Columns

Remember last week when I told you to book early for the Blackthorn fundraiser for the Black Jack Kehoe AOH Division 4 in Springfield on Saturday? Remember how I said “sold out” was their middle name? Well, the event is sold out. No tickets will be available at the door because they can’t shoehorn in even one more person. Next time, listen to me.

There may still be time to book for Enter the Haggis at World Café Live on Saturday night. This Toronto-based band delights fans with its novel take on Celtic rhythms, matching it with rock, pop, and even funk.

On Wednesday, Kilkenny-born contemporary folksinger and songwriter Enda Keegan is on stage at Slainte at 30th and Market streets. Keegan is a recent Philly transplant who still performs mainly in New York City but is spreading his wings here. Next month he’ll be opening for John Byrne (late of Patrick’s Head) at Byrne’s CD release party at World Café Live.

Like a little Irish music with your gambling? Then head up to the Sands Casino in Bethlehem. Amadaun, a group that blends rock, bluegrass, and folk-rock with traditional Celtic sounds, is playing this week at the St. James Pub.

On Friday, January 29, at 7 PM, there will be an information session on the disaster in Haiti featuring filmmaker Dede Maitre (granddaughter of Irish immigrants) who will screen clips from the documentary work she has done over the years with various charities in Haiti. Representatives from Haitian aid organizations and members of the local Haitian community will be there.

Following the meeting, stay for the January Rambling House entertainment evening, featuring music by The Malones and whoever else wants to get up and do their party piece. There’s a bar there for the shy, free refreshments, prizes, and it all costs only $5. You can’t even see a movie for that little.

Some fine Celtic doings this weekend. First off, Paddy’s Well headlines AOH Div. 87’s annual Beef and Beer Night at that Irish playground, Finnigan’s Wake, at Third and Spring Garden Streets on Saturday afternoon. You get to kill many birds with one stone here: Have a good time, listen to a great band, support AOH charities as well as Mike Driscoll, owner of Finnigan’s and a generous supporter of all things Philly and Irish.

Also on Saturday, three remarkable musicians will converge on Coatesville from Baltimore to present an evening of virtuoso traditional music: singer-guitarist Pat Egan, his wife, flutist Laura Byrne, and accordian player Bill McComiskey. You get to do a good deed here too—support the Coatesville Traditional Irish Music Series, whose founder, Frank Dalton, has been bringing the best in traditional music to a beautiful venue (the Coatesville Cultural Society) for many years. It only costs $15, there are no bad seats, the acoustics are great, and you can even have a light supper or dessert at the snack bar.

On Thurday, Con Murphy’s Pub on the Parkway in Center City is featuring County Tyrone’s Raymond Coleman, and acoustic performer with an eclectic play list (Shane McGowan to David Gray). You can use the opportunity to scout out Con Murphy’s Pub for your post-St. Paddy’s Day tall one. Or check out how much the parade you can see from your barstool. Whatever.

Next weekend looks like a big one too: Enter the Haggis, the sensational Toronto-based band, will be at World Café Live on Saturday. Their concerts are always sold out at Sellersville, so call now for tickets.

And Blackthorn will be playing a benefit next Saturday for the AOH Black Jack Kehoe Division at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Springfield. If Blackthorn had a middle name it would be “sold out,” so get there early while there’s still dancing room.

Just a couple of reminders: The Sunday WTMR radio shows are running out of dough, so if you can send a donation their way, it would be a good thing. And if you haven’t already done so, fill out the Irish Immigration Center’s Irish Community Survey. We thank you.

An eclectic—one might even day “odd”–mix of events this week, from a Celtic worship service to an immigration reform “happy hour” to a performance by The Band of the Irish Guards. We’re going to peek into next week a little because there’s a fabulous music event coming up that you trad fans won’t want to miss.

First up: Tune in to 800AM between 11 AM and 1 PM on Sunday to learn how you can support the WTMR Irish radio shows. Fundraisers last year kept the shows going for seven months, but that money has run out. You can make a donation to the shows by sending a check made out to WTMR Radio (that’s important–it has to be made out to the station) to WTMR Radio-Sunday Irish Radio Shows, 2775 Mount Ephraim Ave, Camden, NJ 08104. Mark the envelope “ATTN: Vince Gallagher and Marianne MacDonald.”

St. Thomas Church in Whitemarsh is holding its monthly Celtic worship service on Sunday at 5:30 PM. Read our story explaining what it’s all about.

On Tuesday, join representatives from the Philadelphia Irish Immigration Center at Tir na nOg pub and restaurant in Center City to learn about how the new immigration reform bill could affect Irish immigrants. There will be “happy hour” specials for those who attend. There are other immigration meetings going on throughout the city next week, but I believe this one will be the most fun along with being informative. Way to go, Irish!

Pipe and drum aficionados, listen up: The Band of the Irish Guards will be performing at the Stabler Arena in Bethlehem on Thursday night. Also featured: the Pipes, Drums and Highland dancers of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. What a sound!

If you’re marching in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade this year, you have a meeting on Thursday night at the Doubletree in Philadelphia at 8 PM to pay up and pick up your badges. That apparently means that there will be a parade this year. Yay!

Frank McCourt’s “The Irish and How They Got That Way” is playing through April at the Kimmel Center. If you mention the word “special” you get 20 percent off your ticket price. It’s the Irish discount.

Peeking into the following week: AOH Div. 87 is holding its annual beef and beer fundraiser at Finnigan’s Wake in Philadelphia on Sunday, January 17. Paddy’s Well is playing. As always, money raised at AOH events goes to charities large and small.

Later on Sunday night, three incredible trad musicians will be playing at the Coatesville Cultural Society. Singer-guitarist Pat Egan, his wife, flutist Laura Byrne Egan, and Brooklyn-born accordian player Bill McComiskey not only play together regularly, but teach others to play at the Baltimore Irish Arts Center. The Egans were recently in Philadelphia with Jim Eagan for an Ed Reavy tribute at the Irish Center.

As always, there’s a session just about every night of the week in the Philly area. One of our new year’s resolutions is to get to every one of them. Maybe you should add that to your list too!
Check the calendar for details.

You can ring in the New Year with music and dancing at the Irish Center on Thursday night, then start the new year off right on January 2 with Barleyjuice at the Sellersville Theatre. And there are plenty of sessions all week to keep your Irish up.

But the real treat starts on Thursday with the return of “The Irish and How They Got That Way,” a play by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Frank McCourt, who also gave us “Angela’s Ashes.” “Tis,” and “Teacher Man,” before he died in 2009 from melanoma.

The play, at the Kimmel Center, mixes songs and stories, sentiment and humor, irony and sweetness, as only McCourt could do it.

Check our calendar for details.

Karan Casey will be at the Sellersville Theatre.

This will be a double-stuffed “How to Be Irish” this week since the entire staff of the website voted to take Christmas off this year.

Lots of folks must be finished with their Christmas shopping because there are plenty of events this weekend. Don’t let a little snow stop you!

In Upper Darby, the Mairead Farrell Ladies Gaelic football club is holding its holiday party fundraiser at Cawley’s Pub in Upper Darby. The Mairead Farrells competed in the national championship games in Boston this fall, but the highlight of their year was meeting Sinn Fein MP Gerry Adams this fall—at his request.

The phenomenal Irish singer Karan Casey (late of Solas) will be performing at the Sellersville Theatre on Saturday night. Also on the bill: Buille, a boundary-pushing Irish trio.

In Allentown, the O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance is presenting its Celtic Christmas show featuring the very funny Seamus Kennedy and the school’s championship dancers.

On Sunday, piper Scot Walker will perform with harpist Carole Thompson at Moravian College in Bethlehem, a show produced by the Celtic Cultural Alliabce and the Donegal Square Irish shop.

On Wedneaday, The Morrigan Traditional Irish Band featuring fiddler Mary Malone will be performing at the Mermaid Inn in Chestnut Hill, and a session will follow.

After Christmas, get ready for the Comhaltas annual Wren Party, New Year’s Eve at the Irish Center, followed by Barleyjuice at the Sellersville Theatre on January 2. That would be 2010.

And make your reservations for “The Irish and How They Got That Way,” the popular play by the late Frank McCourt, which opens at the Kimmel Center on January 7.

We appreciate that many of you have been doing some of your shopping on our Irish gift store guide (yes, we can tell). We hope you’ll continue to support the Irish community throughout the year.

And from Jeff, Lori, and myself, may we say, “Nollaig Shona agus Athbhliain faoi Mhaise Daoibh!” Well, none of us can actually say that, but we do wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Oisin Mac Diarmada of Teada at last year's "Irish Christmas in America" show at the Irish Center.

Snow or no snow, we’re knee deep in Christmas season. This is how we know:

Teada, Matt and Shannon Heaton, and tenor Michael Londra are bringing their Christmas shows to the area in the next few days.

Teada’s “Irish Christmas in America” with Seamus Begley and dancer Brian Cunningham (and local musician Sean Earnest on guitar!) will be at Penn on Friday night. We hear through the grapevine that they might be on the prowl for a session afterwards so if someone wants to direct them to the appropriate pub. . . .

Two wonderful singer-musicians from the Boston area, Shannon and Matt Heaton, will perform at Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem on Friday night and at Trinity Church in Swarthmore on Saturday.

Michael Londra, who makes the angels sound like a neighborhood choir, will be at Sellersville Theatre on Tuesday, surrounded by Irish musicians and dancers.

On Sunday evening, St. Thomas Church in Whitemarsh will hold a Celtic worship service.

On Sunday afternoon, the Mayo and Donegal Associations are holding their Christmas parties at the Irish Center with arts and crafts and face painting and a visit from Santa for the kids and some vendors for the grownups. A special holiday mass will be said at 4 PM, prepared by Sister James Ann and celebrated by Father Ed Brady of Quakertown. Dinner will be available for purchase. The Mayo Association is collecting donations for Project Rainbow, for homeless and abused women and their families.

Also on Sunday, The Irish Club of Delaware County has its monthly meeting scheduled. Good Deed Doer alert: This club is conducting a gift drive this holiday season to benefit an Irish family in need. They’re accepting any unwrapped gifts, gift cards, toys, or clothing gift cards. They’ve roped Santa into helping them deliver the gifts—after all, he has the experience.

You can drop off your donations at two places:

The Irish Immigration Center
7 South Cedar Lane
Upper Darby, Pa

Knights of Columbus
18 Baltimore Pike
Springfield, PA

Looking for a good Christmas gift for a first-year Irish language student? On Sunday, Penn Professor Rosalyn Blyn-LaDrew will be autographing her new text, “Colloquial Irish,” at Catherine Rooney’s in Wilmington, DE.

Don’t forget to patronize your local Irish gift shop, pub, restaurant, and event. Shop Irish!

I’m about to get all Scrooge on you. This is the kind of week I hate. There are so many fabulous events and many of them are scheduled at the same time so you’re going to have to make some tough choices. Let’s coordinate, people!

Not a tough choice: Saturday, the third annual Peter J. Hanlon Memorial Jingle Bell Run in Philadelphia—it’s an Ancient Order of Hibernians fundraiser. As a rule, I don’t find road races all that exciting. And if you stand too close as the runners pass, you can sometimes get drenched in sweat yourself—and it’s not your own. But in this race, many of the competitors dress up as their favorite Christmas character, which means that occasionally someone dressed like Rudolph really wins by a nose.

But Sunday is a different story. Here’s what’s up:

Noon to 8 PM: The Mid-Winter Irish Festival thrown annually by Finnigan’s Wake in Philly, featuring Paddy’s Well, the Broken Shillelaghs (they’re getting so much work, you’d think they’d have themselves fixed) the Bare Knuckle Boxers (they play rather than fight), Irish dancers, food, and vendors, all for only $10 admission. Though technically this is the Late Autumn Irish Festival (winter doesn’t even start for a couple of weeks), we quibble. It’s important to remember that your attendance will indirectly support the Philly St. Patrick’s Day Parade, for which Finnigans and owner Mike Driscoll are major sponsors.

2 PM. The Philadelphia Rose of Tralee Santa’s Workshop and Christmas Celebration takes place at the lovely Willows Mansion in Villanova. This kid-centric event features music, refreshments, arts and crafts, face painting and a visit from the bearded guy himself (no, not ZZ Top, you fool!). Bring nonperishable food items to share with the needy. And, like Finnigan’s Wake, the organizers of the Philadelphia Rose of Tralee Pageant (Sarah Conaghan and Karen Conaghan Race) are tireless supporters of various causes in the Irish community, so while this event is fun, it’s a fundraiser too and counts as a good deed for those of you counting.

2 PM. See? Over in Cherry Hill, the wonderful and melodious Andy Cooney will be bringing his “Classic Irish Christmas” to the stage at St. Mary’s Parish Hall. Fundraiser? You bet. And Cooney is a treat.

4 PM. “Once Upon a Winter’s Night,” will usher the Celtic Christmas season in with traditional Irish and American Christmas songs and a session at the Irish Center.

Okay now, days pass, you do some Christmas shopping, trim the tree, start baking cookies, fill out the Irish Community Survey, and suddenly it’s Friday and you have some choosin’ to do.

If you’re heading north to Bethlehem (which would be appropriate, as it is the Christmas City and no one does it better), you can enjoy a “Fine Winter’s Night” at the Godfrey Daniels Coffee Shop with husband-and-wife duo Matt and Shannon Heaton. They’re wonderful. If you have to miss them, though, they’re playing in Swarthmore the next night.

If you’re staying closer to home, Teada along with Seamus Begley and the amazing sean nos dancer Brian Cunningham are returning with their “Irish Christmas in America” show which will play for one night (Friday) at The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. They brought the show to the Irish Center last year and it still makes me smile.

Remember to shop Irish this year and don’t forget those in need. Share with your favorite charity, or just toss a buck into the Salvation Army bucket. This year, it’s the rare person who doesn’t know someone who is struggling.