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How To Be Irish in Philly This Week

Enter the Haggis

Next year, we’re taking most of the summer off and spending it down the shore because clearly, that’s the only way to be Irish in Philly. Even some of our favorite local groups, like Blackthorn and Jamison, are performing mainly in Jersey this summer. Working on their Celtic tans, no doubt.

Blackthorn will be closer to home in August (August 14, at 7:30 PM) , giving a concert at Rose Tree Park in Media. But at the end of the month (August 27) they’ll be playing for the beach crowd at the Windrift Hotel in Avalon (we love Avalon).

Jamison has gigs at Shenanigans in Sea Isle this Sunday and Keenan’s Irish Pub in North Wildwood on July 30, plus an acoustic session at Tucker’s in Wildwood later in the evening.

And you can catch the Broken Shillelaghs (all or part of them) at McMichael’s, near the sunny shores of the Delaware River in Gloucester City, NJ, just over the bridge from Philly on Monday night.

Also in town, the Bogside Rogues: They’ll be rocking and rolling at Daly’s Pub in the Northeast on Saturday night.

Enter the Haggis will also be in the area on Sunday, performing at the Sellersville Theatre in Sellersville with the John Byrne Band. If you’ve never been to Sellersville, now’s the right time. Not only are they two fabulous bands, you barely have to be out in the heat to make a cool evening of it. Right next to the Sellersville Theatre is Washington House, a great restaurant with a turn-of-the-century bar that will take you back in time except that everything’s air-conditioned. You’ll only be hot for a few seconds.

At Quakertown’s Memorial Park, RUNA with Shannon Lambert-Ryan will be playing till after the sun goes down on Sunday.

Mark your calendars for July 31 when Belfast Connection hosts a benefit brunch for Alex Weir and Keegan Loesel, two young musicians who qualified for the annual All-Ireland music competitions in Cavan Town in August, at Brittingham’s Irish Pub in Lafayette Hills. Your $20 will buy you a delicious meal, some great music, and help defray the costs of the trip for the boys and their families.

On the same day in Somers Point, NJ, there’s a benefit ceili for three other local youngsters going to the Fleadh, including fiddle phenom Haley Richardson, her brother, Dylan, and harper Emily Safko.

July 22, 2011 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philly This Week

Alex of the Martin Family Band--at Graeme Park this weekend.

Though the former residents of Horsham’s Graeme Park (Keith House) were from Scotland, the historic site’s annual Celtic Heritage Festival (Saturday, starting at 10 AM) always has a decidedly Irish flavor thanks to the Timoney and Sabo Schools of Irish Dance, The Martin Family Band, and the Hooligans. Scottish folksinger Carl Peterson will also perform (he does Irish folk songs too). There are plenty of kid-friendly activities too, including a moon bounce, a (kilted) juggler, and balloon animals.

Later that evening, catch the Broken Shillelaghs at the Dublin Square Pub in Bordentown, NJ. (They’ll be at the Blue Monkey in Merchantville, NJ next Thursday.)

On Monday, two charity events for Irish pub employees.  Friends of longtime Fado server, bartender and events manager Regon MacInnis will be holding a fundraiser at the Locust Street pub to help defray the costs of cancer treatment for the young Maine native. The $20 ticket price covers the cost of dinner and your first pint. And the money will help this young woman, known to many in the Irish community, fight a particularly aggressive form of cancer. At the Plough and the Stars  on Second Street the same night, friends of bartender Stef Stuber will he holding an event to raise money to pay for medical costs she incurred in a serious moped accident while vacationing in Thailand recently. Your $20 donation covers one free drink and appetizers. There will be a 50/50 drawing and a silent auction as well.

Also Monday evening, the Inis Nua Theatre Company is holding its summer happy hour at Fergie’s Pub where they’ll reveal plans for next season. Don’t forget to go to the little ad at the right under the heading “Help one of our partners” to donate to the Inis Nua “Send a local theatre company to New York” campaign. Inis Nua has been invited to bring its tour de force “Dublin by Lamplight” to New York’s first ever Irish Theater Festival this year and they need some financial help to get there.

On Wednesday night, remarkable Irish fiddler Maeve Donnelly returns to the Coatesville Cultural Center with Cork flute player Conal O’Grada for an evening of traditional music that falls into the “must-hear” category. Tickets are going fast, so order now.

Or, you can join the Bogside Rogues and Jamison Celtic Rock on Wednesday night in bucolic Pennypack Park in Philly’s Fairmount Park for an under-the-stars concert. Bring a picnic dinner, blankets, chairs and bug spray. (Catch Jamison at Shenanigans in Sea Isle, NJ, on July 24.)

Next weekend, a real treat: Enter the Haggis AND the John Byrne Band are appearing at the Sellersville Theatre on Saturday.

Speaking of John Byrne, we recently stopped in to his new bar in Northern Liberties, The Blind Pig. Best Cuban sandwich I ever had. Incredible list of beer in cans and some powerful brews on tap (there are parts of the evening I can’t remember, like leaving). And you can probably talk the bartender into singing a few songs. It’s getting great reviews in the Philly media (and from citizen reviewers on sites like Yelp), particularly for its “Thanksgiving Balls.” Seriously, how could you go wrong with an appetizer of turkey, wrapped in mashed potatoes and stuffing, breaded, fried, and served with gravy and cranberry sauce? (All you cardiologists, pipe down.)

Check our calendar for details on these and other goings on.

July 15, 2011 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How To Be Irish in Philly This Week

Celtic rockers Jamison.

If you’re at the Jersey shore, the Maryland coast or stay-cationing in or around Philly, you can easily be Irish this week.

For example, the Annapolis Irish Festival is in full swing this weekend at the Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds. You can see some local faves like Burning Bridget Cleary and Seamus Kennedy (and the Screaming Orphans who, while they’re not local, are big faves around here), among other great Celtic bands. There are also Gaelic games and vendors—two of our favorite things.

Speaking of our favorite things, Celtic rockers Jamison will be performing at Keenan’s Irish Pub in North Wildwood on Saturday night and at Shenanigan’s in Sea Isle City on Sunday. You might be able to find them on the beach in the daylight hours. Remind them to use Celtic-strength sunscreen.

If you’re staying close to home, think about heading to the Kildare’s weekly session in West Chester on Sunday night. The regulars are being joined by a few guest stars, including 12-year-old fiddler Alex Weir and 11-year-old whistle player and piper Keegan Loesel, who are heading to the All-Ireland Fleadh in August to compete against other young traditional musicians in Cavan Town. The session is a benefit for the two youngsters to help defray the cost of their trip. They have another benefit, organized by Belfast Connection fiddler Laine Walker Hughes, coming up later in July at Brittingham’s. More on that later.

Next Friday, hear Raymond and Mickey Coleman, two musical brothers from Tyrone, at The Plough and the Stars in Philadelphia. We haven’t heard the duo, but Raymond, whom we have heard, is worth the price of admission. You know, if there was one. There isn’t. It’s a great venue, great menu, and a great evening of music. (Listen to Raymond here. See, am I not right?)

Tickets are going fast for Maeve Donnelly and Conal O Grada, appearing on July 20 at the Coatesville Cultural Society. Donnelly is a remarkable fiddler, last in Coatesville with guitarist Tony MacManus (a highlight of my own personal trad concert-going). O Grada is a flute player from Cork who, we’re told, will blow you away, pun intended.

And hey folks, help us out here! If you have an Irish event, don’t make us look for it! Tell us about it! And we’ll tell everyone we know, promise. Yes, we troll Facebook and other sites to find you and yes, we’re probably on your mailing list if you have one, but most people looking for an Irish event to attend come HERE! You may reach a couple of hundred people by sending out a Facebook event invite, but we have more than 2,000 hardcore local Irish folks on our Facebook page and our Mick Mail list. You do the math.

We make it easy for you to put your event on our calendar yourself. (Tell them, Jamison and Belfast Connection and Irish Club of Delaware County!) Simply go to the orange bar at the top of the page, click on Irish Events Listing, click on “Submit Your Irish Event,” and fill out the form. If you fill in the full address of your event, our calendar will even draw people a map! (Clever calendar!)

If you really want to get people to pay attention, our ads are really cheap. So cheap, we make absolutely no money! Now, that’s cheap! (One of us has got to get a business degree.) If you’re interested, go to the same orange bar and click on “Advertise.” That will take you to a page that tells you everything you need to know except that those little ads at the bottom of the page are $25 a month each (they’re newish).

While you’re roaming the site, check out the calendar for all the details.

July 8, 2011 by
Columns, How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philly This Week

Piping hot

Piping hot

Well, I can tell you for certain how one local Irish group will celebrate the 4th of July.

The Philadelphia Emerald Society Pipe Band is marching in the 114th Riverton, N.J., 4th of July Parade, one of the truly great local small-town Independence Day traditions. I know this because I will be joining the drum line for the day. Why? Because there’s nothing that says “Ain’t that America?” to me more than wrapping a heavy woolen blanket around my hips, strapping on a 14-pound drum and marching a couple of miles in extreme heat and humidity.

Join me in praying for a cooling breeze off the Delaware.

So what are you doing over the holiday weekend and beyond? Well, judging by our calendar, a lot of you have your own plans.

Sure, the South Jersey Irish Society is holding its big picnic Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Yardville. And that promises to be a great day, with Irish music and dance, swimming, grilling and lots of outdoor activities for everybody. Details here.

As for the rest of the week, there are Irish traditional music sessions all over the landscape. I’m always amazed at the folks who have never taken in an Irish music session. Local Irish musicians—it can be a few, or it can be well over a dozen—get together and play every tune they ever knew (even if they don’t always remember the names of those tunes). Sessions take place at pubs all over the place, and the music is free. (The food and drinks aren’t.) Your being there also helps support local Irish businesses, and in a down economy that’s always a good thing. So take a look at our calendar and by all means, go.

We want to draw your attention to something brand new, if a bit off the beaten track, toward the end of this week.

If you’re up for a road trip, trek on down to Anne Arundel, Maryland, for the Annapolis Irish Festival on Saturday (July 9). It’s a bit of a hike, but on the plus side you get to experience the unbridled joy of driving on I-95. Seriously, we’ve been to the Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds many times over the years, and it’s a beautiful rural venue, a terrific place for a summer Irish festival.

This is the first Annapolis Irish Festival, as I say, so you can be in on the ground floor. One of our favorite local bands, Burning Bridget Cleary, is on the bill, as are many other Irish musical groups and performers, including the irrepressible Seamus Kennedy (if you haven’t seen him, do), Screaming Orphans, The Rovers, the Shamrogues, and more. The Chesapeake Caledonian Pipes and Drums will circle up and play from time to time. There are Gaelic games, tons of food and drink, vendors galore, and kiddy activities (pony rides!). Don’t worry about the heat. The festival organizers promise there will be a “misting tent.” (I want one of those.) The whole deal runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Details and directions here.

There’s more coming up this month, including the Celtic Heritage Festival in Graeme Park, Horsham, on the 16th, and a great concert at the Coatesville Traditional Irish Music Series—Irish Fiddle & Flute Music: Maeve Donnelly & Conal Ó Gráda—on the 20th. Keep checking our calendar for more. New events pop up all the time.

And if you are holding an Irish event and it ain’t on our calendar, then it just ain’t happenin’. Submit your event here.

July 1, 2011 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philly This Week

Enter the Haggis

One of the most popular groups to come out of Canada since Dudley Do-Right, Snidely Whiplash and Nell Fenwick is Enter the Haggis. They’re a Toronto-based Celtic rock band that doesn’t spend much time in Toronto. They’re on the road about 150 days out of the year, hitting major and minor venues and probably every Celtic festival from coast to coast, racking up an impressive number of fans.

You can see what the fuss is all about on Saturday at the brand new World Café Live at the Queen in Wilmington, DE where they’ll be on stage rousing the rabble. Very high energy—like an overdose of Red Bull. If you travel out to Manheim on Friday, you can also catch them at the Celtic Fling and Highland Games on the grounds of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. They’ll be back in the area on July 24 for a show at the Sellersville Theatre (book now—they usually sell out).

If you’re in Wildwood on Saturday, wander over to Caseys on Third in North Wildwood to hear Jamison.

Also on Saturday, join the Philadelphia Soul for its Irish Theme night with green beer and Irish music and dance as the Soul kicks the daylights out of the Arizona Rattlers at the Wells Fargo Center. It’s arena football.

On Sunday, Bristol Borough is holding its 15th annual Celtic Day with Now Irish Need Apply, Martin Family Band, the Bogside Rogues, and the McCoy and Fitzpatrick Schools of Irish Dance. It’s on the borough’s picturesque waterfront and there will be food and merchandise for sale. BYO lawnchair.

Later in the week (that would be Wednesday), comedian Colin Quinn will be doing his one-man show, directed by Jerry Seinfeld, called “Long Story Short” at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre on South Broad Street in Philadelphia. (It runs through July 10). Quinn gives you the history of the world in 75 minutes and includes his take on everyone from Socrates to Snooki. (I saw the HBO special of the show and it was hilarious.)

As always, check the calendar for all the details.

June 23, 2011 by
Columns, How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philly This Week

Direct from Ireland, Michael Black will be at the Penn-Mar Irish Festival this weekend.

Here’s a few things Dad might like this weekend, as we celebrate the joys of fatherhood.

The 11th annual Penn-Mar Irish Festival in Glen Rock, PA, is this weekend. Always an incredible lineup of musicians, and this year you’ll see Michael Black (of Ireland’s famous Black family) and a special tribute performance to Patrick Halloran of the band Ceann, who died last February in a car accident. Also on stage: Amhranai Na Gaeilge, Irish Blessing, Martin Family Band, Nua (formerly Rossnareen), and The Spalpeens.

Proceeds from the event benefit Penn-Mar Human Services, a nonprofit agency that provides support services to disabled people and their families.

“Gibraltar,” an adaptation of James Joyce’s Ulysses (Bloomsday was Thursday) is at the Plays & Players Theatre in Delancey Place in Philadelphia on Saturday.

There’s a session Saturday at the AOH Notre Dame Div. 1 Club House in Swedesburg and Belfast Connection, who have been known to show up at these sessions, will be otherwise engaged playing a gig at Brittinghams in Lafayette Hill. If you miss them Saturday night, they’ll be at the Burlap and Bean Coffee House in Newtown Square on Friday, June 24. Local trad musicians Mary Malone (fiddle) and Den Vykopal (pipes) will be joining them.

Later in the week, you might want to head down to Delaware (hey, it’s not that far away) for a performance by The Outside Track, a Celtic group whose members—and music–hail from Scotland, Ireland, Cape Breton and Vancouver. They’ll be at the Lower Brandywine Church on Thursday.

The ever energetic AOH Notre Dame Division 1 is hosting a “Last Friday,” this one with Oliver taking the stage from 7:30-10:30 PM.

Seems like every sports team wants to cash in on Philly’s Irish roots by sponsoring an Irish theme night, and the Philadelphia Soul arena football team is no exception. They’ll be serving green beer (uh-oh, plastic paddy faux pas!) and live Irish bands and dancers throughout the evening Saturday, June 25, at the Wells Fargo Center. And they’ll also be playing the Arizona Rattlers. Maybe Bon Jovi will come out and do a hornpipe. Stranger things have happened.

If you’re down the shore, particularly if you’re in North Wildwood, check into Caseys on Third where the band, Jamison, will be jamming.

And next Sunday, jig on down to the waterfront in Bristol Borough for its 15th annual Celtic Day celebration featuring bands No Irish Need Apply, the Martin Family Band, and the Bogside Rogues. The McCoy and Fitzpatrick Schools of Irish Dance will be performing too. Bring a lawn chair.

And check our calendar for all the details.

June 16, 2011 by
Columns, How to Be Irish in Philly

How To Be Irish In Philly This Week

James Joyce Himself.

It’s Bloomsday week—the annual event celebrating the day (June 16) in the life of Leopold Bloom, chronicled in James Joyce’s “Ulysses.” The Rosenbach Museum on Delancey Street in Philadelphia has a copy of Joyce’s manuscript so it’s the perfect venue for a day of readings by local actors, celebrities, and ordinary Joyceans. You can also go inside and take a peek at the manuscript.

Before that—on Monday, June 13—you can spend an evening with Irish author Jamie O’Neill. His stream-of-consciousness style novel, “At Swim, Two Boys,’ tells the story of two 16-year-olds caught up in the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin and owes something to Joyce, O’Neill admits.

Quick, get your reading done! Fergie’s Pub is holding a Bloomsday 101 Quiz with James Joyce experts Melanie Micir and Lance Wahlbert on Tuesday, June 14. Not your usual Quizzo, but we happen to know that owner Fergus Carey is a serious literature fan and is usually one of the readers on June 16.

Speaking of literature, this is also the week to catch “Stoker’s Dracula,” a play adapted and performed by Philadelphia actor Josh Hitchens at the Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion in Philadelphia. Setting: a dark, candle-lit room, perfect for this tale of horror. And there’s another Rosenbach connection. This wonderful little museum-library also owns a copy of the Dublin-born Stoker’s handwritten notes to Dracula, his best known work.

There’s plenty more going on this week that doesn’t require any extensive reading:

Sunday, June 12. An Evening at the Races at the Philadelphia Irish Center will benefit the family of Lori Kiely, who died last August leaving four small children. Kiely was involved in kids’ sports, particularly Gaelic sports, so many of her friends from the fields are sponsoring this event to help out her young family.

Thursday, June 16. After a day of Joyce, drop by the Camden Riversharks stadium. It’s Irish Heritage Night there, with Irish music, dancers, and probably a few surprises. (Order tickets for as little as $5 in advance by using the secret discount code: IRISH. Oops, guess it’s not a secret anymore.)

You can also hear Shaun and Jerry of the Broken Shillelaghs at the Blue Monkey Tavern in Merchantville, NJ, that night. Why do we know this? Because Shaun and Jerry wisely put this on our calendar themselves, knowing we would mention it here, in our most-read feature. You can do this too. Simply go to the orange bar at the top of the page, click on Irish events listing and you’ll see the words, “Submit Your Irish Event.” Fill in the blanks and submit! See, it’s so easy, even Shaun and Jerry can do it.

Check said calendar for all the details and, if people put addresses in correctly, even a map!

June 10, 2011 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How To Be Irish in Philly This Week

Blackthorn's Michael Boyce at a prior Penns Landing fest.

This is one jam-packed weekend if you like rugby, Irish music, dancing, and fun. Surely, one of those things will entice you out either to the 2011 USA Sevens Collegiate Rugby Championships in Chester on Saturday and Sunday, the Irish festival in Mont Clare throughout the entire weekend,  or the Irish Festival on Penns Landing on Sunday.

Notre Dame is one of the teams competing over the weekend at the Philadelphia Union’s waterfront soccer stadium during the sevens—so-called because the team is made up of only 7, rather than 15 players, which amplifies the action. The matches will be televised by NBC, but only if you go out can you also enjoy the Saturday night concert by the Dropkick Murphys.

Speaking of Notre Dame, the AOH Notre Dame Division 1 annual Irish festival is this weekend too. The fun starts Friday night at St. Michael’s Picnic Grounds under the pavilion in Mont Clare, PA. Enjoy the music of Jamison, the Belfast Connection, Misty Isle,  the Bogside Rogues, and a ceili with Tom McHugh, Kevin and Jim McGillian.  There’ll be food, vendors, pipers, Irish dancers, $2 pints all weekend long and tickets are only $15 for the entire weekend. Doesn’t get any better than that. Oh, wait, yes it does. All proceeds from this annual festival go to support AOH charities.

It’s year 13 for the Penns Landing Irish Festival which draws thousands to the Delaware River for free music and entertainment along with plenty of vendors selling beer, food, and Irish stuff. This year, Blackthorn, the Hooligans, and Jamison will appear on the main stage. There will be nonstop Irish dancing and kids activities.

The events simmer down during the week (though there’s a session every night somewhere) until Friday, when the Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion and the Rosenbach Museum present the world premier of “Stoker’s Dracula,” adapted and performed by Philadelphia actor Josh Hitchens. The story by the Irish writer will be told by candlelight in a dark room. Sounds like spooky fun!

Also on Friday night, catch Philly-based, Dublin-born singer-songwriter John Byrne with jazz vocalist Lili Anel at Milkboy Café on Lancaster Avenue in Ardmore. Byrne has received accolades for his debut album, “After the Wake,” and Anel, who grew up in New York but now makes Philly her home, was recently honored as best female singer/songwriter and best female jazz vocalist in the prestigious New York Music Awards.

As always, there’s more information on our calendar, the cutest, most cuddly calendar in the entire Delaware Valley.

June 2, 2011 by