How to Be Irish in Philly

On Friday, February 26, Irish Consul General Barbara Jones will present three awards to some of the leading lights in the Irish community at the annual Ambassador’s Awards Luncheon sponsored by the Irish American Business Chamber and Network.

The Taoiseach Award for business leadership finally goes to William McLaughlin and his wife and partner, Natalie, of McLaughlin & Morgan, a Philadelphia based business development company with a particular interest in helping American companies do business in Ireland and Irish companies enter the US market. McLaughlin is also the founder of the IABCN. Read our profile of him here.

The Uachtaran Award will be given to Msgr. Michael Doyle, pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Camden who, among other things, established a nonprofit community development organization that has renovated homes in the waterfront area and transformed an abandoned movie theater into a gym and community center.

Continue Reading

It’s shaping up to be bitterly cold this weekend. Wouldn’t you rather be inside? Well, you’re in luck! The 24th Annual Greater Philadelphia Mid-Winter Scottish and Irish Music Festival and Fair is this weekend, launching Friday night with a concert featuring the wild Scottish percussion band Albannach as well as our own homegrown wild men, The Hooligans. And it’s all happening inside at the Valley Forge Events Center in King of Prussia.

Check the event’s website for a complete lineup with times so you can make your plans.

You’ll see Gerry Timlin with partner Tom Kane at the festival, and Timlin will be going solo Saturday night at what’s shaping up to be THE place to hear Irish music in the region, the Dubliner on the Delaware in New Hope. Timlin will be going on at 8 PM. And, frankly, all night, because that’s the way he is. (He knows we love him.)

Continue Reading

If you’re colorblind, Old City this weekend might look like a giant “Where’s Waldo” game as Celtic supporters—that is, superfans of the Celtic Gaelic Football Club in Glasgow—descend on the city for their annual Celtic fest. You’ll know them—they’ll be the ones in the green and white jerseys with great big smiles on their faces.

You’ll run into them mainly at The Plough and the Stars, home of the Second Street PloughBhoys (the local branch), where they’ll be having lots of good food and listening to great live music (including Irish transplants Derm Farrell and Raymond Coleman) in between watching games and talking about games. It’s all great craic, even if you don’t care much about football.

Continue Reading

If the “blizzard conditions” prediction comes true, chances are you’ll be spending a good part of your weekend sitting at home, eating French toast and drinking wine, when you’re not digging out.

That means that even though there are a few things on the “How to Be Irish” calendar, call first before you head out to an event. The Jamison show at Brittingham’s has already been canceled for Saturday night, as has Saturday’s indoor Delco Gaels’ session at Maple Zone in Garnet Valley. You can catch at least some of Jamison next Thursday at Kildare’s West Chester. That would be Slainte, featuring Jamison’s Frank Daly and CJ Mills, the amazing flying fiddler. And there’s another indoor session for the Gaels on February 6.

Continue Reading

Proof that Irish traditional music is alive, well, and thriving? The next generation, like fiddler Dylan Foley and accordion player Dan Gurney. The two young Irish-Americans met and honed their skills at the Catskills Irish Weekend in East Durham, NY. It was there and in the Sunday afternoon concert series in the Rhinecliff Hotel where they met their two musical influences, legendary concertina and flute player Father Charlie Coen and flute and whistle player Mike McHale, and where they played in McHale’s Catskills Ceili Band.

Gurney moved to Galway for a year after graduating from Harvard; Foley, who is five years younger, won the All Ireland Senior Fiddle competition in 2014. The two made a CD together—appropriately called “Irish Music from the Hudson Valley”—which came out last year.

They’ll be bringing their talent to the stage on Sunday, January 17, at the Coatesville Cultural Society in Coatesville. Take a listen to what these two can do.

Continue Reading

Looking for a place to do a little dancing? The AOH Notre Dame Division one is having an Irish session for your listening and dancing pleasure on Saturday starting at 7 PM at their club at 342 Jefferson Street, Swedesburg.

Jamison Celtic Rock is performing at The Red Rooster Inn at 7960 Dungan Street in Philadelphia on Saturday night. One of our Facebook group members just suggested the Irish breakfast at The Red Rooster so you may want to go back on Sunday morning to try it out (they won’t let you sleep there).

On Monday, the Dubliner on the Delaware—a new pub-restaurant in New Hope—launches its every-Monday Irish music session.

Continue Reading

It’s the final countdown to Christmas and there are a few things you may want to do instead of shopping and wrapping.

For one thing, the Notre Dame Ladies Gaelic Football Club is having an Ugly Sweater Party at Paddy Rooney’s pub in Havertown on Saturday night. There will be prizes for the best. . .er, ugliest sweater. The event raises money for the footballers.

Also on Saturday, catch Bob Hurst of the Bogside Rogues at Reedy’s Irish Pub Christmas party, 9245 Frankford Avenue in Philadelphia.

Continue Reading