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How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philly

How To Be Irish in Philly This Week

That's camogie.

That’s camogie.

It’s a sporting weekend in Irish Philadelphia. On Saturday, there’s a beef-and-beer fundraiser at Daly’s Pub in Philadelphia for the Shamrocks Youth Camogie Team. Camogie is the feminine side of the Irish sport of hurling and there hasn’t been a camogie team in Philly in recent memory. You can see some of our photos from the camogie finals at the National GAA Championship games in Philadelphia a few years ago at the bottom of this page.

On Sunday, the Glenside Gaelic Club is opening its 2015 season at the Bishop McDevitt High School grounds.

For you music lovers in Jersey, the John Byrne Band is giving a free concert at the Burlington County Library Ampitheater in Westhampton Township on Sunday afternoon, starting at 2.

This coming Thursday, the Irish and the British make up. Well, sort of. The Irish American Business Chamber and Network is holding a networking event with the British American Business Council at the Trestle Inn in Philadelphia. There will be a panel discussion about corporate social responsibility.

Also on Thursday, the group Carbon Leaf, a fusion of Americana, bluegrass and Celtic flavors, is performing at the Sellersville Theatre.

On Friday—the first Friday of May—join the Paul Moore Band at their usual spot, Brittingham’s in Lafayette Hill.

And mark your calendars: Saturday, May 2, is the Philadelphia Fleadh, a day of music, ceili dancing, kids’ events, a dance feis, vendors, this year in a new location, the Cherokee Festival Grounds, 1 Declaration Drive, in Bensalem. You’ll hear music from the Mahones, The John Byrne Band, Jamison, the Birmingham Six, the Broken Shillelaghs, Galway Guild, Seamus Kennedy and more. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy the day.

On Sunday, May 3, join another group of local trad and Celtic rock musicians, including John Byrne, the Derry Brigade, Galway Guild, Paraic Keane and more, at Marty Magee’s Pub in Prospect Park to help raise money for the Sunday Irish radio shows: Vincent Gallagher’s Irish Hour and Come West Along the Road hosted by Marianne MacDonald. This is your chance to enjoy another day of Irish music and see the magnificent Irish mural painted on the side of Marty Magee’s.

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How to Be Irish in Philly

How To Be Irish in Philly This Week

Leo and Anto will be at the Tin Angel with the John Byrne Band this weekend.

Leo and Anto will be at the Tin Angel with the John Byrne Band this weekend.

Saw Doctors fans, you probably already know that Leo and Anto (Leo Moran of the Saw Doctors and Anthony Thistlethwaite from the Waterboys) will be at the Tin Angel in Philadelphia all weekend, with the John Byrne Band opening for them. I say that because Saw Doctors fans always know when their boys are in town. Now the rest of you do too.

Also on Saturday, the Monaghan brothers, Bill and Jim, of Celtic Pride, will be remembering their late brother, Michael, who died in 1998 while serving in the US Navy, at a fundraiser to raise money for the Michael S. Monaghan Memorial Scholarship. The event will be held at Archbishop Wood High School Sophia A. Friedman Auditorium, starting at 7 PM. The scholarship is given to an incoming ninth grader at Wood from Nativity of Our Lord or St. Vincent de Paul parishes.

On Sunday, there’s a ceili at the Irish Center in Wilmington, and you can get your dancing fix at J.D. McGillcuddy’s in Upper Darby where the Theresa Flanagan Band is playing.

Also on Sunday, musicians from Cape Breton and Newfoundland will be showing off the Canadian side of Celtic music at Calvary Center in Philadelphia, another Crossroads concert bringing the best of international music to Philadelphia.

On Wednesday, relive the best moments of the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade at the Second Street Irish Society Hall on Third Street in Philadelphia. The Bogside Rogues and the Second Street Irish Society Step Dancers will perform as winners of the various prizes awarded to groups in the parade get their just due.

The play, Penelope, by Enda Walsh, and produced by the Inis Nua Theatre Company, continues this week at the Prince Theater in Philadelphia. Also on stage this coming Friday, The Muse and Mr. Yeats, a “play for voices,” which introduces each of the women with whom the famed Irish poet William Butler Yeats was involved. You can see the play by Eamon Grennon at the Vasey Black Box Theater at Villanova University.

On Saturday, the new Shamrocks Youth Camogie Team – camogie is the female version of hurling—will hold a beef-and-beer fundraiser at Daly’s Pub on Comly Street in Philadelphia.

As always, check the calendar for more information.

How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish In Philly This Week

Ceremonies remembering the 1916 Easter Rising are this weekend in Yeadon.

Ceremonies remembering the 1916 Easter Rising are this weekend in Yeadon.

It’s definitely a crazy busy week if you’re trying to set a record for being Irish. Here’s what’s going on:

On Sunday, the annual Easter Rising Ceremony, takes place at Holy Cross Cemetery in Yeadon, commemorating the war for Irish independence that started with the proclamation of 1916—the equivalent of the US Declaration of Independence some 140 years before. There will be ceremonies at the graves of Clan na Gael heroes “Dynamite” Luke Dillon and Joseph McGarrity, the latter of which was one of the financiers of the rebellion. See photos below of last year’s ceremony.

On Saturday, get in touch with your Irish ancestors with a little help from genealogists at the Irish Genealogy Seminar at the Irish Immigration Center in Upper Darby. It starts at 10 AM.

At 6 PM on Saturday evening, Scythian will be performing at a fundraiser for the Little Sisters of the Poor at Villanova University.

At 8 PM, Blackthorn will be doing the same for the charities of the Black Jack Kehoe Division of the AOH at the Regal Banquet Hall in Prospect Park.

The AOH Dennis Kelly Division of Havertown is hosting a Back to the 80s Dance Party on Saturday night with live music from the tribute band, Weird Science, at the St Denis (Cardinal Foley) Gym on Eagle Road in Havertown. Proceeds from the event, which costs $40 and includes gourmet food from McShea’s of Narberth, beer and wine, goes to the AOH Charity Fund which supports programs such as Wounded Warriors, Make-a-Wish, and the home heating oil program. To get tickets or for more information, go to www.aohdenniskelly.com or email division president Tim Kelly at tim_kelly17@comcast.net.

If you’re in Wilmington, catch Burning Bridget Cleary at the World Café Live at the Queen.

Lafferty’s Wake, the interactive play set in a pub, continues its run at Soceity Hilly Playhouse.

This week also marked the opening of “Penelope,” a play by contemporary Irish playwright Enda Walsh, produced by the Inis Nua Theatre Company on stage at the Prince Theater.

On Sunday, the Sunday Irish Radio Shows on WTMR 800 AM are holding their Spring fundraiser and taking pledges on-air starting at 11 AM. You can call in at 856-962-8000 and listen in on the web at www.wtmrradio.com.

There’s a painting fundraiser for the Divine Providence Village Rainbow Irish Dancers on Sunday at Dish and Dabble in Havertown. I hear through the grapevine that this almost sold-out event has had a few more spots open up. Give a call and reserve a space.

On Sunday evening, two great Irish singers, Len Graham and Brian O’ hAirt, will be performing together in concert at the Irish Center in Philadelphia. This is a Philadelphia Ceili Group event.

On Tuesday, folks up north can pick up a few Irish phrases at the Irish Gaelic for Beginners class at Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The Irish conversation group—not for beginners—continues at Villanova University this Thursday.

Also on Thursday, feel like a little Irish bingo? I do. I’m going to try to make the Irish Network-Philly’s Irish bingo night at Maggie O’Neill’s in Drexel Hill. I don’t know what makes it Irish—perhaps the folks playing—but IN-Philly is also a great way to mix and mingle with a lot of class people. The bingo is just the icing on that cake.

We’ve been hearing great things about the two new sessions at the Sligo Pubs—Monday night in Media and Thursday night in Glen Mills. We’re going to be checking them out.

Let us know if we forgot anything. All the details for these events and more are on our calendar. If your event isn’t on our calendar. . .well, what are you waiting for? Put it there! Just click on “events calendar” at the top of the home page, click on “submit your event,” and just do what we tell you to do. It won’t appear right away. The calendar sends us an email letting us know you submitted your event and we have to give it the okay to tell everyone else. It’s always been that way.

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How to Be Irish in Philly

How To Be Irish In Philly This Week (And Beyond)

Spend an evening with Gerry Timlin.

Spend an evening with Gerry Timlin.

I’ve spent an evening or two with Gerry Timlin, and let me tell you, he’s a hoot. A great singer, wonderful musician, but it’s the hoot part that’s going to win you over if you’ve never heard him before. The former Shanachie Pub owner is appearing at Act II Playhouse in Ambler on Saturday night in a show billed as “An Evening with Gerry Timlin.” I highly recommend this evening of music and comedy from the Coalisland, Tyrone-born Timlin who, with his musical partner of 40 years, Tom Kane, performed at the White House last year.

Lafferty’s Wake, the interactive play set in a pub, continues its run at Society Hill Playhouse due to popular demand.

If you’re planning on buying Easter plants this weekend, consider a trip to Terrain in Glen Mills. The new perennial Irish primroses, all the way from Fitzgerald Nursery in County Kilkenny, have arrived there, according to our friend, nursery owner Pat Fitzgerald. Read about these completely Irish plants.

If you’re in the Bronx, catch Philly fave Raymond Coleman (also from Tyrone) at Behan’s Pub on Sunday.

Seamus Heaney is the feature poet on the live Comcast 66/966 and Verizon 29/30 poetry talk show hosted by poet Warren Longmire on Tuesday night from 6:30 to 7:30 PM.

On Wednesday, two remarkable talents, Grainne Hambly and William Jackson, two of the foremost harpers in the Celtic world, will be at the Markeim Arts Center in Haddonfield, NJ. They’ll be doing a house concert in West Chester near the university on Friday—seating is limited so call the number on our calendar to reserve your spot.

Also on Wednesday, uilleann piper David Power will be performing at the Coatesville Cultural Society. I’m a uilleann pipe fan and have heard Power play live. He’s amazing.

On Thursday, you can still talk Irish at Villanova—the conversation group continues.

On Friday, there’s a special evening Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Havertown to celebrate Irish heritage and remember the deceased. There will be refreshments served after the service.

We’re going to give you a peek at what’s coming up beyond this week since it’s never too early to plan ahead.

On Saturday, April 11, the Irish American Genealogical Society of Delaware Countywill be holding a special Irish genealogy seminar at the Irish Immigration Center in Upper Darby. It runs from 10 AM to 2 PM. Now’s the time to learn how to find Great-Uncle Fergus.

There are also a couple of fundraisers on April 11 you should know about:

Blackthorn will perform at the Black Jack Kehoe AOH Div. 4 fundraiser for AOH charities at the Regal Banquet Hall in Prospect Park.

Scythian, the DC-based Celtic-Balkan group, are reprising their annual fundraiser for the Little Sisters of the Poor at Villanova.

Burning Bridget Cleary will be playing at the World Café Live’s venue at the Queen in Wilmington.

On Sunday, the annual Easter Rising Ceremony takes place at the graves of Clan na Gael heroes Joseph McGarrity and Luke Dillon at Holy Cross Cemetery. It’s a very moving event, particularly poignant during this 99th anniversary year of the 1916 uprising for Irish freedom, that features guest speakers, pipers, and the 69th Irish Brigade re-enactors.

Also on Sunday, two fabulous singers, Len Graham and Brian O’ hairt combine their prodigious talents and blend their voices on stage at the Irish Center.

Sunday is also the date of a painting fundraiser for the Divine Providence Village dancers at Dish & Dabble in Havertown and the annual Joseph E. Montgomery AOH Div. 65 Fleadh an Erraigh, honoring AOH members and others. The group Fair Trade will perform at Di Fabio’s Spring Valley Banquet Facility in Springfield.

Check our calendar for all the details and come back during the week to see who posted their events on Irish time.

How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philly This Week

Dr. Maureen Murphy's book, Compassionate Stranger: at Villanova on Monday

Dr. Maureen Murphy’s book, Compassionate Stranger: at Villanova on Monday

Thanks to March’s terrible weather, the month is not only going out like a lamb, it’s going out with a parade. Two of them, in fact. The Mount Holly, NJ, St. Patrick’s Day Parade, usually the first of the season, will be the last, on Sunday, starting at noon. The Conshohocken parade will precede it on Saturday, starting at 2 PM.

Also on Saturday afternoon, the Theresa Flanagan Band will be playing a fundraiser for St. Lucy School, which is for children with visual impairments, at the gym of Holy Innocents Parish in Philadelphia.

The Plough and the Stars in Philadelphia is holding an organic vegan workshop at 6 PM. Restaurant professionals get a discount.

Lafferty’s Wake, an interactive comedy, continues its run at Society Hill Playhouse all weekend.

If you happen to be in Yonkers on Saturday night, catch local favorite Raymond Coleman at Moriarity’s. He’ll be at Behan’s Pub in the Bronx on Monday night.

On Monday afternoon, Dr. Maureen O’Rourke Murphy, author of Compassionate Stranger, will talk about Quaker Asenath Nicholson, the subject of her book, and his involvement in An Gorta Mor, the years of the Irish starvation, at Villanova University.

On Thursday, the Elders come to the Sellersville Theater with their mad combo of Irish jigs and American roots and rock.

Then on Friday, catch the local Paul Moore Band at First Friday at Brittingham’s in Lafayette Hill.

How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philly This Week

Tony Kenny brings his show from Dublin to Upper Darby this weekend.

Tony Kenny brings his show from Dublin to Upper Darby this weekend.

The craic never stops in Irish Philadelphia. Sometimes it slows down, but not this week.

Popular Irish singer (and veteran of Jury’s Cabaret in Dublin for more than 20 years) Tony Kenny brings his “Irish Celebration” to the Upper Darby Performing Arts Center on Saturday. With Kenny are Richie Hayes, a singer and comedian who was runner up on Ireland’s The Voice; singer Bernadette Ruddy; the Dublin City Dancers, and the Trinity Dublin Band. Doesn’t get much more authentic than that.

Also on Saturday, Linda Harris Sittig will appear at the Doylestown Bookshop in Doylestown where she’ll speak about and sign her book, “Cut from Strong Cloth,” about one of the Irish mills in Philadelphia’s Kensington section and the woman who brought it fame.

Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfetones, fresh from their White House appearance on St. Patrick’s Day, will be on stage at The Plough and the Stars on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia.

The interactive play, Lafferty’s Wake, continues at Society Hill Playhouse this week.

Ladies, if you play or would like to learn to play Gaelic football, there are Ladies Gaelic Football open play days on two Sundays, March 22 and March 29, at Edgely Field in Fairmount Park (off Belmont Avenue) sponsored by the Notre Dame Ladies Gaelic Football Club, currently the only ladies team in Philadelphia. They run from noon to 2 PM.

Also on Sunday, the Passion for Peace Award will be given to Irish mental health nurse Patricia Campbell at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Chestnut Hill. Tyrone native Campbell has worked as a community psychiatric nurse in Belfast. She has seen firsthand the trauma of war, first in her own country, then in Palestine. She is president of the Independent Workers Union. Dublin-born and now Philadelphia-based fiddler Paraic Keane will perform at the event, which starts at 2 PM.

Keane also anchors the sessions at Sligo Pub in Media, where, he reports, his uncle, famed button box player James Keane, will make an appearance on Monday night.

If you’re anywhere near Sewell, NJ, Tuesday, they’re having an Irish-themed “tea at 10” at the McGuinness Funeral Home (don’t let the location scare you) with a guest speaker who will talk about Irish lore.

This week you have two opportunities to hear a remarkable trad duo, Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, in the area. The duo, who with Iarla O’ Lionaired, Caoimhin O’ Raghallaigh, and Thomas Bartlett “Doveman” form the new group, The Gloaming, just won the Irish Meteor Choice Music Prize for their self-titled recording which comes with a 10,000 euro cash award. Hayes and Cahill will be at the Sellersville theatre on Tuesday night, then at the World Café Live at the Queen in Wilmington on Wednesday.

The Irish conversation group at Villanova resumes chatting on Thursday.

Find out more by checking our calendar.

How to Be Irish in Philly

How To Be Irish in Philly This Week

The late Paul Phillips and Knute Bonner: No one will be as Irish as these two! We miss them.

The late Paul Phillips and Knute Bonner: No one will be as Irish as these two! We miss them.

Saturday’s rain forecast has scuttled most if not all of the parades scheduled for March 14, including Springfield, Conshocken, Trenton, and Hamilton. Fortuantely, Conshohocken does have a rain date: March 28. Bucks County is planning to make a decision by 7 PM tonight (Friday, March 13). The Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade is expecting better weather on Sunday and will start as usual around 12:15 PM.

This is St. Patrick’s Week, so there’s a lot to cover. Let’s get this party started.

SATURDAY

9 AM: As far as we know, the Leprechaun Run is still on for Saturday morning on West River Drive. All proceeds benefit Special Olympics.

NOON: The Erin Express Pub Crawl starts in Philadelphia.

1 PM: Folks shave their heads for a good cause—children’s cancer research—at a St Baldrick’s Event at Brittingham’s in Lafayette Hill.

2 PM: The group Fake Mackenzie is on stage at Maggie’s on the Waterfront in Philly.

2 PM: The McHugh School of Irish Dance will be at Timothy’s Riverfront Grill in Wilmington, DE.

3 PM: The Jameson Sisters will join the VOICES Chorale, with tenor James Walsh and fiddler Mary Malone for a musical exploration of Irish harp and song at St John’s United Methodist Church in Ivyland.

3 PM: Join Celtic rockers Blackthorn for their annual “Event in the Tent” at Ridley Park Marina.

4 PM The Paul Moore Band is booked at The Great American Pub.

5 PM: The Conshohocken Parade is rescheduled to March 28, but the party goes on at the Notre Dame Div. 1 clubhouse in Swedesburg.

5 PM: The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick will hold its annual gala at the Union League. Tainaste (Deputy Prime Minister) Joan Burton is expected to attend, along with the provost of Trinity College in Dublin.

5 PM: Time to board the bus with Galway Guild to go to their gig at Mauch Chunk Opera House in Jim Thorpe.

6 PM. The Green Parrot Irish Festival continues in Newtown with various acts including, this night, Luke Jardel and the Hooligans.

6 PM: The McHugh Irish dancers will be entertaining at AJ Stephens Crab House in Glenolden.

7 PM: Jamison headlines PaddyPalooza at Curran’s in Tacony.

7 PM: Celtic singer Stephen Dodds is on stage at The Plough and the Stars in Philadelphia.

7 PM: There’s a St. Patrick’s Day Beef and Beer (with music) att he Woodstown Parish Center of the Holy Spirit Catholic Community in Woodstown, NJ.

8 PM: The Jameson Sisters, VOICES, Mary Malone and James Walsh will take their Irish harp and song show to Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton.

8 PM. The Hooligans are at the Whitman Square Fire House in Blackwood, NJ.

8 PM: Thanks to local Indian dancer Shaily Dadiala we know that Irish and Indian musical traditions blend beautifully. Tonight, the Philadelphia Mandolin Ensemble and Indian mandolinist Snehasish Mozunder will present an evening of music from Ireland, the Irish diaspora, and North India at Swarthmore Friends Meetinghouse.

8 PM: If you’re anywhere near Riverside, NJ stop in at Dooney’s Irish Pub and hear the fabulous Tyrone singer Raymond Coleman.

8 PM: The Fake MacKenzie group is at MaGerks in Fort Washington.

8 PM: Catch the Galway Girls (Meredith Beck, Janice Landry, and Irene Molloy) at the Bucks County Playhouse, with lots of songs.

8 PM: There’s another showing of the interactive Irish play, Lafferty’s Wake, at Society Hill Playhouse in Philadelphia.

8 PM The Shantys will be at JT Brewski’s Pub in Delaware County (Aldan).

9 PM: Steve Moran will play at Marty Magee’s in Prospect Park.

9:30 PM: The Sherwood Brothers bring their mix of Irish, folk and country to Brittingham’s in Lafayette Hill.

10 PM: The Bogside Rogues have lots of fun (and you will too) at Tir na Nog in Philadelphia.

SUNDAY

The Philly St. Patrick’s Day parade traditionally starts with a Mass at St. Patrick’s Church at 20th and Locust, kicks off between 12:15 and 12:30 PM, and ends at 3-4 PM at the Art Museum.

There are loads of post-parade parties, including one at the Irish Center, but this year for the first time, Philadelphia joins other cities across the country to celebrate Sober St. Patrick’s Day, an alcohol-free event that’s being held at WHYY studios on North 6th Street in Philadelphia. Music will be provided by a bevy of All-Ireland champion musicians and singers and the group Irish Blessing from York. The International Rose of Tralee, Maria Walsh, who is herself an abstainer, will also be on hand. The organization was founded in New York to accommodate people in recovery and families who don’t want to be around overindulging revelers. The event starts at 4PM.

10 AM: The Celtic League Cup Final Match is being broadcast at The Plough and the Stars in Philadelphia.

1 PM: Learn a little about the Irish dead in the historic Laurel Hill Cemetery on Ridge Avenue in Philadelphia with their annual St. Patrick’s Day Tour, Toasts, and Tastes—yes there’s beer and food at the end of the tour.

2 PM: There’s a matinee performance of the play, Lafferty’s Wake, at Society Hill Playhouse.

2 PM: The McHugh Irish Dancers will be at Downeys in Philadelphia.

3 PM: The Bogside Rogue will continue the fun at Brittinghams.

3 PM: Join a hands-on tour of the works of James Joyce, Bram Stoker, and other Irish authors at the Rosenbach Museum in Philadelphia.

3 PM: The Hooligans are whooping it up at the Red Rooster in Philly.

3 PM: The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick are holding their second annual parade on Main Street in Clinton, NJ.

3 PM: Galway Guild will be entertaining at New Deck Tavern on Sansom Street in Philadelphia.

3 PM: The Paul Moore Band will play at Paddy Whack’s Pub at Second and South.

4 PM: Clancy’s Pistol is at Katie O’Donnell’s at the Franklin Mills Mall in Philadelphia.

4 PM: Irish Network Philadelphia is holding its annual after parade party at Marty Magee’s Pub in Prospect Park.

4 PM: Stephen Dodds is singing at The Plough and the Stars.

4 PM: The McHugh Irish dancers are at Cavanaugh’s in Head House Square, Philly. Catch them later at Downey’s and at AJ Stephens Crab House in Glenolden.

4:30: Gabriel Donohue will be joined on stage by Cathy Maguire, Deb Shebish, and Marian Makins at Regina Academy at St. John the Baptist in Ottsville.

7 PM: The Fake MacKenzies will be at O’Mare’s in Bustleton.

8 PM: It’s the evening show of “Lafferty’s Wake” at Society Hill Playhouse.

MONDAY

7 PM: Philly’s favorite adopted son, Raymond Coleman, will be at Behan’s Pub in the Bronx. Singing and playing, of course.

7:30 PM: Singer Rosaleen McGill will be performing with Tim Buchanan and Diarmuid MacDuibhne at Tir na Nog in Philadelphia.

8 PM: The Rogue Diplomats will take the stage at Brittingham’s.

TUESDAY, ST. PATRICK’S DAY

Hughie Sweeney and friends will be performing at St. Declan’s Well on Walnut Street near the Penn Campus all day. It’s an Irish-owned bar, so you know there will be great Irish food. Brittingham’s is launching its St. Paddy’s Day ith kegs and eggs and live music all day. And I saw the menu for Paddy Rooney’s Pub in Delco—mmmmmm. You’ll have plenty of choices today, but get there early.

7 AM: Judge Jimmy Lynn’s regular St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast starts bright and early at The Plough and the Stars. It’s a place where local pols, actors, musicians, and just plain folk rub elbows (and everything else—it’s crowded) on St. Patrick’s Day. Judge Jimmy is a jovial host who’s been known to sing a song or two.

7 AM: A St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast that benefits the Patrick Kerr Scholarship Fund is being held at Breen’s Huntington Inn in Jenkintown.

7 AM: The annual AOH St. Patrick’s Day Charity breakfast will again be at Fado Irish Pub on Locust Street in Philadelphia.

11 AM: St. Patrick’s Day at the Irish Memorial starts with Mass, some ceremony, singing, and then, adorable and talented Irish dancers.

11:30 AM: The Shantys are at the Erin Pub in Norwood.

Noon: The Erin Express takes off again in Philly. Watch out!

Noon: The McHugh Irish dancers are jigging at Chick-Fil-A in Glen Mills.

Noon: The Broken Shillelaghs are playing at the St. Patrick’s Day Open House at the Gloucester County AOH in National Park, NJ.

12:30 PM: Have your dancing shoes ready. The Theresa Flanagan Band will be playing at McGillicuddy’s in Upper Darby.

1 PM: Clancy’s Pistol is at Dooney’s in Delran.

2 PM: Jamison Celtic Rock is Celtic rockin at Paddy Whack’s on South Street in Philly.

3 PM: The Bogside Rogues are at the Red Rooster on Dungan Street in Philly.

3 PM: Do yourself and everyone else in the Irish community a favor and get tested for the Tay-Sachs Disease gene at Einstein Medical Center. The disease has been discovered in Irish people (there are three cases in Philadelphia) and Einstein is doing a study to determine how prevalent it is and whether Irish people need to be routinely tested. The disease strikes babies and is always fatal.

3 PM: Galway Guild is traveling to Newark, DE, to perform at Kildare’s.

4 PM: Mick’s Company will be entertaining at McGillicuddy’s in Wayned.

5 PM: Jerseyites: Patch, Bob, and Mike Glennan will be performing at Max’s Seafood Café in Gloucester City, NJ.

5 PM: The River Drivers, a hot new local band, is booked at Dolan’s Irish Pub. I’ve gotten emails about them from Ireland! They’re from Bristol Borough.

6 PM: The Broken Shillelaghs are at Tavern on the Edge in Gloucester City.

7 PM: Fake MacKenzie is at O’Mare’s in Bustleton.

7 PM: Karen Boyce and the Lads will be at Maggie O’Neill’s in Drexel Hill.

7 PM: Find the McHugh dancers at Duffer’s on Route 1 in Concordville.

7 PM: Novelist Claire Kilroy will be reading from her work at Villanova University’s Connelly Center Cinema.

7:30 PM: A St. Patrick’s Day tradition: Bill Monaghan and Celtic Pride at the Sellersville Theater.

8 PM: Gary O’Neill and Lee McCarron will be performing at Cawley’s Pub in Upper Darby.

8 PM: The Hooligans are at Sugarhouse Casino on Delaware Avenue in Philly.

8 PM: Find Clancy’s Pistol shooting up the Triumph Brewery in New Hope.

8 PM: Galway Guild moves from Delaware to Kildare’s in West Chester.

8 PM: Jamison is at RP Murphy’s in Holmes.

8 PM: The Shanty’s are at Marty Magee’s in Prospect Park.

WEDNESDAY

Phew! And it’s not over yet! Not by a long shot.

2 PM: The Theresa Flanagan Band plays at Broomall Presbyterian Nursing Home in Broomall.

8 PM: Dervish is at the Grand Opera House in Wilmington, DE.

THURSDAY

5 PM: Eoin McEvoy will be lecturing at Villanova’s Falvey Library on the Irish language.

6 PM. Order from the four-course prix fix vegan menu being tested out at The Plough and the Stars.

6:30 PM: The Irish Conversation group continues to converse in Irish at Villanova.

7:30 PM: If you missed them at the Irish Center, FullSet is back in town, performing at the Sellersville Theatre.

 FRIDAY

7 PM: Finnegan’s Wake Interactive Dinner Comedy is slated at the Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collingswood, NJ.

7:30 PM. The Henry Girls, an amazing trio of musical sisters from Donegal, is appearing at Burlap and Bean in Newtown Square. Read our story.

8 PM: Another evening performance of “Lafferty’s Wake” at Society Hill Playhouse.

A word about next weekend: Big doings at the Upper Darby Performing Arts Center in Drexel Hill. Popular singer Tony Kenny brings a group of amazing young performers for a celebration of Irish music on March 21. Also, Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfetones are at The Plough. There’s plenty more, but I now have carpal tunnel syndrome and have to stop writing.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Jeff, Lori, and me! See you somewhere!

How to Be Irish in Philly

How To Be Irish in Philly This Week

It's that time again.

It’s that time again.

Hope you’ve dug out your car. There’s plenty to do this week, so let’s get craic-ing.

Maria Walsh will be the International Rose of Tralee for another several months, but on Saturday night she gives up her local crown as Philadelphia Rose of Tralee at the gala selection event at the Radnor Hotel.

The Burlington County, NJ St. Patrick’s Day Parade, always the first in our area, won’t be first again this year. They’ve had to postpone it until March 29 because of this week’s snowstorm.

This and next are the weekends for the pub crawls that are part of the fabric of the St. Patrick’s holiday observance in the region. We posted several on our calendar, include the Shamrock and Roll in Delaware County. Marty Magee’s is part of the event and will have live music, including the Malarkey Brothers, Joe Magee and friends, and the John Byrne Band. Don’t drink too much and enjoy the music.

The McHugh Irish Dancers have also posted their schedule for the next couple of weeks on the calendar so if you have a hankering for seeing some step dancing—high recommended just for the adorableness overload—check it out.

Also on Saturday:

Lafferty’s Wake, an interactive play, continues at Society Hill Playhouse.

The Bogside Rogues will be providing the Irish music at Paddy Whack’s in Northeast Philly.

The AOH Division 6 Montgomery County is holding its St. Patrick’ Day party at St. Mary Parish in Schwenksville.

The Bucks County St. Patrick’s Day Parade Ball is Saturday night at Falls Manor Caterers (former Kings Caterers) in Bristol.

The AOH Notre Dame Div. One parade folks are having their grand marshal ball at the Elmwood Park Zoo Banquet Hall in Norristown. Congrats again to GM Mickey McBride.

Belfast Connection is playing at Darlington Arts Center in Garnet Valley.

Blackthorn is the headliner at the Beer Festival at Harrah’s Chester Casino.

You can spend an evening with Celtic Spirit at the Nazareth Center for the Arts in Nazareth or with Donegal’s own Altan at Annenberg Center on Walnut Street in Philadelphia. (Side note: Altan was the first Irish group I ever saw live, and they hooked me.)

Jamison is taking the stage at Brittingham’s in Lafayette Hill.

On to Sunday:

There’s an all-day fundraiser for the Springfield St. Patrick’s Day Parade at Maggie O’Neill’s in Drexel Hill. Doors open at 11 AM for Irish breakfast and if you tell your server you’re there to support the parade, a portion of your bill will be donated to the parade. At 4:30 PM, catch the local Celtic rock group Round Tower and meet the 2015 Grand Marshal Dr. William McCusker, who is the recently retired president of Cardinal O’Hara High School.

At 10 AM, there will be an Irish Mass at St. Malachy’s Church in Philadelphia, a recent tradition that looks like it might have staying power. Read our story from 2013.

The group Celtic Spirit will be entertaining at brunch on Sunday at Kildare’s Irish Pub in West Chester.

This Sunday will also mark the third anniversary of the burial of some of the victims of the Duffy’s Cut tragedy at West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd. There will be a memorial event at graveside starting at 2 PM.

At 3 PM, Blackthorn takes the stage at The Deck at Harbor Pointe in Essington for a fundraiser for the 162nd District. It’s a GOP benefit.

Catch local young phenoms Haley and Dylan Richardson and Keegan Loesel, along with the Cumberland Highlanders Pipe and Drum Band and the group, Sligo Road, at the Down Jersey Celtic Celebration in Vineland stating at 3 PM.

The Paul Moore Band will be playing at the Jokers New Year’s Association—think Mummers’ Parade—St. Patrick’s Day party at the group clubhouse in Philadelphia.

Women of Ireland bring their full stage production to the Keswick Theatre on Sunday at 3 PM.

Then on Wednesday

Villanova’s Irish Dance group will be showcasing their prodigious talent on at the Connelly Center Cinema at the University starting at 7 PM.

At 9 PM, the Druids, a rebel ballad band from Kildare, will be performing at Mary Magee’s Pub in Prospect Park.

Thursday dawns. . . .

And so begins the 12 days of Irish music at the Green Parrot in Newtown. Slainte, Seamus McGroary, Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfetones, Clancy’s Pistol, McGraw and McLaughlin, Seamus Kelleher, Tom McHugh, the Hooligans, Secret Service and Challenge Accepted are all booked there through the holiday season. Check our calendar for links to the Green Parrot where you can see who is playing when. Some of the gigs are on our calendar. (Bands can post their gigs to our calendar, but there are so many of them that we can’t usually do those.) For instance, we know that Slainte is performing on Thursday night because they always put their gigs on our calendar. Well done, men!

The annual Philadelphia Parade Grand Marshal dinner will be held on Thursday night at the Doubletree Hotel in Philadelphia. Kathy McGee Burns, who has been the head of just about every Irish organization in the city from the Donegal Association to the Irish Memorial, is this year’s GM.

Also on Thursday night, the AOH Notre Dame Div. 1 Irish coffee contest is happening at the club house in Swedesburg. It’s a well-attended event that’s loads of fun—and, there are samples.

The Irish conversation group continues talking in Irish on Thursday at Villanova.

The Wolfetones will be performing at the FOP Lodge #5 in Northeast Philadelphia this evening.

On thank-God-it’s-Friday:

Hoo boy, this is quite a day and night.

Check out the Paul Moore Band on “Good Day Philadelphia” in the morning. That’s on Fox29.

Then, listen to the Bleeker Street Café Celtic Mandolin Concert on WDVR (89.7 FM) starting at 1 pm. That should be amazing.

The Hooligans will be playing for the early dinner crowd at Fluke’s on State Road in Philly.

The John Byrne Band with No Irish Need Apply are scheduled for World Café Live that evening. The show is almost sold out.

McDermott’s Handy—two fine musicians, Dennis Gormley and Kathy DeAngelo—will be in concert at the Bridgeton Public Library in Bridgeton, NJ. BTW, I know for a fact that these two will play anywhere. I once ran into them playing in the deli at a New Jersey supermarket.

The Celtic group, Carbon Leaf, will be at the World Café Live at the Queen.

The Glengarry Bhoys are scheduled to be on stage at the Sellersville Theater.

Blackthorn is back playing at Ambler’s The Lucky Well BBQ place. Love the band, love the BBQ. A win-win.

The Bogside Rogues are at Reedy’s Irish Pub in Philly.

The Hooligan’s are at the newly re-opened Dubh Linn Square in Bordentown (after their early bird special at Fluke’s in Philly).

The Broken Shillelaghs will be at Tavern on the Edge in Gloucester City, NJ.

2U, a U2 tribute band, is booked at Brittingham’s in Lafayette Hill.

Isla Verde, a Philly bar, is having its first St. Patrick’s Day Party, though we’re not quite sure how Irish it’s going to be.

And a word about next weekend:

The Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day parade is on Sunday. It’s broadcast by CBS3 and CWPhilly but it’s really fun to see live. Really. I wouldn’t lie. The crowds alone are worth the drive or train fare. There are two Irish pubs along the parade route that are crowded and convivial (Tir na Nog and Con Murphy’s). Me, I usually eat a pretzel from a vendor because, hey, I’m working here. Last year, I bought gloves from a vendor. Best purchase ever. $5. For both gloves. But the weather’s gong to be nice, so fear not the evil Arctic blast or polar vortex. Or polar bears. There won’t be any of those either.

There are lots of parties after, but may we suggest Sober St. Patrick’s Day at WHYY. It’s one of a group of St. Patrick’s Day events across the country that cater to families and to those in recovery. Maria Walsh, the International Rose of Tralee (and an affirmed teetotaler) will be there, as will a remarkable array of Irish traditional musicians from all over.

On Saturday, there are beaucoup parades: Bucks County, Springfield, Hamiton, NJ, North Wildwood, Trenton, Conshy. I’ll be going to all of them. Yeah, right. Look for me in Springfield, if all goes well. Look for Gwyneth MacArthur, our parade photographer, in Conshy and in Philly on Sunday. You’ll see Lori Lander Murphy in Philly on Sunday and you’ll also see Jeff Meade there, totally wrapped in camera straps like something from 50 Shades of Grey. No one knows where he’s going to be on Saturday. He is the man of mystery.

Take a peek at the calendar for next week. It’s already large and will grow to Godzilla size (Aieee! Aieee!) by next Friday, when we write the last big How to Be Irish in Philly for the season.

Also, consider joining our Irish Philadelphia Facebook page. There are some lively discussions going on there (I especially like the “who/what is more Irish” debates) but there’s also a great exchange of information and ideas. I now have lists of great Irish books, movies, and songs, thanks to this enthusiastic group of people who share a love for all things Irish (and Philly). It occasionally gets a little salty there, but if you can overlook that, I think you’ll learn a lot. And be entertained.

Check our calendar frequently this week. It’s changing almost every minute.