thanks to the kindness of Fergie (Fergus Carey).  “Trad” is at the Amaryllis at the Adrienne Theatre, also on Sansom Street. It’s produced by the Inis Nua Theatre Company, which brings the best of Irish, British, and Scottish plays to the Philadelphia area. 

 If you’re gambling away your kids’ college fund at the New Sands Casino in Bethlehem, you can catch The Broken Shillelaghs at St. James Gate Pub there on Saturday night.

 On Sunday, head out to McNally’s on Rhawn Street in the city for a beef-and-beer to raise money for The Shamrocks youth football team.

 On Tuesday, Lunasa’s Kevin Crawford is giving workshops on flute and tin whistle in Vorhees, NJ. See the calendar for contact information. On Thursday, he and band mate Cillian Villaly will be performing. They’re both extraordinary musicians, and Crawford, we can tell you from experience, is one damn fine stand-up comic. A very funny guy.

You should check out our calendar not only for the details on these events, but for much, much more.This week, we added as many local Irish radio shows as we could find to the calendar so you know when to tune in. There are more than you think, from Bucks to Lehigh Counties! There are some great new classes at the Irish Center, including flute and whistle for beginners and advanced, and DADGAD Irish guitar accompaniment (DADGAD is a kind of tuning used in Irish music).

 Coming up: The Gloucester City Shamrock Festival (September 19); musician and folklorist Mick Moloney will examine the role of the Irish and Jews in the songs of Tin Pan Alley at Villanova (September 22); the AOH Irish Festival in N. Wildwood, which starts off with a boxing match (the Harrowgate Boxing Club of Philly vs. The Holy Family Boxing Club of Belfast on September 24) and continues through the weekend with great music (Paddy’s Well, the Elders, The Broken Shillelaghs,  the Bgside Rogues, the Sean Fleming Band, Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfetones, among others) food, vendors and lots of wild fun (and this year, Blackthorn returns for two days at the Anglesea Pub); the Celtic Classic in Bethlehem (September 25) featuring music, food, pipers, dancers, border collies and highland games (care to learn to toss a caber?); and the appearance of incredible Sligo-style fiddler Tony DeMarco (September 26) at the Coatesville Cultural Center.

 It’s a great month to be Irish anywhere within 100 miles of Philly. Remember, you can sleep when you’re dead.

What could be better to bring summer to a close than an Irish festival? We can’t think of anything.

 Well, there’s one this Sunday at Brittingham’s Irish Pub in Lafayette Hill. Headlining is a great local group, Paddy’s Well, with the Bogside Rogues, Olive McElhone and Jamison on hand, along with bagpipers, dancers, vendors and pipes and drums. It being Brittingham’s there’s also great food (burgers, dogs and barbecue chicken—andyou don’t even have to fire up the grill!) and beer. It’s cheap too—only $10 for all day.

 The plays “The Bros.Flanagan” and “Trad” are on stage at Fergie’s Irish Pub and the Amaryllis at the Adrienne in Center City respectively. They’re part of the Philly LiveArts and Fringe Festivals.

 On Tuesday, have a beer with Dr. Lew Losoncy, a motivational psychologist and author of “Early Poppers: The Secrets of Self-Starters”—and no, it’s not about hot pepper appetizers—at McGillins Old Ale House in Center City. It’s all part of McGillin’s 150^th birthday celebration. Losoncy cites a longtime McGillins’ employee, John Doyle, as a superstar of customer service in his book.

 Also on Tuesday night, spend “An Evening with Sean Tyrell” at Villanova University’s Connolly Center. This award-winning Irish folk singer will share both his music and his poetry with the audience.

 Starting on Thursday night, the Philadelphia Ceili Group Irish Music Festival will showcase dozens of musicians and provide workshops for everyone who wants to hone their skills (or learn a little about genealogy) through Saturday night (very, very late). There will be dancing, vendors, food and drink, and lots of great music.

 On Friday, the annual Green Lane Scottish Irish Festival kicks off a weekend of all things Celtic (even some Gaelic football!) at Green Lane Park in Green Lane.

So you can begin and end your week with festivals. But don’t get fesitvaled out. There’s more to come: Mt. Holly, Bethlehem, and North Wildwood in the next few weeks.

The Philadelphia LiveArts and Fringe Festival starts next week and features several great Irish plays.

“The Bros. Flanagan,” a play about an Irish pub in Philadelphia, debuts in, what else—an Irish pub in Philadelphia—on September 5. It’s being staged upstairs at Fergie’s Pub on Sansom Street. Tickets are $20, and there’s a buy-one-get-one-free entrée offer going on through the run of the play.

 The Inis Nua Theatre’s popular production of “Trad,” a comic look at culture shock by comedian Mark Doherty, starts on September 3 at the Amaryllis at The Adrienne Theater, also on Sansom Street.

 “Go Irish: The Purgatory Diaries of Jason Miller,” starts on September 4 at the Arch Street United Methodist Church.

 This Saturday, pay tribute to a great guy. Sean Cullen was a union steamfitter, a member of the AOH Div.88 and athletic director for Our Lady of Calvary School Athletic Association. He died in May in a motorcycle accident, and his friends are holding a memorial at the Quaker City Yacht Club, where Cullen was a member, that will also raise money for a trust fund for Cullen’s 7-year-old son, Ryan.

On Tuesday, head down to McGillins in Center City to meet New York Times bestselling author William Lashner, whose Victor Carl novels have been translated into a dozen languages. He’ll read from his book, “Blood and Bones,” whose main characters have a beer at McGillins. You can have a beer too–for $2! It’s all part of McGillin’s 150th birthday celebration. Starts at 6 PM.

 On Thursday, the Pat McGee Band will be playing at the Sellersville Theatre. Though McGee and company don’t do Celtic, he is the nephew of a prominent member of Philadelphia’s Irish community, Kathy McGee Burns, vice president of the St. Patrick’s Day Observance Association.

The first and second of four September festivals is coming up the weekend of September 10—the Green Lane Scottish-Irish Festival and the Philadelphia Ceili Group Festival of Irish Music and Dance. Pace yourself, though. Celtic Classic in Bethlehem and the AOH Irish Weekend in N. Wildwood follow close behind.