How to Be Irish in Philly

Learn about the Irish in Philadelphia on a walking tour this Saturday.

Find the real Irish Philadelphia this Saturday with Philadelphia Hospitality’s “Irish Heritage and Walking Tour” of sites involving Irish heritage and influence in Philadelphia. The tour includes a visit to the Irish Memorial at Penn’s Landing where Irish Memorial President Kathy McGee Burns will give a talk. It ends with brunch at the Plough and the Stars on Second Street.

The Rosenbach Museum’s Bloomsday celebration—which marks the stroll by character Leopold Bloom around Dublin in James Joyce’s Ulysses—revs into high gear, with a special exhibit about the novel that continues for several months and a concert of songs from Joyce’s books by classical guitarist John Feeley and singer Fran O’Rourke on Saturday at the museum on Delancey Street. Feeley will be giving a concert at 2 PM on Sunday at the Settlement Music School, sponsored by the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society.

Catch guitarist/singer-songwriter Seamus Kelleher at Puck in Doylestown on Saturday, starting at 9 PM. He’s also a great storyteller. You’ll be laughing.

This Saturday, you can watch the big football game – that’s Republic of Ireland Vs. Scotland-at The Plough and the Stars on Second Street in Philly starting at noon.

On Sunday, watch Ulster GAA’s football championship (Armagh Vs. Donegal) at 9 AM and Connacht GAA Football Senior Championship semi-final (Galway Vs. Mayo) at 11 AM at The Irish Center, 6815 Emlen Street, Philadelphia. Breakfast is available for $5; cost of watching the games is $20, which is the charge agreed upon between GAA and Premium Sports—none of that money goes to the Irish Center.

As it is all around the world, Tuesday is Bloomsday in Philadelphia, with readings all around the city, from the Free Library to Rittenhouse Square to the Rosebach.

Celtic group The Real McKenzies will be at the Sellersville Theatre with their kilts, bagpipes and Celtic punk gestalt.

Next Saturday, the annual Penn-Mar Irish Festival takes place at The Markets at Shrewsbury in Glen Rock, PA, and features top-notch Irish acts such as Mairtin de Cogain, the Kilmaine States, the Screaming Orphans and John Whelan, as well as local talents Haley and Dylan Richardson.

Blackthorn on stage at Penns Landing.

If you don’t know how to get your Irish on this week, then you’re just not trying.

First off, and we mentioned this last week, but the Ancient Order of Hibernians Montgomery County Irish Festival, which started Friday night, continues through the weekend at Saint Michael’s Picnic Grove, 203 Jacob Street, in Mont Clare. It’s on the other side of the Schuylkill across from Phoenixville. $10 admission; kids under 12, free.

It’s a very family-friendly event, with music from Celtic Spirit and the Belfast Connection. Lots of food and fun. The festival runs from 10 a.m. till the cows come home on Saturday and Sunday.
Details.

Also on Saturday, the Philadelphia Irish Center plays host to Satharn Na Gael , an immersion course in the Irish language. If nothing else, you’ll learn how to pronounce “Satharn Na Gael”—and what it means. (We’re not saying.)

Seriously, we’ve attended this event , and it’s a great way to delve into your heritage. You’ll learn some useful words and phrases in the Irish language. (We remember one useful phrase in particular: “Bí ciúin!” Pretty sure it means, “shut up!” Which just goes to prove we can be rude in two languages, at least.) There are also workshops in music and dance, and a big party at the end of the day. Details here.

But wait! We’re not done yet. (Not even close.)

One of the highlights of Philly’s Irish year is the Philadelphia Irish Festival Sunday down on the Great Plaza at Penns Landing. It’s an all-day fest, from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., with more dance schools and Irish bands than you can shake a shillelagh at. If you love the Bogside Rogues, Blackthorn and Jamison, you’d better be there, because they will be. There’s food, drink and vendors all over the place. Sunday is supposed to be sunny, with a high of 79, so it might be the nicest day in a while. It’s also usually about 110 degrees in the shade for this event, so we got lucky. Pasty-faced Irish people have been known to jig in front of the festival stage, and then spontaneously combust.

Follow details on their Facebook page.

Also, keep your eyes out for the folks from Einstein’s Irish Tay-Sachs Screening project. Tay-Sachs is an inherited disorder—rare, thank God—and over time it destroys nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It most commonly occurs in infancy. If you are of Irish heritage, please find out if you’re a carrier. We’ve done it, and it’s painless. And free.

OK, take a deep breath, because most of the rest of the week is given over to a celebration of Joyce’s “Ulysses.” Here’s what’s on:

• Deciphering Ulysses: A Playful Introduction to Joyce’s Novel Exhibit, an exhibit at the Rosenbach Museum, starts Tuesday. It runs though September September 6.

• Take a Ulysses Virtual Twitter Tour on Wednesday. Follow #UlyssesinPhilly throughout the day on Twitter @RosenbachMuseum . Ulysses will be making cameo appearances throughout Philly. Wednesday from 9 to 5.

• One of our favorite pubs, Fergie’s on Sansom Street, hosts “Ulysses” Quizzo Thursday from 6 to 7 p.m. Bring your thirst for knowledge and, well, your thirst.

• On Friday from 3 to 4, get a really good look at the Rosenbach’s famous James Joyce and Irish Authors collection. These items usually are not on public display, and you’ll have an opportunity to check them out, up close and personal. Advance registration is strongly recommended. Registration is limited. Register here.

• Also Friday, from 6 to 9 p.m., local Ulysses experts will lead you through a crash course on the novel. They promise fun facts and study snacks. It’s called the “Ulysses Crash Course Bash.”

All of the Rosenbach’s Ulysses events are here.

That’s all, folks!

(P.S.: Parts of our website are still on the disabled list. We’ve been working on it this week. Amazingly, 3-in-1 Oil didn’t help much. We’re pretty sure the injured parts will be back in the lineup early next week, possibly over this weekend. In the meantime, if you want to check out the calendar, there’s a nicely readable version of it here.

This is rugby.

Rugby and music—perfect together! Let’s hope so. When college teams are on PPL field in Chester, likely drawing blood, the John Byrne Band and Jamison Celtic Rock will be playing on the sidelines for what looks to be a rugby festival on Saturday.

On Sunday, there will be a beef-and-beer fundraiser at Maggie O’Neill’s in Drexel Hill between 4 and 7 PM to raise money for sending our Mary from Dungloe, Shannon Alexander, to Ireland to compete for the international crown. There will be entertainment, food, drink, raffle baskets and more.

On Thursday, it’s Irish heritage night at the Camden Riversharks, Campbell’s Field, 401 N. Delaware Avenue in Camden. The Sharks will be playing the Long Island Ducks—Sharks Vs. Ducks, doesn’t sound quite fair—and there will Irish food, beer, and dancing, including the wonderful Divine Providence Village Rainbow Irish Dancers, a group of developmentally disabled women who delight audiences everywhere. Use the code Irish when ordering tickets here.

Friday is the kickoff for the annual Montgomery county AOH Irish Festival at St. Michaels Picnic Grove in Mont Clare. It’s three days of music, great food, and fun. Proceeds go to AOH charities.

Paul Moore Band will be playing at Brittinghams, 640 Germantown Pike in Lfayette Hill, on Friday.

Next Saturday, June 6, learn to speak Irish at an immersion day at the Irish Center, 6815 Emlen Street, Philadelphia. There’s also singing, dancing, and general merrymaking, all in Irish. It only costs $50 for the day for everything. For more information, call 610-734-1450. You must register by May 30 (that’s Saturday).

On Sunday, June 7, there’s the always fun Irish Festival at Penn’s Landing, a free event that opens at 1 PM (after an 11:45 AM Mass at the Irish Memorial) and features food, drink, vendors and music provided by Blackthorn, Jamison Celtic Rock, and the Bogside Rogues. The Albert Einstein Medical Center folks will be there to do Tay-Sachs screenings for people of Irish descent. They’re doing a study to determine the incidence of Tay-Sachs, an incurable disease that affects mainly babies, in the Irish community.

Singer Emmet Cahill will be at the Irish Center this week.

The big event of the week is the appearance of singer Emmet Cahill who, at 24, is a three-year veteran of the Irish supergroup Celtic Thunder, at Philadelphia’s Irish Center on Wednesday, one stop on his first solo tour of the US. He promises this will be a concert for all ages—with a little comedy thrown in. He’s actually very funny. We know. We talked to him. Read our interview.

But there’s another big story—the annual Memorial Day Irish Festival on Moday at Canstatter’s Club in the Northeast, featuring Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfetones, the Sean Fleming Band, the Bogside Rogues, and the Fitzpatrick Irish dancers. Expect dance and rebel music, kids activities, great food and drink.

Also on Wednesday, The Script, a band from Dublin, will be playing The Electric Factory in Philadelphia. Frontman Danny O’Donoghue was a coach on The Voice UK Seasons 1 and 2 before leaving the show in order to focus more on the band and their 2014 tour.

On Friday, Irish country singer T.R. Dallas will appear at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Newtown Square. Wear your dancing shoes.

Looking ahead, the annual AOH Notre Dame Div.1 Irish Festival starts on June 5 and runs for three days. On June 6, there’s a full immersion course in Irish language at the Irish Center. You can learn to say more than “erin go bragh” and “slainte.” Then on June 7, it’s the free Irish Festival on Penn’s Landing, with headliners Blackthorn, Jamison, and the Bogside Rogues, plenty of vendors and food. Consider getting tested for Tay-Sachs while you’re there. Albert Einstein Medical Center is running a study to determine the prevalence of the Tay-Sachs gene among the Irish population. There have been three cases of the inherited disease, which kills babies, in the Philadelphia area, all in Irish-American families.

On May 30 and 31, the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championships take place at PPL Park in Chester. They’re going the festival route–there will be food trucks, a beer garden, and music, including Jamison Celtic Rock and The John Byrne Band.

Also, look for “Fergie’s Beach,” the pop-up beer garden next to Fergie’s Pub on Sansom Street this summer. Word is there are plans to do away with the parking lot next to the popular watering hole on Sansom Street in Philly and put up a tower (of the apartment not the castle variety). In the summer, Fergie’s owner Fergus Carey turns the lot into an outdoor eating area. We don’t know what the developers are going to call their apartment project. For now, everyone is calling it Fergie’s Tower. Might we also suggest Fawlty Towers?

Check our calendar for details on these events and more.

John Byrne

Get a preview of the John Byrne Band’s new CD, due out in September, at the Tin Angel in Philadelphia on Saturday night. There are still a few tickets available but it’s close to a sellout.

On Sunday, the Delco Gaels youth Gaelic sports league is holding a series of mini games at Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield starting at 10 AM. The Irish Immigration Center is having a picnic starting at 2 PM at the Bon Air Fire Company in Havertown. Bring the kids—lots to do, and since it’s a picnic, lots of great food and drink.

At 5 PM on Sunday, the Donegal Association of Philadelphia is sponsoring a fundraiser to help restore St. Columba’s Church in Glenswilly, County Donegal, near Letterkenny. Former association president Mary Crossan, whose parish church it was, told us that the 1841 building is on the National Heritage list but needs thousands of dollars worth of repairs. Singer Charlie Zahm and musician Vince Gallagher will be among the performers; food is being provided by Paddy Rooney’s in Upper Darby, and there will be a Chinese auction. Cost is $20; children are free.

On Monday, RUNA is appearing at Hockessin Memorial Hall in Hockessin, Delaware.

Also on Monday, AOH Div. 39 is sponsoring a free lecture on the 1916 Easter Rising, one of the events leading up to the eventual independence of Ireland from British rule, by Dr. Ruan O’Donnell, senior lecturer in history at the University of Limerick.

On Tuesday through Thursday, the Inis Nua Theatre Company is presenting David Grieg’s two-person play, The Letter of Last Resort, at Fergie’s Pub on Sansom Street in Philadelphia. Tickets cost $15 and includes a beer, soft drink, and a choice of meat or veggie pie. The theater company, which presents contemporary plays from Ireland and the UK, recently lost its lease at the Off Broad Street Theater and will be re-homed The Drake Theater, 1512 Spruce Street, along with several other theater companies in the Philadelphia area.

On Wednesday, the Claddagh Fund, founded by Dropkick Murphy’s front man Ken Casey, is holding its second Celebrity Rock N Bowl at 30 Strikes in Stratford, NJ. The organization raises money for underfunded nonprofits serving children, veterans, and recovering substance abusers. Among the celebs you can share a lane with: Ian Laperrier and RJ Umberger of the Philadelphia Flyers; Hollis Thomas and Sean Landeta, both Eagles’ alumni; Connor Barwin of the Eagles, and Conor Casey of the Philadelphia Union, plus a host of sports broadcasters. There are still some team spots available. A group of four costs $500.

Coming up: Celtic Thunder’s Emmet Cahill will be performing at the Irish Center on May 27. This is the 24-year-old’s first solo tour after leaving the super group after three years. Buy tickets at Cahill’s Ticketleap site.

Details of these and other Irish events are on our calendar.

Wearing her team on her cheek.

Irish music and real estate dominate this week’s events in Irish Philadelphia.

Dine and dance on Saturday night at the Irish Center with the Galway Society, holding it’s annual dinner dance featuring the music of the Vince Gallagher Band.

Also on Saturday, Timlin and Kane are performing at Catherine Rooney’s in Wilmington.

On Monday, learn why investing in Irish property is a good business move at a special workshop at The Union League in Philadelphia, sponsored by the Irish American Business Chamber and Network. Pretty sure they’re not going to be talking about thatched cottages, but you never know.

Get your reserves in asap for Irish harper Maire Ni Chathasaigh and English acoustic guitarist Chris Newman who will be doing a house concert on Wednesady in Center City at the home of musicians Gabriel Donohue and Marian Makins. It’s their livingroom, so seats are limited.

The Celtic Tenors will be in nearby Millville, NJ on Thursday at the Levoy Theater.

On Friday, take yourself out to the ballgame. It’s Irish Heritage Night at the Phillies, with lots of Irish musicians and dancers to enliven the evening.

Two local groups are debuting some new material from upcoming albums this week. On Friday, Burning Bridget Cleary will be performing at Steel City Coffee House, a cozy venue in Phoenixville. Then on Saturday, The John Byrne Band will be at another cozy venue, the Tin Angel on Second Street in Philadelphia, playing songs and tunes fresh from the recording studio. Expect a new CD from them come September.

On Sunday, May 18, join the Donegal Association at a fundraiser at the Irish Center to help St. Columba’s Church in Glenswilly, County Donegal, make some much needed repairs. It’s not seen quite as much these days, but it’s been traditional for Irish immigrants to maintain ties with their home parish and to help in fundraising efforts. This is your chance to experience that.

And to all you Irish mammies out there, Happy Mother’s Day!