How to Be Irish in Philly

Members of the Ensemble Gallelii will appear in Philadelphia this week.

Happy Easter! Hope the kids find all the eggs you hid around the house in record time. If they miss one, that’s an event that can call for hazmat suits and a visit from the Environmental Protection Agency. We don’t want that.

On Monday, April 1, the Irish flag will be raised at the Red Bank Battlefield in National Park, NJ, a program sponsored by AOH Div. 1 in New Jersey. There will be a mass celebrated at the division hall followed by a free lunch. The event is open to all.

Also on Monday, tickets will go on sale for the Philadelphia Fleadh Festival, scheduled for June 22, which will features bands including Black 47, the Young Dubliners, Jamison Celtic Rock, the Bogside Rogues, Galway Guild, Raymond Coleman, a bagpipe competition, and a feis stage for dancers. Check their website for the info.

It seemed like a strange event to post on our calendar, but given that so many Irish are involved in the building trades, we approved it. So, on Wednesday, April 3, there’s an outreach event for construction subcontractors at the Hyatt Regency Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing. You can learn about the Pennsylvania Gamin Control Board’s service provide registration and certification process as well as the Whynne Reports and the proposed Wynn Philadelphia Resort. It’s touted as a networking event, so it may be worth the gamble. Uh-oh, bad pun alert. Details are on the calendar.

Also, on Wednesday night, special guests Aine and Bernie McGill from Ardara will be part of the Singer’s Session at the Irish Center. Aine is an award-winning (and world-ranked) Irish dancer from County Donegal.

On Thursday, Professor John Walsh from the National University of Galway will be speaking on new trends in Irish-language acquisition in the US—new speakers of Irish.

On Thursday night, noted Dublin-born publican Fergus Carey (Fergie’s Pub, Monk’s Café, Grace Tavern, Nodding Head Brewery and Restaurant) will be roasted and toasted at an event at The Ruba Club, 414 Green Street in Philadelphia.

If you’re in Delaware, Scottish singer-songwriter Jim Malcom will be appearing at the Blue Ball Barn in Alapocas Run State Park in Wilmington. Old Blind Dogs fans will know Malcom—he was their lead singer for seven years.

In Sellersville on Thursday, catch the Battlefield Band, the “Scottish Folk Band of the Year,” at the theater at 24 W. Temple Street.

On Friday night, April 5, Trio Galilei, which mixes early instruments with Celtic traditional music, will be appearing at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Chestnut Hill. The concert will take place by candlelight—which promised to be a beautiful, spiritual experience.

On Saturday, Elizabeth Spellman will be giving up her tiara. She’s the reigning Philadelphia Rose of Tralee and her successor will be chosen at an event hosted by CBS3 reporter Jim Donovan at the Radnor Hotel in St. Davids.

There’s one of these playing somewhere in the region.

Robbinsville is having its St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday. The parade route in on our calendar.

And on Saturday night, the Delco Gaels promise a night of comedy and music (and anyone who’s attended their “Dancing like a Star” event knows they can deliver) at St. Laurence Hall in Upper Darby—it’s a fundraiser for the organization’s GAA youth league.

Clancy’s Pistol is playing at the Big Heads Pub in Willow Grove on Saturday night.

On Thursday, Jerry Collins and Shaun McCann of the Broken Shillelaghs will be performing at Schileen’s Pub in Westville, NJ.

Next Saturday is the Charlie Dunlop Memorial Banquet, which is raising money to establish a fund in the name of the popular Tyrone native who lived in Delaware County and who died in 2011 at the age of 45. Blackthorn is playing. The good news: It’s sold out. The bad news: It’s sold out so you can’t get tickets if you want them.

Check our calendar frequently for late-breaking Irish events.

Philly Police and Fire Pipe Band from last year’s parade.

This Sunday is Philadelphia’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, the second oldest in the country and one of the best. As veteran parade goers, we highly recommend certain spots on the parade route, which starts at JFK Boulvevard and marches down the Parkway. Anywhere near Tir na Nog is always great—the road is narrow there so you can get up close and personal with the floats, bands, and dancers if you want to get some good photos.

Con Murphy’s Pub on the Parkway is also a great locale—it’s small, so can’t squeeze in lots of onlookers, but if you find a spot you can stay warm while watching the parade with a beer. Kinda like being at home (you can see the parade live starting at 1 PM on CBS3, with Kathy Orr and Chris May), but with a little more atmosphere.

Then there’s the viewing stand down by Eakins Oval parking lot. All the dancers and bands get jiggy in front of the stands, where you can usually find CBS3’s charming traffic guy, Bob Kelly, interviewing folks (you might get interviewed yourself!).

We’ll all be there, so if you see us, come up and say hello! And look for my girls, The Divine Providence Rainbow Irish Dancers, who will be showing off their brand new jackets that they bought with proceeds from their Christmas recital this year. They’re pretty proud of those jackets so let them know how great they look.

BUT, before Sunday comes Saturday and there’s so much going on that your head will spin. In a nice way.

At 2 PM there will be a memorial service at West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd where six railroad workers, who died more than 180 years ago, were buried last year. A seventh, John Ruddy, was buried last weekend in Ardara, County Donegal, with members of his family in attendance. Irish Center President Vincent Gallagher donated a spot in his family plot for Ruddy’s burial.

Marita Krivda Poxon will be signing her wonderful new book, Irish Philadelphia, at the Plough and the Stars in Philadelphia on Saturday frm 4 to 5, then from 5:30 to 6:30. It’s a great gift for your favorite Irishman. The book is also available at amazon.com.

The play Jimmy Titanic is still on at the Adrienne Theatre on Sansom Street.

At noon, Galway Guild, a local group, is playing at Marty Magee’s in Prospect Park. They’re heading to Paddy Whacks in Philly at 9 for another Saturday gig.

A couple of other events start in the early afternoon: There’s Beerfest at Harrah’s Philly, which has a tangential link to St. Patrick’s Day in that they’re serving lots of beer (our guess).

Catch the Broken Shillelaghs and Slainte at Dubh Linn Square in Cherry Hill for Paddypalooza, an afternoon delight of music and fundraising for The Claddagh Fund, a charity started by Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphy’s who are appearing at the Electric Factory on Saturday night.

The great little Conshy parade is next weekend, but on Saturday, they celebrate their grand marshal, Tom Couhglin, at a special ball at the Washington Fire House at Elm and Fayette Streets in Conshohocken.

Mary Courtney and Morning Star—she’s an extraordinary singer, and they’re an extraordinary band—will be performing at 8 PM The Irish Center, 6815 Emlen Street, Philadelphia, a Philadelphia Ceili Group concert.

The John Byrne Band and Friends will be debuting the band’s newest CD, Celtic Folk, at a concert at Sacred Heart Church in Riverton, NJ on Saturday night at 7:30 PM.

Mythica and Melissa Cox will be bringing their amalgam of Irish, Scottish, folk and world music to The Queen on 500 North Market Street in Wilmington, DE. on Saturday night.

There’s also a St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Holiday Concert featuring The Maidens IV, Irish Blessing, the Ladeens, piper Chris Lewis, and The Cara School of Irish Dance at the Schneider Center in Parkesburg, Pa.

On Sunday, start your day off right with Mass at St. Patrick’s Church at 20th and Locust Streets in Philadelphia. Archbishop Charles Chaput is expected to be there, along with many other Philadelphia-area VIPs. There are also post-parade parties all over the city, including at The Irish Center.

McDermott’s Handy will be performing the afternoon at Old Friends Meeting House in Bordentown, NJ.

There’s also a St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Holiday Concert at St. Malachi’s in Cochranville featuring all the folks from the Parkesburg concert listed above.

And at 8 PM, head down to the North Star on Poplar Street in Philly to hear The Tossers, a six-piece Celtic punk band from Chicago, who regularly tour with The Dropkick Murphy’s.

And it’s not even St. Patrick’s Day yet.

On Monday, the Mayo County Council (yes, that Mayo) will be at Maloney’s Pub in Ardmore where you can learn more about Admiral William Brown, an Irish-born Argentine admiral who became Argentina’s greatest naval hero. There’s no charge and there will be bar specials.

Harper Janet Harbison will be performing on Monday night at the Markeim Center for the Arts in Haddonfield, NJ. You can also hear her—and get some pointers—at her workshop on Tuesday night at the Virginia Harp Center in Haddonfield.

On Wednesday, you have your choice: The Irish Rovers on their farewell tour at World Café Live at the Queen in Wilmington, or the amazing accordionist from Galway, Sharon Shannon, at Sellersville.

On Thursday, catch Dervish at Longwood Gardens (and on this little video).

Or you could taste-test some Irish coffee at AOH Notre Dame Div. 1 Hall in Swedesburg, a little event that gets bigger every year, with eight to 10 contestants brewing up their finest creations for the judges (and you get to be one). That runs from 7-9 PM.

Also on Thursday, hear Billy Donahue and Jack McKee of the Shantys at Schileen’s Pub in Westville, NJ. And Galway Guild at the Tap Room in Morton, PA.

On Friday, tune in to CBS3 at 6:30 AM to hear Blackthorn playing us up to St. Patrick’s Day. Later in the evening, the band will be performing at La Costa in Sea Isle, NJ. (Is it summer yet?)

On Friday night, The John Byrne Band, with No Irish Need Apply, will be doing the music of Shane MacGowan and the Pogues at the World Café Live in Philadelphia. They will all have teeth.

Also on Friday night:

Natalie MacMaster, the powerhouse Canadian fiddler, will be at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

Carbon Leaf, a Celtic band from Virginia that often performs at Bethlehem’s Celtic Classic, will be at World Café Live at the Queen in Wilmington.

The Trenton Titans hockey team is having Irish Night at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton. Expect both dancing and fighting.

The Galway Guild will be at Con Murphys on the Parkway in Philly starting at 6 PM.

And The Broken Shillelaghs will be at Lazy Lanigan’s Publick House in Sewell, NJ.

A little taste of what’s ahead: St. Patrick’s Day is on Sunday! And on St. Patrick’s eve, look for parades in Bucks County, Conshohocken, and Springfield, Delaware County; Jamison at Paddy Whacks; a St. Patrick’s Day Party at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Glenside with the Molly Maguire’’s Ceilidh Band (expect authentic traditional Irish celebration); and much, much more.

Don’t believe me? Check our calendar.

And keep checking back. New things are being added every day. Um, pretty much every minute.

Got your green gear ready?

Happy St. Patrick’s season!

And it’s off to a roaring start. We have a lot to cover this week, so we’ll do it in order.

Saturday, March 2
The Burlington County St. Patrick’s Day Parade takes over high Street in Mt Holly at 1 PM.

Marita Krivda Poxon, author of “Irish Philadelphia,” will be signing her pictorial history at McKenna’s Irish Shop in Havertown starting at 1 PM.

At 3 PM, the Glenside GAA is holding its first fundraising beef and beer at the Irish Center. There are activities for the kiddies.

At 3 PM, two Galway natives come together for the first time in eyars to make some music. Gabriel Donohue and Seamus Kelleher are dueting at Paddy Whacks Pub in northeast Philadelphia.

At 7 PM, Scythian raises the roof at a special concert to benefit The Little Sisters of the Poor and their Holy Family Home for the elderly in Philadelphia.

Also at 7 PM, you can see a showing of the classic “The Quiet Man” featuring John Wayne, enjoy Irish food from Paddy Rooney’s Pub, quizzo, and fun at Sacred Heart Parish at 109 N. Manoa Road, Haverford. Contact Brian Cleary at briancleary1@verizon.net for tickets. This is for folks 21 and older, so think “babysitter.”

At 8 PM, Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul raise another roof, this one at the Landis Theater in Vineland, NJ.

Also at 8 PM, Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfetones will be performing at the VFW Post on Martins Mill Road in Philadelphia.

At the same time, the Gloucester County AOH is holding its annual St. Patrick’s Day Party at the Gloucester Heights Fire Hall in Gloucester City, NJ.

Sunday, March 3

Start the day off right with a real Irish Mass at St. Malachy Church on N. 11th street in Philadelphia at 10 AM—that means bagpipes, fiddles, Irish harp, and refreshments afterward in the parish hall.

At 1 PM, Gerry Timlin and Tom Kane, two of our favorite musicians and people, will be performing at Glen Foerd on the Delaware on Grant Avenue in Philadelphia.

At 3 PM, the second of two fundraisers for the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade takes place at Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield. Please note that this is a different location than was previously announced.

You get a break the rest of the week (unless you want to go to a session) until Friday, when all Irish breaks loose again.

Friday
At 11:30 AM, former Irish President Mary Robinson will be addressing a group at the World Affairs Council at the Philadelphia Downtown Marriott on Market Street.

At 7:30 PM, the dynamic trio of Brian Conway, Billy McComiskey, and Brendan Dolan will be appearing at the Madeleine Wing Adler Theater in West Chester.

Also at 7:30, Belfast Connection, another dynamic trio, is appearing at the Darlington Arts Center in Garnet Valley, PA.

At the same time, the Irish Rovers are beginning their Long Goodbye Tour at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside. That’s right—they’re breaking up, though you may have one more year to hear them live.

At 8 PM, do a little dancing at the St. Patrick’s Day Ceili Mor, sponsored by the Philadelphia Ceili Group, at the Irish Center in Philadelphia. Don’t worry if you don’t know how to dance—instructors are standing by!

Whew! I’m exhausted already. But don’t flag. Also on Friday night, Black 47 comes to World Café Live and The Dropkick Murphys kick off Paddy Palooza with their annual St. Patrick’s Day visit to the Electric Factory (there’s also a meet and greet before the concert) and a Claddagh Fund (Dropkicks’ Ken Casey’s charity) fundraiser at Dubh Linn Square in Cherry Hill on March 9 featureing the Broken Shillelaghs and Slainte.

And next week? The Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade marches on Sunday, March 10, with a couple of more parades following not far behind. And there is so much more that we’re going to have to continue this next week.

Check our calendar frequently for late-breaking fun as well as details on these and other events.