How to Be Irish in Philly

The Colemans at the Plough on Thursday

This weekend through August 26, you can see what Irish musicians do in their spare time. A show featuring the other talents of a group of fiddlers, guitarists, and singers opens on Friday, July 6, and runs through August 26 at the Water Elemental Crafts and Fine Art Gallery in Lansdale.

Tipperary singer and guitarist Pat Egan, for example, is a photographer. Ellen Tepper, who is usually wrapped around a harp, creates wondrous Celtic knot windows and other mixed media work. Harpist Irish Nevins, guitarist John Brennan and fiddler Bette Conway, who co-owns the gallery, create fine jewelry. They’re just a few of the musician-artists whose work will be on display. Bonus: Count on hearing some live music at the gallery at 319 W. Main Street in Lansdale.

Speaking of live music, you can see Timlin & Kane all over the place this week. After Friday night at the St. James Gate Pub at the Sands Casino in Bethlehem (Friday), they’ll be performing at JD McGillicuddy’s in Kirklyn on Saturday night and making an encore appearance at Catherine Rooney’s Irish Pub in Wilmington, DE, next Friday, July 13.

Another treat this week: Raymond and Mickey Coleman of Tyrone (and Philly and New York) will be performing together with fiddler Plunkett McGartland in a foot-stomping, hand-clapping show at the Plough and the Stars at 123 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia on Thursday, July 12. I haven’t heard the Colemans together live yet, but here’s a little taste.  You can’t just drop in—they’re selling tickets and they’re going fast. Give the Plough and the Stars a call.

If you’re looking for a day trip with a Celtic flavor, next weekend is the 2012 Irish Festival in Annapolis, MD, featuring Scythian, Albannach, Barleyjuice, Screaming Orphans, Seamus Kennedy, The Rovers, Kilmaine Saints, Crossing Celtic, the Chesapeake Caledonian Pipes and Drums and many others. There will be visits from some of the animal ambassadors from Busch Gardens and pony rides and other treats for the kids. So, tear yourself away from the shore to go to another shore just a few hours south.

Celtic Thunder's George Donaldson will be at The Plough and the Stars this weekend.

It’s another great festival weekend. The 16th annual Celtic Day takes place in scenic Bristol Borough, right on the Delaware on Sunday. And in Manheim, site of the Renaissance Fair, it’s the annual Celtic Fling and Highland Games the entire weekend.

Or, if you like your festivals smaller, try Timlin & Kane who will be appearing at Catherine Rooney’s Irish Pub on Friday night in Wilmington. They’re always a party.

On Saturday night, George Donaldson of Celtic Thunder makes an appearance at the Plough and the Stars in Philadelphia. Great venue for music—and food. And he is seriously cute.

Catch more Gaelic football action at Cardinal Dougherty High School field at 6301 2nd Street in Philadelphia, just over the border from Cheltenham. And join the GAA for its fundraising golf outing on Monday at Bellewood Country Club in Pottstown. Have breakfast at Con Murphy’s Pub on the Parkway in Philly, then take the bus that’s been provided for transportation to and from the course at Tir Na Nog, a few blocks from Con Murphy’s at 16th and Arch. The money raised from the event will go to finish the new Philadelphia Gaelic Athletic Association fields in Limerick, PA.

A different kind of Celtic music on Tuesday: IONA, a folk-progressive rock band that takes its name from a small island off the west coast of Scotland.

Next Saturday, catch the Seven Rings Band at Catherine Rooney’s in Wilmington as part of the pub’s summer live music series. And next Sunday, more GAA excitement, including the McCartan Cup match-up.

Also on Sunday, July 1, Frank Daly of Jamison and some of his more musical friends will be performing at Kildare’s Manayunk to raise money for Project Children, an organization that brings children from Northern Ireland to the US for a respite. This particular fundraiser is to help one host family come up with extra airfare for the child to come with them on a pre-planned family vacation to Disney in July. Project Children had a tough time coming up with host families this year, and this family jumped in at the last minute to help out.

Don’t forget to check back with our calendar during the week to see what new events the procrastinators have put up. And a special shout-out to Larry White for volunteer proof-reading!

Two Notre Dames players (in blue) corner a Mairead Farrell opponent.

The Notre Dames ladies Gaelic football club took a year off and came roaring back to life on Sunday, defeating national champions Mairead Farrell LGFC by two goals. Final score: Notre Dame, 4-11 (23); Mairéad Farrells, 2-11 (17)

In men’s Gaelic football, Saint Patrick’s put down the Kevin Barrys handily. Final score: Saint Patrick’s, 8-15 (39); Kevin Barrys, 1-5 (8).

Photographer Gwyneth MacArthur was there for irishphiladelphia.com and captured the action.

Catch the Notre Dames on Sunday. Ladies football rules!

Father’s Day is on Sunday. Here’s a gift your dad will love. Take him to see the Mairead Farrell Ladies Gaelic Football Club take on the Notre Dames on Sunday. They’re national senior and intermediate football champs—that’s national, as in, they beat everyone else in the country—in the Gaelic Athletic Association games.
The game starts at 2:30 PM at Cardinal Dougherty Fields on 2nd Street in Philadelphia, followed by the Kevin Barry’s and St. Patrick’s.

Speaking of games, way to lose, Ireland! Check out the video of the Irish fans singing “Fields of Athenry” after Ireland lost to Spain in the Euro 2012 in Poland for a major lesson on how to stay classy even if your team goes down for the count.

This Saturday is also Bloomsday at the Rosenbach Museum and Library on Delancey Place in Philadelphia. Dozens of volunteers will be reading from James Joyce’s “Ulysses” starting at noon, including Frank Delaney, author of “Ireland” and “Tipperary,” a BBC host and Booker Prize judge. “Ulysses” chronicles one day in the life of Leopold Bloom as he meanders through his Dublin neighborhood. The Rosenbach has an original copy of the book in its collection, so go inside afterward to take a look.

If you’re out near York, PA, on Saturday, check out the annual Penn-Mar Irish Festival in Glen Rock, where you can hear the Screaming Orphans, Amhranai Na Gaelige, Irish Blessing, Nua, and the Spalpeens on stage. Also on hand, the Rovers from Annapolis and Mossy Moran. There will be screenings of the documentary “Beautiful People,” about New York’s longest running traditional Irish music session, throughout the festival, with a Q&A session scheduled with the film’s producer.

Of course there will be Irish food, vendors, dancers, and plenty of activities for the kidlets.

On Saturday night, one of Ireland’s legendary singers, Niamh Parsons, will be appearing in concert with Graham Dunne at the Irish Center as part of the Philadelphia Ceili Group’s Songs from the West of Ireland series.

Fisher and Maher are appearing at Catherine Rooney’s Irish Pub in Wilmington, on Saturday, as part of the summer Irish music series. We’ve been hearing good things about this place.

Once you’ve treated your dad to some ladies football, take him to the Albert Miller Memorial Park in Exton for a free concert by Blackthorn. Believe me, your dad will leave you way more in his will if you do these few things. (Blackthorn is also playing free at Park Square in Prospect Park on June 21.)

And it’s the event you’ve been waiting for—Irish night at the Phillies, where we see if the luck of the Irish is contagious. If it’s not, you can still hear Blackthorn, Jamison and Galway Guild, and enjoy the Irish dancers when they take the field. That takes place on Tuesday night.

On Thursday night, catch the Glengarry Bhoys at the Sellersville Theatre and start packing your bag for the Celtic Fling and Highland Games that start on Friday at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire in Manheim. Friday is also when Timlin & Kane headline at Catherine Rooney’s Irish Pub in Wilmington, DE.

Next Saturday, catch Celtic Thunder’s George Donaldson solo at the Plough and the Stars. Also next Saturday, head to Bristol Borough for its annual Celtic Day in Lions Park, a very pretty place right on the banks of the Delaware

It's summer football season--if you're Irish.

The game is afoot this summer for the Philadelphia Gaelic Athletic Association, which will be hosting the national championships on Labor Day weekend in Pennypack Park. Local games have started up at Cardinal Dougherty High School field on Second Street near Cheltenham Avenue in Philadelphia and there’s football and hurling action this Sunday. Bring your own lawn chair, bottled water, and Celtic-strength sunscreen, sit back and enjoy the show.

We’re happy to see that Catherine Rooney’s Irish Pub in Delaware is posting its live Irish music schedule on our calendar. It’s within spitting distance of you folks in Delco and we hear that it’s a great venue for Irish music lovers. People actually listen to the music. What a concept! On tap on Saturday, Benny and Bill. Coming later in the month: Fisher & Maher, Timlin & Kane, and the Seven Rings Band. Reservations are recommended.

Also new to our calendar: Thursday sessions at Brownies 23 East in Ardmore with Scott McClatchy featuring “Americana with an Irish twist.” Bring your instrument and sit in.

On Sunday, a new caterer called Tullamore Crew is presenting a tasting of its fare at the Irish Center. They’re the answer to the question: “Whatever happened to the chefs, cooks and servers from The Shanachie?” When the Ambler Irish pub closed in April, they formed their own catering company which is one of the preferred caterers at the Irish Center.

Also on Sunday: fiddler Dylan Foley and accordionist Dan Gurney will be performing at the Coatesville Cultural Center. Foley is a former multiple All-Ireland winner (starting as a 12-year-old) who has since played with Joanie Madden of Cherish the Ladies, Brian Conway, and the John Whelan Band.

If you’re in Philly, catch Raymond Coleman at Paddy Whacks on Welsh Road. He’s one of our favorites and worth a listen.

Pay no attention to the last name: Joey Abarta is a primo piper from Los Angeles who will be doing a house concert in Havertown on Friday, June 15. He’s a member of Mick Moloney’s “Green Fields of American” ensemble and now based in Boston. House concerts have limited seating, so contact Paddy O’Neill at bogman56@aol.com to reserve your spot. There will also be a session.

Know who else is starting to use our calendar? Blackthorn! No more chasing down dates and times for you know who. They’re playing the first of their summer free concerts, this one at River Winds Ampitheater in Thorofare, NJ on Friday night. There’s a second next Sunday, June 17, at Albert Miller Memorial Park in Exton. And they’ll be front and center at Irish Heritage Night at the Phillies on June 19, right there at the Xfinity Live stage. Jamison and Galway Guild will also be playing at the park that night. Count on some great step dancers too. Maybe the luck of the Irish will rub off on the Phils. God knows they need it.

And if you’re filling out your calendar with free concerts, don’t forget to mark down June 18, Pennypack Park, with Jamison and the Bogside Rogues and Blackthorn again on June 21 at Park Square in Prospect Park.

Free music. Doesn’t get any better than that.

As always, check our calendar for dates, times, maps, and late-comers.

Last year's Penn's Landing Festival--dancing to Blackthorn.

It’s one of those fun festival weekends we look forward to all year.

AOH Div. 1 in Montgomery County is holding its three-day festival starting Friday night at Saint Michael’s Picnic Grove in Mont Clare. Music provided by the Bogside Rogues, Paul Moore and Friends, McHugh and McGillian, Fisher and Maher, and Belfast Connection (whose fiddler, Laine Walker Hughes, celebrates her birthday on Friday!).

The South Jersey Irish Festival to support the Keane Patrick O’Brien Foundation is on Saturday night. The Broken Shillelaghs, Birmingham Six, Clancy’s Pistol, Raymond Coleman, and Fintan Malone and Friends will be providing the music at the RiverWinds Community Park in West Deptford, NJ. The Foundation is a charitable organization that supports children 2with leukodystrophy, a rare disease that affects brain cells. There’s also face painting and inflatables for the kids, food provided by Dubh Linn Square, and Irish vendors.

On Sunday, the annual Irish Heritage Festival at Penns Landing follows a Mass at 11 AM at the Irish Memorial and Second and Front Streets. Blackthorn, Jamison, and The Hooligans will be performing next to the Delaware. There are inflatables for the kids and vendors for the moms and dads.

In the midst of this—a festival of the Irish language. It’s the annual Satharn na nGael—or Day of Gaelic—at the Irish Center in Philadelphia on Saturday. There are language classes, music workshops (including singing and dancing) followed by dinner and a closing session. I guess we need to say seisiun here, since it’s Gaelic Day. At that seisiun, fiddler Marie Reilly, who recently released a new CD, “The Anvil,” will be performing songs from South County Leitrim and County Longford, a region with a distinctive fiddling tradition, and talking about the history of music from the area. Reilly learned many of the songs from her father, a blacksmith who was also a fiddler, hence the title of her CD. Others came from 19th and 20th century manuscripts from Leitrim/Longford musicians. Aficiandos of pure drop Irish music will love this.

There’s more coming up this week. Claire Mann and Aaron Jones willl bring their mélange of traditional and contemporary Scottish and Irish music to the Blue Ball Barn in Wilmington, DE, a Green Willow production. Claire Mann is an All-Ireland flute and tin whistle champion but she is equally accomplished on the fiddle. Mighty bouzouki player and singer, Aaron Jones is currently the front man of Scotland’s award-winning Old Blind Dogs and has also recorded on over sixty-five traditional albums.

A note: The former Shanachie session in Ambler that moved to Finn McCool’s is temporarily homeless. A wall collapsed at Finn McCool’s at the beginning of May and it’s been closed ever since. Our reporters in the field tell us the session moved to a private home for a while, but is going to be the moveable session until McCool’s is intact again. Our sources also tell us that the rumor that Kildare’s was moving to the old Shanachie building were half right. It’s going to be Doc Magrogan’s Oyster House and Raw Bar. That’s Kildare’s non-Irish brother. Look for it in the Fall–maybe in time for Ambler’s international music festival!

As always, check our calendar for times and maps and late-breaking events. And check out our Facebook page too, where people announce other events, chat, argue, and in general treat it like a pub with no beer. Enjoy the weekend!

Statue of Commodore Barry behind Independence Hall

A little story about Ceili Rain, the Celtic-flavored band playing Friday night at the Tin Angel in Philly. I heard them many years ago by accident. After dinner at The Plough with my cousins, we were walking along 2nd Street when we heard this irresistible music coming from the upstairs venue. We weren’t planning to hear music that night, but Ceili Rain changed our minds. If you’ve never heard them—they’re Tin Angel regulars—and like Celtic fusion played by top notch musicians, now’s your chance.

This weekend is also the annual commemoration of Commodore John Barry, father of the American Navy. The Wexford-born Barry lived in Philadelphia when he wasn’t sailing the high seas, fighting the British. He’s buried in the historic graveyard of St. Mary’s Church on Fourth Street, and it’s there on Sunday that a Mass and wreath-laying will be held.

Afterwards, head to the Irish Center where they’re holding a fundraiser so that a memorial to Barry can be completed at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. Since Barry was an Revolutionary War hero, it’s about time the Navy recognized him. The national Ancient Order of Hibernians is just one of the Irish organizations behind the memorial.

If you’re down the shore, and I know some of you will be, catch Jamison performing at Casey’s in North Wildwood on Saturday night.

If it’s Memorial Day weekend, and it is, Blackthorn must be having its annual bash on Monday at Cannstatters in northeast Philly. And whaddya know, they are! That’s about 12 hours of fun and frolic that should be on your bucket list.

This coming Thursday, two of my favorite performers in all the world will be sharing a stage. Dublin’s legendary Finbar Furey will be at the World Café Live in Philadelphia, with the John Byrne Band (of Dublin and Philadelphia), opening for him.

Unfortunately, a few of my other favorite performers in all the world will be sharing a stage at the same time in Wilmington, DE, also at World Café Live–at the Queen. The Teetotallers are fiddler Martin Hayes, guitarist John Doyle, and the wild-and-crazy multi-instrumentalist Kevin Crawford of Lunasa. What to do, what to do?

Save the date: June 1, next Friday, is kick off for the annual three-day AOH Montgomery County Irish Festival held at St. Michael’s Picnic Grove in Mont Clare, PA. (It’s not as far away as you think—it’s near Phoenixville.) On the bill are Jamisn, the Bogside Rogues, McHugh and McGillian, Fisher & Maher and Belfast Connection. The Celtic Flame and Coyle School dancers will also be there, along with the Irish Thunder Pipes and Drums. Worried about the cost? Don’t be. It’s $5 to get in. Can beat that with a shillelagh.

And don’t forget: Sunday June 3 is the annual Irish Festival on Penns Landing. This year it features Blackthorn, the Hooligans, and Jamison, plus plenty of Irish dancers, food, and vendors, on the sparkling Delaware.

As always, check the calendar for details, times, listings and maps.