News

Irish Center Audience Hears from Congressman, Irish Ambassador on Brexit Impact

As the days wind down toward a Halloween deadline, Boris Johnson’s Brexit plans seem to shift with the political winds.

Two questions of pressing concern to Ireland remain unsettled:

Will the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union result in a hard customs border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland?

What will be the impact on the Northern Ireland peace process, as codified in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement?

If a Monday night emergency meeting at the Philadelphia Irish Center is any indication, there is keen local interest in the answers to both.

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October 3, 2019 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philly This Week

Take a little road trip this weekend, and you’re bound to find yourself up to your hackle in things Celtic and Irish.

We’re talking, of course, about the Celtic Classic, a three-day festival in beautiful Bethlehem.

The Classic is already under way today (September 27), but here’s what’s on tap for the next two days.

If you’re into Highland games—hammer throws, caber tosses and such—you’ll find them on the Highland Field. You’ll also get a chance to check out bagpipe bands, and border collies corralling sheep. That’s both days, from 10 a.m. ‘til about 6 p.m.

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September 27, 2019 by
Food & Drink

Behind the Bar with Aisling Cullen of Con Murphy’s

They start them young in Ireland.

Aisling Cullen, a bartender at Con Murphy’s on the Parkway, started working in a friend’s bar back in Bailieborough, County Cavan, at age 15. At 18, she moved up to bartender and, one way or another, in Ireland or here in the States, Cullen has been pouring Guinnesses ever since.

“I got to learn the ropes from everywhere,” she says. Cullen has been in the U.S. for 12 years, working first at the New Deck Tavern in University City, and then moving on to Con Murphy’s.

We caught up with her recently and chatted with her about her life behind the bar.

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September 26, 2019 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philly This Week

Break out your flip flops for the last weekend of summer and a great road trip down the shore. This is the weekend of the 28thAnnual Irish Fall Festival in North Wildwood, sponsored by James Reilly Division 1 Ancient Order of Hibernians.

The festival is already underway, but this Saturday and Sunday cap off one of the biggest and best Irish festivals on the East Coast.

On Saturday, vendors set up shop along Olde New Jersey Avenue and sell their wares from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Plenty of great food and drink on hand, too.

Also starting at 8 a.m., a 5K Run, with sign-in between 1stand 2ndon Olde New Jersey Avenue. Entry fee is $20. For more info, visit theirishjog.com.

Starting at 10 a.m. at Bill Henfey Park, at 8thand Central, check out the Brian Riley Pipe Exhibition, with bagpipe bands from up and down the East Coast. This event always draws a big crowd.

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September 20, 2019 by
Dance, Food & Drink, Music, Photo Essays, Photos

Big Finish: The 2019 Philadelphia Ceili Group Festival

The 2019 Philadelphia Ceili Group Irish Traditional Music & Dance Festival is over, but what a packed, fun-filled festival it was.

We showed you the Thursday night singers night last week, but that was just the beginning of a long weekend of tunes, high stepping, and workshops on how to do everything from play tin whistle to learn a bit of the Irish language to plumb the depths of your Irish heritage.

There was a dance exhibition by the Temple University Dance Team (go Owls!), along with a small orchestra of musicians from the area’s many traditional Irish music sessions, and a superb, intimate concert by piper Ivan Goff and fiddler Katie Linnane. There was a children’s story time, St. Brigid’s cross making, face painting, a hall full of Celtic and Irish vendors, and the kitchen kept on cranking out chow that had people going back for more.

If you were up for a pint or two, that was there, too.

Then, of course, there was the Saturday night finale concert in the ballroom, featuring singer Donie Carroll and Tony DeMarco and his band, the Atlantic Wave.

We have plenty of pictures, courtesy of Denise Foley and Jeff Meade.

Enjoy!

September 20, 2019 by
News

Brexit on the Menu as Irish Business Chamber Hosts Northern Irish Diplomat

Dr. Andrew McCormick

What happens next with Brexit is far from clear. The outcome is a moving target.

It’s one man’s job to take the long view, to inform Northern Irish government officials of the range of possibilities, depending on that eventual outcome.

Dr. Andrew McCormick, director of general international relations, is Northern Ireland’s senior civil servant. He spoke before the Irish American Business Chamber & Network in Philadelphia recently to share what he knows—about Brexit’s potential impact on the peace process and how the lingering political uncertainties might affect the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, along with the impact on the economy and U.S. businesses that have headquarters or operations in the north.

In a conversation before the roundtable, McCormick explained his mission during his stateside tour of Irish organizations.

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September 19, 2019 by
Music, People, Photos, Videos

Singers Night at the Philadelphia Ceili Group Festival

The Philadelphia Ceili Group kicked off the 45th  Annual Festival with its time-honored tradition of Singers Night. Hosted by Terry Kane (one half of the popular Jameson Sisters) and dedicated to the late Frank Malley, who was a driving force behind both Singers Night and the Festival itself, last night also brought poignant tributes to other beloved Irish Philadelphia musicians who have recently passed away.

The late Eugene O’Donnell, Kitty Kelly-Albrecht and Eugenia Brennan were all at the forefront throughout the evening, remembered in favorite songs and personal stories. Among the performers who took the stage were Ellen Tepper (the other half of the Jameson sisters) on the harp, Matt Ward, Rosaleen McGill, Jim McGill, Steve Stanislaw, John Handy, Kathleen Warren, Don Simon, Seamus Carmichael, Don Gill, Trish Callahan and Mike Albrecht.

Jeff took some photos and I got some videos. So, if you couldn’t be there in person, enjoy! And join us for the rest of the weekend; tonight’s Rambling House hosted by the River Drivers and the Ceili Dance with the McGillians & Friends starts at 8 p.m., and tomorrow’s day of concerts and activities begins at 11 a.m. and continues throughout the day and evening. For more information, check out the Philadelphia Ceili Group website.

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September 13, 2019 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philly This Week

You have one busy week ahead of you—and actually most of the area’s Irish activities are crammed into just this one weekend.

Here’s what’s happening:

Saturday, September 14

It’s the final day of the Philadelphia Ceili Group Traditional Irish Music & Dance Festival, one of the premier events in Philly’s Irish social calendar. If you like Irish music and dance, you’ll find it all day and into the night, capped off by a big concert headlined by Tony DeMarco and Atlantic Wave. There will also be workshops all day, focusing on everything from genealogy to tin whistle to the Irish language. There are kid-friendly activities, Celtic vendors and lots more.

If you want to know more, we have the complete rundown here.

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September 13, 2019 by