How to Be Irish in Philly

Irish-American actress Kathy Kinney doesn't really look like her Mimi Bobek character from The Drew Carey Show... see for yourself when she signs her new book in the Philly area this week.

This weekend you can help the Hibernians help a veteran in need, see the flashing hard shoes of Michael Flatley’s “Lord of the Dance,” dance your own feet off at AOH Notre Dame Division 1’s annual ceili, and see Burning Bridget Cleary burn up the stage at the Dutch Country Playhouse in Telford.

All in all, not a bad weekend to be Irish.

On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, AOH Division 51 is holding its fourth annual “Fill the cart-help a vet in need” project at the Thriftway at Aramingo and York in Philadelphia. Food donations will help homeless vets served by the Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service and Education Center.

On stage at the Merriam Theater through Monday is the touring company of “Lord of the Dance,” a classic good vs. evil story told in Irish dance. We talked to the evil Dark Lord himself, dancer Adam McSharry, last week. It’s his eighth year as the embodiment of evil and he loves it.

Burning Bridget Cleary is a hot—really—local group that’s destined for big things. This is your chance to see them locally in concert on Saturday night in Telford.

In a dancing mood? Head over to Swedesburg and move your feet to the music of Tom McHugh and Kevin and Jimmy McGillian.

On Sunday night, Bill and Karen Reid are hosting a house party featuring Brother, a Celtic rock group. There’s limited seating so call now.

On Thursday, the Irish Network-Philadelphia group (we call them IN-Philly because we know them, but you can too) will hold its second happy hour at Maggie O’Neill’s Pub in Drexel Hill. Look for monthly get-togethers, including some tag rugby (we’ll be taking a pass on that) down the line and a trip to one of the Irish Center’s popular Rambling House events.

You probably remember Irish-American actress Kathy Kinney as the make-up-impaired Mimi Bobeck on The Drew Carey Show. She and friend, Cindy Ratzlaff, have just written a book called “Queen of Your Own Life,” which encourages women to claim their happiness—and even wear a crown once in a while. She’ll be at the Barnes and Noble Store in Cherry Hill on Thursday night signing books (sans Mimi makeup, but perhaps wearing a crown). It’s a well-written, funny book (you expected something less?) that’s as wise as it is wise-ass.

Country music singer-songwriter Craig Bickhardt is making his every third Thursday appearance this week at The Shanachie in Ambler. He’s played with and recorded with the best, including Martina McBride, B.B. King, Vince Gill, The Judds and Ray Charles.
Next weekend is a killer: So much to choose from, so little time. The Philadelphia Ceili Group is holding a fundraiser on Saturday, May 22, to help finance its annual traditional music festival in September. They’re pulling from the city’s bountiful local talent, including fiddler Paraic Keane, guitarist John Brennan, and whistle and flute maven Paddy O’Neill to create a brilliant, home-grown concert. Requested donation is $15, but give more—it’s tax deductible.

On Sunday afternoon, one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People—Philadelphia nun and activist for the homeless, Sister Mary Scullion—will be among 11 Delaware Valley Irish and Irish-American women honored at the Irish Center in its first Inspirational Irish Women awards event. The cocktail reception and awards program kicks off an art exhibit of portraits by Pat Gallagher, formerly of the Main Line and the son of Irish immigrants. Go to the Web site to order tickets.

Next weekend Burning Bridget Cleary (remember what we told you about them) is also doing a workshop for the Philadelphia Folksong Society; tenor Daniel O’Donnell will be performing at the Academy of Music, and the Coatesille Irish Music Series is bringing legendary duo Kevin Burke and Cal Scott to the stage at the Coatesville.
Check the calendar for all the details.

Ford Motor Company chief economist Ellen Hughes-Cromwick will speak at the Irish-American Business Chamber this week.

When the recession looked like it was going to kick the American auto industry to the curb, the Ford Motor Company emerged as the only one of the big three in a position to survive. Not only did it survive, it’s thriving. In April, Ford reported a net profit of $2.2 billion or 50 cents a share—its largest pretax profit in six years, and all due to higher sales, not a bailout.

You have a unique opportunity to find out how Ford did it on Wednesday when Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, the company’s chief economist and global director of strategy, speaks to the Irish American Business Chamber and Network at a lunch meeting at the Union League in Philadelphia. The event is open to non-members, but you’ll have to act fast to save a seat. Contact Alanna Barry McCloskey at abarry@iabcn.org.

This weekend will give you ample opportunity to flex your Irish. On Saturday, Bill and Karen Reid will roll out their fourth annual Phoenixille Celtic Street Fair. Those wonderful folks who bring you the Mid-Winter Scottish-Irish Festival and the new Brittingham’s summer Scottish-Irish Festival and more are stocking the 200 block of Bridge Street with the best in local Irish entertainment, including the always good Bogside Rogues, Charlie Zahm, Olier McElhone, Na’Bodach, Irish Thunder, and the New York Celtic Dancers. As always, there will be dozens of vendors and lots to eat and drink. Even without the festival, Phoenixville has a lot to offer, but with it, wow.

If you stay in Phoenixville for dinner, head over to Molly Maguire’s to hear the remarkable local group, Burning Bridget Cleary, performing starting at 6 p.m.

If your Irish ancestors came to America to work as servants in the homes of the wealthy, you will enjoy a talk by Margaret Lynch-Brennan, author of “The Irish Bridget,” the story of Irish immigrant servants from 1840 to 1930, at the Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion in Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon.

On Saturday night, The Galway Society is holding its annual dinner dance at the Irish Center, with music provided by the Vince Gallagher Band.

On Thursday, Villanova University librarians Darren Poley and Michael Foight will speak at the Independence Seaport Museum about the digitization of the Commodore Barry papers, a joint project that brings together materials owned by Independence Seaport Museum and other family-related papers. Included are items that feature nautical related themes with content from Commodore John Barry (1745-1803), a Wexford native who lived and is buried in Philadelphia. The event includes a tour of the museum and its archives by Matt Herbison, director of the J. Welles Henderson Archives and Library, Independence Seaport Museum. Light refreshments will be served.

And for all you Saw Doctors fans, your guys will be performing at The Note, an intimate venue in West Chester on Thursday night.

Friday is “choose your own Celtic treat” day. Here’s what’s going on:

AOH Division 3 is holding its annual golf outing and dinner at the Pine Crest Country Club in Lansdale, a fundraiser for AOH charities.

Two of our favorites, Matt and Shannon Heaton, are performing at Immanuel Episcopal Church in Wilmington, DE. (They’re heading back our way on May 26 for a special show at the Shanachie Pub and Restaurant.)

Michael Flately’s “Lord of the Dance” extravaganza starts its weekend run at the Merriam Theater on South Broad Street in Philadelphia. (We talked to one of the leads, Adam McSharry, who plays Don Dorcha, the dark lord.)

Seven Nations, the Celtic heavy metal rockers, will be playing at Brittingham’s in Lafayette Hill (kilts, bagpipes, and nonstop guitar riffs—trust me, it works).

Coming up: On May 22, there will be a musical benefit at the Irish Center to raise money for the Philadelphia Ceili Group’s annual traditional music festival (that happens in September), featuring Paddy O’Neill with traditional Northern Ireland tunes on wooden flute, traditional and original music by John Brennan on fiddle and guitar; John McGillian on accordian; Caitlyn Finley playing fiddle tunes from the late Andy McGann and others; and Paraic Keane uses his fiddle to show how musical virtuosity is genetic (his father, Sean, is with the Chieftains, and uncle, James Keane, is such an accomplished button accordian player he has an instrument named after him). An open session will follow the concert, so bring your instruments. Tickets are only $15.

On May 23, the Irish Center and the Irish Immigration Center of Greater Philadelphia will honor 11 “Inspirational Irish Women” at a cocktail reception which will also open an exhibit of portraits done by Pat Gallagher, the son of Irish immigrants who grew up on Philadelphia’s Main Line. Tickets to the event are $35 and include hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer. You can order tickets online or by calling 215-884-1936 or 215-779-1466. Proceeds from the event benefit the Irish Center and Project H.O.M.E., a charity founded by one of the honorees, Sister Mary Scullion.

The other honorees are Princess Grace of Monaco; Emily Riley, executive vice president of the Connelly Foundation; Sister Kathleen Marie Keenan, senior vice president of Mercy Health; Rosemarie Timoney, founder of the Timoney School of Irish Dance; Kathy Orr, CBS3 meterologist; Denise Sullivan Morrison, president of a major division of the Campbell’s Soup Company; Liz Kerr of LAOH Brigid McCrory Division 25; Siobhan Reardon, first woman president of the Free Library of Philadelphia; Rosabelle Gifford, first recipient of the Rose of Tralee Mary O’Connor Spirit Award for her courageous spirit; and Kathy McGee Burns, first woman president of the Donegal Association, president of the Delaware Valley Hall of Fame, and first vice president of the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Observance Association.

This is your week to pick up some interesting tidbits of Irish history.

On Sunday, Celtic scholar Sister Sheila Holly SSJ, will present a talk on “The Ancient Celts who They Were” at the Ancient Order of HiberniansHall in Bristol Borough.

Genealogist and blogger Deborah Large Fox’s Irish genealogy group meets on Thursday morning at the Family History Center in Cherry Hill, where you can learn about tracing your own Irish history.

And on the following Saturday,writer Margaret Lynch-Brennan will talk about her book, “The Irish Bridget,”about Irish immigrant in domestic service from 1840 to 1930, at the historic Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion in Germantown.

On Friday, May 7, the Philadelphia Ceili Group is sponsoring the only Philadelphia screening of the life and times of the late Liam Clancy of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem at the Irish Center. Tickets will not be sold at the door so order yours now (they’re only $10).

Synchronize your calendars: Next Saturday is the fourth annual Irish Street Festival in Phoenixville, a free event filled with music, dancing, vendors, food, and general conviviality in a town that’s vying for “most Irish community” in Pennsylvania (take that as a challenge, Upper Darby).

And on May 23, honor 11 remarkable Irish women and help support the Philadelphia Irish Center at a cocktail party and awards program at the Irish Center, which opens an art exhibit. The fabulous contemporary Irish group, Runa, and members of the musical Boyce family (including Michael and John of Blackthorn and their sister, Karen, who sang with Causeway) will perform. Tickets are only $35 and include hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer, and a chance to mingle with some of the most amazing women you’ll ever meet.

The McDade Dancers, taking it to the street. They're holding a feis this weekend.

The two Irish plays in town have gotten rave reviews. This is your last weekend to see Enda Walsh’s “Bedbound” from the Inis Nua Theatre Company at the Playground at the Adrienne. Conor McPherson’s “Shining City” is also wrapping up its run, so get your tickets now.

There’s a lot going on this week that you need to know about, whether you like Celtic rock, trad, Irish dancing, or Irish conviviality. And hey, who doesn’t like all of those things?

On Saturday, Jamison, the Celtic rock band, is headlining the Benefit for Chrissy (Chrissy Hemphill, an 11-year-old with a degenerative hip disorder) at the Firefighters Union in Philadelphia.

On Saturday night, the Broken Shillelaghs are playing at Heavy’s on the Harbor in Gloucester City, NJ, just over the bridge from Philadelphia.

On Sunday The McDade School is holding its Four Provinces Feis at the Marple Sports Arena in Broomall. If you’ve never been to a feis (pronounced fesh), this is one to see since McDade produces some serious championship dancers.

The Derry Society is hold its spring social at the Irish Center on Sunday, starting at 3 p.m. The Bare Knuckle Boxers and the Shantys will provide the music, and the Cummins and Gibbons School dancers will show you how it’s done. There’s an adult and kids’ buffet.

It’s a busy Sunday. Once again, Blackthorn is raising money for the USO. The second annual USO Rocks the Troops with Blackthorn is on tap at P.J. Whelihan’s Pub in Cherry Hill, N.J.

If you look at our calendar, you’ll see Canadian group Great Big Sea is playing at Sellersville, but the show has been sold out for weeks. You’ll have to call for any last minute cancellations.

Coming up next Friday, Isaac Alderson, Grainne Murphy, and Alan Murray will play in concert at the Irish Center, sponsored by the Philadelphia Ceili Group. Alderson is a world-class flute player, the only American since Cherish the Ladies’ Joannie Madden to win a tin whistle championship, which he grabbed at the 2002 Fleadh Cheoil in Listowel, Ireland. He was also named All-Ireland Senior Champion in two other instruments—uilleann pipes and flute. This is your chance to see hear a world-class musician who defines “triple threat.” And he’s not even 25.

Tempest—Celtic with a Norwegian twist, in Phoenixville this week.

With any luck, the Irish will be bringing luck to the Phillies on Friday night as they face the Marlins and a bunch of Irish dancers and singers on the field for Irish Heritage Night. One thing is for sure—the Phanatic will be wearing green.

The rest of the week is no slouch. The California Celtic band with the Norwegian flavor, Tempest, is playing at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville on Saturday night, with Burning Bridget Cleary and Coyote Run opening. Sounds like quite an Irish evening with Norwegian undertones.

On Sunday, head over to the Shanachie in Ambler for Family Day with Timlin and Kane, an event so popular they’re doing it twice this year.

Also on Sunday, Scottish singer-songwriter Dougie MacLean is playing at World Café Live (this would be one for How to Be Scottish in Philly, except that a Celt’s a Celt as far as we’re concerned). And at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Gaelic Storm whips up a storm.

A little change of pace on Tuesday: The Irish Studies program at Villanova University is hosting a special evening with Irish poets Peter Fallon and Seamus Heaney to celebrate 10 years of the Charles A. Heimbold Jr. chair of Irish Studies. Heaney is a Nobel Prize-winning poet and playwright from Northern Ireland. Fallon was the inaugural Heimbold Professor of Irish studies at Villanova.

On Thursday, the inaugural meeting of Irish Network-Philadelphia, part of a larger nonprofit organization that aims to bring Irish and Irish-American professionals together, takes place at Tir na NoG on Arch Street in Philadelphia.

Also on Thursday night, you can hear the strong roots that Irish music has set down in the American Appalachian and bluegrass tradition at the Annenberg Center with “Music from the Crooked Road,” featuring Appalachian guitar master Wayne Henderson and banjo virtuoso Sammy Shelor in addition The White Top Mountain Band, hot, young Bluegrass band Amber Collins & No Speed Limit and other extraordinary musicians.

On Friday, Blackthorn will be playing yet another benefit, this one for the Lions Club in Thornton, PA.

All next week you can see Inis Nua Theatre Company’s production of Enda Walsh’s powerful play, “Bedbound,” at the Adrienne in Philadelphia, and Theatre Exile’s “Shining City,” the critically acclaimed play by Conor McPherson, at Plays and Players.

Coming up in the next few weeks: Danny Quinn returns to the Irish Times in Philly; the Broken Shillelaghs play at the Bristol Borough AOH club; Jamison rocks out in a benefit at the Firefighter’s Union Hall in Philadelphia; the McDade School’s Four Provinces Feis (pronounced fesh, it’s a dance competition) is scheduled in Broomall, and the Derry Society Spring Social is on tap at the Irish Center. There’s even more on our calendar, so check it out.

Kevin Crawford and Cillian Vallely are heading to Coatesville this weekend.

A parade, a Blackthorn fundraiser, and three top notch traditional musical groups are on the bill for the weekend—and really, that’s not the half of it. March madness is in full swing and it has nothing to do with basketball.

First up, Saturday, the first parade to march down any street in the area heads down High Street in Mt. Holly. The Burlington County St. Patrick’s Day Parade is always the first to go and it’s followed up by a music-filled after party.

But there’s music in the air everywhere this weekend. Annmarie O’Riordan takes the stage at the Irish Center on Friday night. She performed at the CBS3 Pre-Parade party last night and about 100 noisy partiers stopped in their tracks and just listened. This 20-year-old from Cork sang a cappella and commanded the room.

The incredible trad group from the Midwest, BUA, is taking over the stage at the Irish Center on Saturday night. They performed last year at the Philadelphia Ceili Group Festival and at the Bethlehem Celtic Festival and deservedly earned many new fans on the east coast. The Ceili Group is bringing them back to Philly not only for a concert but for workshops on Saturday afternoon.

And for all you trad fans, two of my favorite performers, Kevin Crawford and Cillian Vallely of Lunasa, will be at the Coatesville Cultural Society on Sunday. They’re both stellar musicians, but with Crawford you get a second show—he’s one of the funniest guys I’ve ever met.

Here’s the rest of the weekend’s lineup:

Saturday

• It’s Gael Scoill III in Lawrenceville, NJ, two days of immersion in Irish language and culture for kids 7-17.
• Irish acoustic performer Raymond Coleman from County Tyrone has played with Shane McGowan (of Pogues fame), Paddy Reilly and U2 and is at Con Murphy’s Pub on the Parkway in Philly on Saturday.
• Join Jamison, the Seven Rings Band and the Timoney Irish Dancers at Queen Of Peace Parish in Ardsley on Saturday for their annual Irish Night.
• Paddy’s Well is playing at the AOH Division 6 Montgomery County Officer Jack Duffy St. Patrick’s Day Beef and Beer in Schwenksville.
• The Gloucester County AOH is also having its St. Patrick’s Day Party with the Broken Shillelaghs.
• Tenor Ronan Tynan will be warbling from the stage of the Keswick Theatre in Glenside

Sunday

• Gaelic Storm will be whooping it up at the Grand Opera House in Wilmington, DE, a step up from below decks on the Titanic (they were the band playing while Leonard DiCaprio danced in the James Cameron flick).
• The Annual St. Baldrick’s Fundraiser for Pediatric Cancer is being held at the Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collingswood, NJ.
• Fiddlers Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas will be performing at Brittingham’s Irish Pub in Lafayette Hill on Sunday night, but will be offering workshops in a variety of instruments in the afternoon.
• The last of the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day fundraisers will be held at the Springfield Country Club. Last year, more than 700 people showed up for a great party featuring Blackthorn, Irish dancers, food, drink, and a silent auction that raised oodles of cash for the financially strapped parade.
• A new play, “Yours, Isabel,” inspired by the real letters written by Isabel McMenamin to her husband during World War II debuts at Care One at Evesham in Marlton, NJ.
• The Tossers—we love that name—a Chicago group fusing Celtic, folk and punk rock (always an interesting combination) will be appearing at the Khyber in Philadelphia.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, you have the chance to meet Kevin O’Hara, author of “The Last of the Donkey Pilgrims: A Man’s Journey Through Ireland,” first at Fergie’s Pub in Philadelphia and then at the Irish Immigration Center in Upper Darby. An ex-solider, Kevin O’Hara was unable to let go of his memories of the horrors of war. While in Ireland living with relatives, he decided to travel around the island in a donkey cart–1,800 miles with a shaggy donkey called Missy.O’Hara will be reading from his book and talking about his adventures at these special events organized by the Immigration Center.

The Brehon Law Society is holding its St. Patrick’s Day party at the Stotesbury Mansion (aka “Philo Club”) in Philadelphia on Thursday.

Also on Thursday: AOH Notre Dame Division 1 is carrying on its Irish Coffee Contest tradition in Swedesburg. This is always a good time, with free tastes for all comers.

Philadelphia’s own Rosaleen McGill, a talented traditional singer and member of the Philadelphia Ceili Group, will be appearing with Larry McKenna’s Irish Cabaret Show at the Paddocks at Devon on Thursday night.

For you Scythian fans—your boys are at TLA in Philly on Thursday night. These wild DC guys play a fusion of gypsy, rock, and Celtic music at a super-charged pace that make them an addiction.

If you’re not averse to doing a little traveling, The Big Apple Feis and St. Patrick’s Day Gala is on over the weekend in New York with an incredible lineup of stars, including Tony DeMarco, Girsa, the Trinity Academy of Irish Dance, and many more.

Closer to home, Ireland’s Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Hannafin will be coming to Philadelphia to spend parade weekend with us. There will be a reception in her honor at the Philopatrian Literary Institute in downtown Philadelphia, sponsored by the Irish Immigration Center.

That same evening, the Philadelphia Ceili Group is holding its annual St. Patrick’s Day Ceili with live music and dancing.

That brings us up to Philly’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade weekend. But more about that next week. Check out our calendar. There’s plenty more where this came from.

They're doing a benefit for the Little Sisters of the Poor.

The month of March is nearly upon us, and from now on, the Irish will be defining the phrase “March madness.” We are about to be awash in all things Celtic, from shamrock shakes and deely bobbers to pipe and drum bands and some of the best Irish music you’ll hear on this side of the Atlantic.

Speaking of the best Irish music you’ll hear. . . we’re going to start with the end of the week when Anne Marie O’Riordan, one of Ireland’s rising stars, kicks off her first American tour at the Irish Center on Friday night, March 5. O’Riordan, a 20-year-old college student from Cork, has been singing professionally since she was 12, when she sand “Pádraig Óg Mo Chro” on a Comhaltas Ceoltoir Eireann CD called “Down Erin’s Lovely Lee.” She recorded her first solo CD at 14 and her second at 16, mixing traditional tunes with popular Irish country songs. She’s introducing her third CD, “Ireland—Love of My Heart,” during the American tour which is taking her to New York, New Jersey, New England before she returns to Philadelphia on March 13 for a performance at the Devon Theater in Philadelphia. She’s been in the St. Patrick’s Day parade and will be performing at the Irish Center afterwards.

On the same evening, The Irish Tenors are performing at the Liacouras Center at Temple University as a benefit for the Little Sisters of the Poor, who operate the Holy Family Home for the Aged in Southwest Philadelphia. No offense to the late Pavarotti and friends, but the Irish make the best tenors and this group, with five PBS specials and seven albums (the latest is “Ireland”) under their belts, sing like angels, even without their former compatriot Ronan Tynan (who will be performing the day after, solo, at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside).

Before we back up, let’s go forward a little. There’s the aforementioned Ronan Tynan in Glenside on March 6. The same night, the Chicago-based traditional music group, BUA, makes another appearance at the Irish Center, fronted by Brian O’hairt. Superb musicians who have played solo and with other performers (people like Aoife Clancy, Martin Hayes, Liz Carroll, Paddy Keenan, and Liz Carroll) they form a winning combination. If you’re down in Delaware, you have Gaelic Storm at the Grand Opera House—relive every Irish viewers’ favorite scene from “Titanic” with this group that provided all the great music Leonardo Di Caprio danced to below decks. (Right, I know your favorite scene was the one in which Kate Winslet posed naked for Leo, but I’m pretending you went for the music.)

Okay, now we back up. Early on Saturday, February 27, those crazy polar bear types are plunging into the frigid Atlantic in N. Wildwood again—all to raise money the Philadelphia Fallen Heroes Survival Fund, a program operated by the city’s Fraternal Order of Police. God bless ‘em. There will be eating, drinking, and music afterwards, including Timmy Kelly and the Camden County Pipes and Drums. What, you thought they were just going to towel off and go home?

If you’re a Blackthorn fan, you probably already know they’re playing a benefit at Holy Child Academy in Drexel Hill on Saturday, February 27. Get there early or order tickets now. Blackthorn sells out pretty quickly.

Also Saturday night, the Irish Club of Delaware County is holding a beef and beer at R.P.Murphy’s in Holmes. There’s music, dancing, food and drink, all to raise money for the Club’s educational programs.

On Sunday, the John Byrne Group, Timlin and Kane, and many other local musicians will be playing at a fundraiser for the Sunday Irish Radio Shows on WTMR 800 AM at The Shanachie Pub and Restaurant in Ambler. Tune in between 11 and 1 that morning to donate to save the shows—then come to the musical fundraiser.

The Philadelphia Flower Show opens on Sunday, and features Irish harpist Moya Brennan, Irish cookbook authors, and Irish garden experts. Irish Heritage Day at the show is on Monday, sponsored by Tourism Ireland.

Also on Sunday—hear RUNA at the Sellersville Theater or attend the Grand Marshall’s dinner in Mt. Holly in advance of what’s usually the first parade to step off the curb every year (on March 6 this year).

On Monday, the Glengharry Boys are booked at the Sellersville Theatre; on Thursday, Cherish the Ladies (you must see them at least once before you die) are performing at the Grand Opera in Wilmington.

This is one busy week (we didn’t even cover all the regular things, which you can find on our calendar), but next week is even worse. . .or better, depending on how you look at it. Stay tuned!

If you missed him the first time he was here, your second chance to hear Gabriel Donohue at the Irish Center happens Friday night, February 19. Donohue, who has played at Carnegie Hall, at the Clinton White House, and on CNN, and the network morning shows, is a singer and multi-instrumentalist. He’ll be performing with Marian Makins and Pairac Keane.

If your bent is comedy, there’s an evening of it to benefit Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia at Maggie O’Neill’s in Drexel Hill on Friday night.

And it’s a jam-packed Saturday night:

The Rose of Tralee Winter BBQ which was postponed because of the snow is going on at The Willows Mansion in Villanova on Saturday night. Meet the reigning Rose of Tralee Jocelyn McGillian and many other lovely ladies while you pretend you’re out in the backyard eating grilled stuff. Well, you won’t have to pretend you’re eating grilled stuff—that will be there—but it might be a good idea to stay out of the back yard. It’s $20, all you can eat, with DJ Bucky Scott, Quizzo with prizes, kids’ activities and proceeds go to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure (the Roses participate).

Singer Danny Quinn is making a special appearance at The Irish Times, one of our favorite pubs in Philly, down in Queen Village. We’ve seen Quinn perform at the Shanachie in Ambler and he’s also one of our favorites.

John Byrne is trotting out his newest CD, After the Wake, at World Café Live on Saturday night. Byrne, Enda Keegan, and Damien Byrne will be performing, but the event is sold out. You gotta move on these things people. We told you about John Byrne a week ago.

AOH Division 1 in Bristol Borough is hosting a benefit for Project Children, a program that brings kids from Northern Ireland to the US during the summer. There will be music by the Birmingham Six, members of the band Jameson, The Shanty’s, and Susie and the Sizzlers.

Wish we could be everywhere.

On Sunday, don’t forget that the WTMR 800AM Irish radio shows are holding their on-air fundraiser. Lots of great gifts and prizes. Tune in at 11 AM.

The second of four St. Patrick’s Day Parade fundraisers is scheduled for Sunday at 3 PM at the Mayfair Community Center. This one honors Grand Marshal Seamus Boyle, national president of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, and the Ring of Honor recipients. It features music by The Shanty’s (they’re having a busy weekend), Ballina, The Gallagher Brothers, and the Irish Dance Group Celtic Flame. Plus food and drink and prizes and all the usual frivolity, all for a good cause.

The Jameson Sisters—that’s singer Teresa Kane and harper Ellen Tepper—will be performing at the Molly Maguire Pub and Restaurant in Phoenixville. We could go on and on about the Jamesons, the Molly Maguire Pub, and Phoenixville, but suffice it to say (as Sister Silvanus used to put it) that it’s a fabulous combination.

On Monday night, the Inis Nua Theatre Company, which produces plays from the UK and Ireland, is starting its reading series with “O Go My Man,” a play by Sheila Feehily at The Playground at the Adrienne Theatre on Sansom Street in Philadelphia.

Then on Tuesday—Parade Fundraiser #3, this one at Con Murphy’s Pub on the Parkway at 17th with the group, Slainte. Gourmet hors d’oeuvres are promised and it’s an open bar, all for $50 which goes to help the Philly St. Patrick’s Day Parade make up a $100,000 shortfall.

And it’s not over yet. On Wednesday, join Sarah Conaghan of the Rose of Tralee Center and Alan Farrelly, vice consul of Ireland, at Tir na nOg, for a discussion of what it means to be Irish these days. All with Irish food and drink, sponsored by International House’s Culture and Cuisine program.

Or, join RUNA, a multinational Irish group HQed in Philly at the World Café Live, also on Wednesday night.

And the week’s entertainment is not over. On Friday night, Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfetones will be performing at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Glenside at a benefit for the charities supported by the Sean McBride Div. 2 of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.

Also on Friday, Irish artist Sarah Iremonger’s mixed media exhibit opens at the University of the Arts in Broad Street in Philadelphia. It includes a mural, a video continuing original and found footage and digital photography and runs through March 17.

And it’s not even March.

TIVO ALERT: Just set it up for the next month, starting next week. Next Friday, the Irish Tenors are coming to the Liacouras Center, and Irish singing sensation Annemarie O’Riordan is kicking off her first American tour at the Irish Center on Friday, March 5. Wait, that’s not all. The Mount Holly St. Paddy’s Day parade is on Saturday and BUA, the super Irish trad group, will be on stage at the Irish Center that night, Ronan Tynan will be at the Keswick in Glenside, and that’s the weekend of Gael Scoil in Lawrenceville, NJ, where kids 7-17 can learn Irish history, language, music, sports and all things Celtic.

And wait, it’s still not over. On Sunday, the fourth Parade fundraiser with Blackthorn is at the Springfield Country Club, fiddlers Alasdair Frasier and Natalie Haas will be doing workshops and performing at Brittingham’s in Lafayette Hill, and Kevin Crawford and Cillian Vallely from Lunasa will be in Coatesville.

An embarrasment of riches, or bad planning? You decide.