News, People

The Roses Beat the Winter Blues

Jocelyn McGillian, the 2009 Rose, with her sisters, all future Roses?

Jocelyn McGillian, the 2009 Rose, with her sisters, all future Roses?

With a winter full of snow, snow and more snow, the Philadelphia Rose of Tralee Winter Blues BBQ held last Saturday at The Willows in Radnor went a long way towards banishing those blah feelings!

Managing Director of the Mid-Atlantic Rose of Tralee Sarah Conaghan, who was recently named one of Irish Echo’s Top 40 Under 40, organized the barbecue as a fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen Mothers Day Breast Cancer Walk.

“We raised close to $1,000 for our team, The Philadelphia Rose of Tralee. And we had a great turn-out, over 150 people,” Conaghan announced.

February 25, 2010 by
Arts, Food & Drink, News, People

Introducing the World to Irish Cuisine and Culture

Irish Immigration Center head Siobhan Lyons, center,with 2009 Rose of Tralee, Jocelyn McGillian, introduced Irish culture to Norwegian Consul Erik Torp.

Irish Immigration Center head Siobhan Lyons, center,with 2009 Rose of Tralee, Jocelyn McGillian, introduced Irish culture to Norwegian Consul Erik Torp.

Philadelphia International House beat the St. Paddy’s Day rush with its February Culture and Cuisine Program: It brought Irish and Irish Americans together with diners from all over the world to sample Irish cuisine on Wednesday night at Tir na nOg Bar and Grill at 16th and Arch Street.

Ireland’s Vice Consul Alan Farrelly, Irish Immigration Center Executive Director Siobhan Lyons, and Rose of Tralee Centre Managing Director Sarah Conaghan spoke and the 2009 Rose, Jocelyn McGillian, a mezzo soprano, sang, but the evening was about food, drink and conversation.

Lyons made sure there was someone Irish at every table to chat and answer questions, but the conversations rambled like an Irish country road—the mark of a good party. The event was sold out, but twenty more people showed up “causing no end of problems in the kitchen,” said Lyons. But it was just a matter of throwing a few more hangar steaks and salmon filets in the oven and pulling up a few more chairs.

February 25, 2010 by
Music

The Show Must Go On

Gabriel Donohue with his bandaged hand.

Gabriel Donohue with his bandaged hand.

A few days before his February 19 concert at the Irish Center, Gabriel Donohue slipped on an icy step and broke his hand. Not a good thing when you play a guitar. But in the spirit of all the performers who have gone before him, Donohue made sure the show would go on. He hired Harrisburg native Sean Ernest, who recently toured with Teada, to take his place on guitar while Donohue soldiered on with one and a half hands on the piano.

It was a treat to have Ernest back on the Irish Center stage again. As a high school student, he was part of a young group of musicians who captured the attention of some of the top Irish musicians in the world—like Mick Moloney who tapped Ernest to play with him at his annual St. Malachy’s School benefit concert.

The Irish Center’s stage was packed with talent, including Philadelphia-based traditional singer Marian Makins and fiddler Paraic Keane (yes, of those Keanes—his father, Sean, is a long-time member of The Chieftains who are appearing at the Kimmel Center in a couple weeks).

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    • February 25, 2010 by
    Arts, Music, News, People

    The 2010 Mid-Winter Scottish & Irish Festival & Fair

    Showing a little leg.

    Showing a little leg.

    Kilts.

    Everywhere you looked at the 2010 Mid-Winter Scottish & Irish Festival, kilts. The Washington Memorial Pipe Band performed jigs, reels and strathspeys there at the Valley Forge Scanticon all weekend, and of course, you know what they wore. Hanging about the concert stage, beers at the ready, fans of the rowdy band Albannach were decked out in their own colorful tartans—with Doc Martens, which was a nice touch. On Saturday, one young woman paraded about in the shortest kilt I’ve ever seen—not that I looked. We also bumped into a dude named Tweak with a multicolor mohawk, and he was modeling the rugged, no-nonsense Utilikilt. Yessir, we were up to our keisters in kilts.

    Of course, Highland apparel wasn’t the only attraction. Organizers Bill and Karen Reid made sure there was plenty to keep festival-goers occupied. The Celts who crowded onto the convention hall floor, starting Friday night and on into late Sunday afternoon, rocked out to great bands like Searson, Paddy’s Well, the Tartan Terrors, Screaming Orphans, Rathkeltair and Brother. (And the aforementioned Albannoch.)

    Noshers had their pick of snacks, from meat pies to shortbread to Bailey’s and brown bread ice cream served up by the sweet folks at the Scottish Highland Creamery from Maryland’s Eastern Shore. For tipplers, there were whisky tastings and pints (sadly, small pints) of Smithwick’s.

    If you wanted to, you could take Irish language lessons or break out your fiddle and play in a traditional music session. Kids from the Campbell School of Highland Dance and Fitzpatrick School of Irish Dance were up on their toes all weekend. Vendors sold everything from miniature whiskey barrels to personalized pub paintings to Claddagh rings. The Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day parade had a table. So did the Sunday morning Irish radio shows. (And, for the first time, us too.)

    In the midst of a dreary winter, in the wake of a bone-chilling midweek blizzard, the 2010 festival was just what the doctor ordered. And you’d better believe the Reids were keeping an eye on the weather forecasts.

    Says a relieved Bill Reid, “We were sweating bullets the week before and were more than happy when we missed the previous weekend but when Wednesday happened … well, need I say more?”

    The cold and the snow—not to mention the ice-coated Scanticon parking lot—evidently didn’t deter festival fans, especially on the first full day of the event. “Saturday is always the bigger day and this year was slightly better than last,” says Reid, “and that was our record setter.”

    The Reids are already thinking about how to make next year’s event even better, with an eye toward boosting Sunday attendance and drawing in more locals.

    We’ve been going for years, and wouldn’t miss it. The Mid-Winter Festival is a great warm-up for the St. Patrick’s craziness that is to come.

    Couldn’t make it? Check out our videos.

    Washington Memorial Pipe Band With Campbell School of Highland Dance Part 1
    http://www.irishphiladelphia.com/video/washingtoncampbell2010

    Washington Memorial Pipe Band With Campbell School of Highland Dance Part 2
    http://www.irishphiladelphia.com/video/washingtoncampbell2010-02 

    Albannach in Concert at the 2010 Mid-Winter Scottish & Irish Festival
    http://www.irishphiladelphia.com/video/albannoch2010

    Brother in Concert at the 2010 Mid-Winter Scottish & Irish Festival
    http://www.irishphiladelphia.com/video/brother2010

    Paddy’s Well at the 2010 Mid-Winter Scottish & Irish Festival
    http://www.irishphiladelphia.com/video/paddyswell2010

    Fitzpatrick Irish Dancers Step Out
    http://www.irishphiladelphia.com/video/fitzpatrick2010-01

    The Little Ones
    http://www.irishphiladelphia.com/video/littleones

    Amazing Grace
    http://www.irishphiladelphia.com/video/amazinggrace

    Fitzpatrick Irish Dancers
    http://www.irishphiladelphia.com/video/fitzpatrick2010-02

    February 18, 2010 by
    News

    A Friendly Irish Voice, Just A Phone Call Away

    In a world that seems to be yammering at us from every direction—TV, radio, Internet, blogs, texts—all they do is listen.

    They’re the volunteers for Senior Connect, the American version of an Irish organization called Senior Help Line, founded in 1998 by Mary Nally, chairperson of Third Age Foundation, an organization run for and by older people in Summerhill, County Meath. Its patron is Ireland’s President Mary McAleese.

    This unique service, aimed at providing the lonely with someone to chat with on the phone, has been operating out of New York’s Irish centers for about a year. Now, there’s a toll-free number—1-877-997-5777—that opens up the service to the rest of the country.

    “We’re fairly sure there’s a demand for it,” says Alan Farrelly, Ireland’s vice consul in New York. “There are a lot of Irish dispersed around the country with no access to an Irish organization where they can meet other Irish people. If they’re feeling lonely and just want to talk to an Irish person, this is an alternative.”

    Farrelly admits that some personal experiences he’s had on the job suggest it’s an idea that could take off. “I’ve gotten calls from people who call, ostensibly with a visa question, but don’t really want anything. They were lonely and just wanted to call for a chat. You know how Irish people like to talk,” he laughed.

    Dialing Senior Connect might put you in touch with Margaret Fogarty, a 73-year-old great-grandmother from County Kerry, but a resident of Woodlawn in the Bronx since 1954. She underwent weeks of training last year at New York’s Emerald Isle Center to prepare her to be a good listener. In a way, she says, she acts like a virtual “cup of tea.”

    “When people go to the Irish center there’s always a cup of tea going on,” she says. “So many people don’t have that. So they call us just to chat.”

    The service is confidential—the volunteers don’t ask any personal questions or record the calls. “We don’t know their names or where they live,” she says. “We don’t want to know. We do become friends on the phone and will give them numbers for other services if they need it, but really we’re just there to listen.”

    She’s gotten calls from seniors who are isolated in many ways—they’re snowed in, haven’t gotten the expected phone call or visit from their families, have recently lost a spouse. “One woman called because she hadn’t heard from her daughter and she didn’t understand why. She said, ‘They have time to go out to eat.’ And I just said, oh, you know, children are much busier today then they were when we were raising children. I bet your grandchildren are involved in soccer, lacrosse, field hockey—and she said yes. I told her, I know your daughter loves you to death, and she went off that phone feeling happy and I was happy. I knew. When mine were young they were involved in Irish dancing so we were everywhere.”

    The Senior Connect project recently received $40,000 from the Irish Government’s Emigrant Support Program to take it nationwide. The toll free number (1-877-997-5777) operates throughout the US and connects to the Emerald Isle’s Bronx office and the New York Irish Center where the volunteers operate the service. The hours of operation are Monday and Friday 4 – 6 pm and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 4 – 8 pm.

    Someone like Margaret Fogarty is waiting for your call. “I hope it takes off because I really enjoy it,” she says. “It’s important for people to know that they matter, to feel like you’re really listening to what they’re saying and that you’re feeling for them. And I do.”

    February 16, 2010 by
    Music

    Review: “Exiles Return”

    Exiles ReturnImmigration, whether now or in the 1840s, has always been a wrenching story. You can read all about it in the history books—or in today’s New York Times. But no medium has ever told the story better than a song.

    The new instant classic by Karan Casey and John Doyle, “Exiles Return,” is full of them. Not every tune, certainly, but more than half of the 12 tracks are sensitively rendered tales of loving, longing and leaving. We’re not talking about overexposed, overproduced tunes like “Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears,” either. It’s easy to trivialize the experience of leaving a land, and a lot of artists can’t resist the temptation. These are not the kinds of tunes that can easily be summed up, as Seamus Egan of Solas has put it, as “a story about a man, a woman and some farm animals, ending in disaster.”

    “Exiles Return” is an altogether different type of album. It features traditional tunes like “Sally Grier,” “The Bay of Biscay,” “The Nightingale” and “The Flower of Finae,” along with a couple of more recent tunes, “The Shipyard Slips” by David Wilde and the title tune, “Exiles Return,” by Doyle himself. What makes the CD different is not so much the songs, although they’re all choice. Casey and Doyle, with some help from Michael McGoldrick on flute and whistle and producer Dirk Powell on banjo and double bass, have created an unembellished recording in which the pure emotion of the songs can be allowed to shine through. Probably the best example of that approach is Casey’s riveting unaccompanied performance of the tender love song “Out of the Window.”

    “Unembellished” doesn’t mean “Exiles Return” is completely devoid of instrumentality. How disappointing that would be for fans of the great John Doyle! There’s probably no guitarist on the planet more consistently inventive and adventurous. Longtime Solas bassist Chico Huff, talking about accompanying Doyle, notes that he never plays the same thing twice. Every verse brings new layers and textures, new chord progressions, phrasing and licks. If you’re a Doyle devotee, you won’t be disappointed. His muscular strumming on the opening track, “The False Lady” and on “Madam I’m a Darlin'” show why Doyle is the standard against which all others are judged.

    Karan Casey, who previously performed with Doyle in the Irish-American supergroup Solas, was simply born to sing these songs. Like Doyle, she’s one of a kind. No one sounds quite like her. Whether taking the lead or joining Doyle in harmonies—and there are many delicious harmonies on “Exiles Return”—she has the talent for infusing every tune, including some that might be hundreds of years old, with fresh new energy and deep layers of meaning.

    Lovers of songs will also appreciate that many of the tunes invite audience participation—even if you’re in the car alone, driving to work. They’re just very singable, with catchy refrains. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself wandering down the fruit and veggie aisle at the Giant, singing sotto voce, “Madam I’m a darlin’, a die row dither-o, madam I’m a darlin’ a die row day.”

    “Exiles Return” finds two great traditional artists at the top of their game. Don’t wait to join them in song.

    February 15, 2010 by
    Columns, How to Be Irish in Philly

    How To Be Irish In Philly This Week

    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.

    February 15, 2010 by
    Music, News

    They’re Putting the Fun in Fundraising

    You get to see these little girls in action at the Blackthorn fundraiser.

    You get to see these little girls in action at the Blackthorn fundraiser.

    When you’re Irish and you need to raise money, you schedule some fun and ask people to pay for it. That’s what the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade committee is doing and they have to come up with $100,000 so they’re offering lots of fun, starting this weekend.

    The St. Paddy’s Day Parade will have a table at the Mid-Winter Scottish and Irish Festival which starts Friday night at the Valley Forge Convention Center and goes through Sunday. Local Philly organizations including the Sunday WTMR-800AM radio shows, the Philadelphia and Mid-Atlantic Rose of Tralee Center, and www.irishphiladelphia.com will have raffle items on display (since it’s Valentine’s weekend, we understand there’s a lot of chocolate involved) to raise money for the parade expenses, which include police, bleachers, port-a-potties and clean-up, all costs the city picked up in better economic times. In between listening to the earthquake producing Albannach, dancing to the Andy Cooney band or tasting whiskey, stop by and take a chance or make a donation.

    On Sunday, February 21, AOH Msgr. Thomas J. Rilley Div. 39 is sponsoring a benefit from 3-7 PM honoring 2010 Grand Marshal Seamus Boyle, national AOH president, at the Prezel Community Center, 2990 St. Vincent Street, in the Mayfair section of the city. Your $25 donation covers food, beer, wine, soda and music by the Shantys, the Gallagher Brothers, and Ballina and an appearance by the always flashy Celtic Flame dancers.

    Con Murphy’s Pub at 17th and the Parkway is the location for another benefit on February 23 from 6 to 9 PM—right there on the parade route. Expect gourmet hors d’oeuvres, an open bar and music by Slainte for $50 per person. There’s even a parking discount: $4 right next door on 17th Street, between the Parkway and Arch Street. For additional information contact: Mary Frances Fogg at 215-744-5589. Get your tickets at the door.

    Then hang on to your hats—but not your wallet. On Sunday, March 7, starting at 4 PM, Blackthorn will be rocking the Springfield Country Club, 400 Sproul Road, Springfield, Delco, a repeat of last year’s very successful fundraiser. For $25, you get a buffet meal and cash bar. You also get to see the McDade, Cara, and McHugh dancers, many of whom compete at the international level. You can purchase tickets at the door or contact Parade Director Michael Bradley at 610-449-4320.

    February 11, 2010 by