News

Bristol Celtic Day 2014

Sean and Nicole Palmetto

Sean and Nicole Palmetto

It’s a small festival as festivals go, but this one gets bigger every year.

Celtic Day’s home is on the Bristol Borough waterfront, including the historic wharf.

Philadelphia Police and Fire Pipe Band opened the day’s festivities, which went on to include bands like No Irish Need Apply, and local Irish dancers.

Small as it is, this festival’s vendors somehow manage to offer a much different line of Celtic-themed tchochkes from what we’ve seen elsewhere. Admittedly, you’d be stretching the definition of “Celtic” a bit for some of the items on display, but nobody seemed to notice or mind. All told, great variety.

One very sentimental vendor for me: Mignoni’s Jeweler’s, where I bought my then-girlfriend (now wife) a silver Claddagh ring—which she still wears.

It helped that the day was warm and breezy, not a cloud in sight, pleasure boats plying the Delaware. Jut a great, friendly day in the borough.

 

 

July 3, 2014 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philly This Week

Liam McLaughlin

Liam McLaughlin

Happy Fourth!

If you’re going to a parade tomorrow, it’s likely you’ll run into an Irish pipe band or two. But from Friday on, this week is jam-packed with Irish goodness.

Here goes:

On Saturday, check out “I’ll Make a Ghost of Him: Joyce Haunted by Shakespeare” exhibition at the Rosenbach Museum, 2008 Delancy Place in Philadelphia. The exhibit is open from noon to 6 p.m., and the exhibition itself runs through August 31. There’re plenty of chances to take it in.

If you’re goin’ down da shore this weekend, you can check out two of our most popular bands. Slainte shows up at Keenan’s, 113 Olde New Jersey Ave, North Wildwood, Saturday at 5. Later on, at 9:30, Jamison takes the stage at Casey’s, 3rd and New York, in the same great town along New Jersey’s Irish Riviera.

The South Jersey Irish Society hosts a picnic Sunday from 11 to 7 at the CYO-Yardville Branch, 453 Yardville-Allentown Road, in Yardville. And there will be no shortage of fun things to do, including dancing, swimming (not at the same time), mini-golf, basketball, and, of course, the obligatory picnicking. Charcoal grills are available.

Last weekend, at the Celtic Festival in Bristol, I ran into a couple of guys who play at the Bristol Traditional Irish Music Session Tuesday nights at Kelch House Eatery at Mill and Radcliffe Street, not far from the wharf, and they swear by it. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a newbie or a more experienced player—everybody is welcome. And if you don’t play or sing, you’re more than welcome to drop by and listen. The session starts at 7.

If you’re near Ardmore, there’s a great session at Maloney’s on County Line Road the same night, at the same time. Fado in the city has its own session, starting at 9.

So if you’re looking for live Irish music, Tuesday’s a great night, but … the Philly area is positively up to its eyeball in Irish music sessions. Check out our calendar!

But wait! There’s more Irish music in a great summer setting.

Jamison’s in action again (do these guys ever sleep?) Wednesday night from 7 to 9:30 at Pennypack Park, at the Ed Kelley Amphiteatre, Welsh and Cresco in the Great Northeast. Also on the bill: The Bogside Rogues. Two great bands for the price of one. Which is to say: it’s free.

Thursday night, from 5:30 to 8:30, Irish Network-Philadelphia joins forces with the German American Chamber of Commerce to celebrate a single saint. It’s the St. Kilian’s Day Celebration at Brauhas Schmitz, 718 South Street in the city. (Irish missionary St. Kilian traveled to Bavaria in the 7th Century. Both nationalities hold him in reverence. Cash bar, complementary light hors d’oeuvres. Slainte! And Prost!

On Friday night, from 8 to 11, a rare treat: Liam McLaughlin, renowned as an Irish country music fave, in concert at the Philadelphia Irish Center, Carpenter and Emlen, in Mount Airy. You can take the train, too. Carpenter station is just steps away. But whatever you do: Support the Irish Center!

So put on your track shoes, and get out there.

July 3, 2014 by
Music, News, People

RUNA Debuts Its New CD–and a Surprise

Karen and Jim: She said yes!

Karen and Jim: She said yes!

RUNA, winner of the top Irish group in the Irish Music Awards last year, debuted its brand new CD, “Current Affairs,” on Friday, June 20, at the Sellersville Theatre. Gene Shay, the grand old man of Philly folk, introduced the group along with opening act, singer-songwriter Michael Braunfeld.

And one audience member used the occasion—with the collusion of the group—to propose. Karen said yes to Jim!

We were there and caught it all on camera!

 

June 27, 2014 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philly This Week

Look for this guy (Jamesie of Albannach) and more Celtic acts at the Ren Faire this weekend.

Look for this guy (Jamesie of Albannach) and more Celtic acts at the Ren Faire this weekend.

Dig out your flowing dresses and your buckskin vests—it’s Celtic Fling weekend at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire in Manheim (near Lancaster). The three-day event features top Celtic acts such as Gaelic Storm, Albannach, Barleyjuice, the Screaming Orphans, Rathkeltair, and Scythian, with both Irish and Scottish dancers, freckle, kilt, and haggis-eating contests, and highland games.

On Saturday, flute player John Blake will be performing at the Coatesville Cultural Society. Blake, who grew up in London, has been influenced by his Connaught roots and now lives in Dublin. A former member of the group Teada, he has performed with other top traditional musicians including Angela Carberry, John Carty, and the Kane sisters.

On Sunday, it’s Celtic Day in Bristol Borough, down along the scenic Delaware River. On tap: the Philadelphia Police and Fire Pipes and Drums, No Irish Need Apply, and the Hooligans.

Also on Sunday, The Plough and the Stars in Philadelphia is hosting a fundraiser for the six local Irish musicians who are heading to Sligo in August to compete in the All-Ireland championships. They include two of last year’s winners, fiddler Haley Richardson and harpist Emily Safko, both of New Jersey. Several of the kids play regularly at The Plough session.

Sunday is a very busy day for the Irish. There’s also a fundraiser at Maggie O’Neill’s in Drexel Hill for the 2015 Mary from Dungloe event which is held at the Donegal Ball in November. You can meet the current Philadelphia Mary, Kelly Devine, before she leaves for Ireland to compete and a few other former Marys, including International Mary from Dungloe of 2013, Meghan Davis.

There are still a few seats available for the Kevin Crawford and Cillian Vallely house concert in Center City Philadelphia on Wednesday, July 2. That’s three-fifths of Lunasa (one of my favorite groups, in case that means anything to you) and not only will the music be fabulous, so will the craic (Kevin Crawford is a hoot). To reserve, email barnstarconcerts@gmail.com. It’s a house concert, so seating is limited.

Enjoy the Fourth!

June 27, 2014 by
Dance

Summer Camp for Irish Dancers

Noreen Donohue McAleer offers a few pointers on toe pointing.

Noreen Donohue McAleer offers a few pointers on toe pointing.

When there were no jigs and reels playing, the Irish Center’s cavernous ballroom echoed with little girl giggles. Last week, the Cummins School dancers were having their summer camp—a lot of dancing, which also served last-minute cramming for the five Cummins dancers heading to the national championships in Montreal next week, and, for the littlest ones, crafts involving glue and glitter and tie-dyed socks. Oh, and ice cream sundaes, the only thing that brought dead silence to the room.

The Cummins School has been teaching kids to step dance in this ballroom for the last 12 years; a second class, mainly for the youngest, is held at the VFW post in Glenside.

“We’ve been so lucky,” says Frances Cummins Donohue, who runs the school with her daughter, Noreen Donohue McAleer. Donohue started dancing herself when she was an 11-year-old in Dublin and scored a second in the All-Irelands. “Dancing was my life and I loved it and when I came over here, I instilled that in my girls, Kerri and Noreen,” she says.

The Cummins students learn more than beats, cuts, lifts and sevens. “Because we’re in the Irish Center, we’re also exposing kids to the Irish culture,” says Donohue. “The bagpipers [The Emerald Society Pipe Band] are here on Wednesdays and they love that. Then John Shields is in here with his ceili dancers and they enjoy that too. This space is amazing. We’d miss it terrible, we really would.”

Donohue is talking about the current financial crisis facing the Irish Center, a combination of an increased tax burden brought on by Philadelphia’s citywide reassessment last year and kitchen upgrades required by the city’s board of health—expenses estimated to total $100,000 or more over the next two years.

Cummins dancers will be participating in a fundraiser on July 19 at Maloney’s Pub of Ardmore in an effort to save their home.

But this week, it was all fun and games—except for the extra dance instruction from Donohue, McAleer, and teachers Brittany Kelly and Theresa McElhill. We stopped by on Thursday and took some photos of the fun.

June 27, 2014 by
Arts

Leading the Parade

Irish Thunder tenor drummer Bernie Murray loads his gear onto the bus.

Irish Thunder tenor drummer Bernie Murray loads his gear onto the bus.

At this moment, members of Irish Thunder Pipes and Drums are in Galway City, less than a day away from leading the parade that is the centerpiece of one of the largest and most important cultural events in Ireland: The Galway Sessions.

Irish Music Magazine, in an online promo story about the event, described Irish Thunder as “famed.”

Drum Major Pete Hand doesn’t know where that description came from, but he’ll take it.

Standing by the side of the bus that would take him, the rest of the band and family members from the Sacred Heart Church parking lot in Swedesburg down the Philadelphia International Airport, Hand said all of the pipers and drummers are looking forward to the honor.

Other pipe bands will be in the parade, too. “There will be a Scottish band and an Irish military band, as well.”

That performance is just one of many exciting moments the band expects to experience in Ireland during the weeklong trip.

Actually, they were scheduled to experience one exciting moment already, en route from Dublin Airport to Galway. “Of course, we were planning on stopping at the Tullamore Dew Distillery for a little break,” Hand said. He was grinning when he said that.

Another highlight: A visit to an Ancient Order of Hibernians hall in Derry for a night of fun with their AOH brethren.

“They’re holding a ceili that night (music, dancing, and all-round partying),” Hand said. “Their hall is a short walk from our hotel. And then there will be some entertainment at a nearby pub.”

Along with band members, a lot of folks who wanted to travel with the band (I’ve done it, and it’s memorable) are on the trip. Together with the band members, it’s a substantial crowd—about 120.

After Derry, the tour heads further north, where everybody will get a chance to see the Giant’s Causeway, one of Ireland’s true wonders, and the relatively nearby Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge from the mainland out to a little island. Both tourist sights are in County Antrim. A visit to the Titanic Museum in Belfast comes later.

After that, it’s back home to Philly.

Several families are making the trip together. One of the biggest is the Murray family.

“There’s a whole passel of Murrays,” said Bernie Murray, a longtime Irish Thunder tenor drummer.

This is Bernie’s second trip to Ireland. The first was in 2000, when the band played at the All-Ireland Pipe Band Championship in Kilkenny. He expects this to be an even better trip.

“I know more now than I did the first time,” he said. “Plus, I’m going to be playing a lot. I love it.”

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June 20, 2014 by
Music

Blackthorn In the Park

John Boyce gets all rock 'n roll.

John Boyce gets all rock ‘n roll.

It was a beautiful night for a free Blackthorn concert on Thursday at Park Square in Prospect Park, part of the community’s free summer concert series.

If you missed it, you can catch Blackthorn again on Saturday at Tom n Jerry’s Sports Pub, 1006 McDade Boulevard in Milmont Park start at 4 PM or on Sunday, June 29, at the City of Wildwood, NJ’s Fox Park at Ocean and Burke Avenues in Wildwood.

They’ll be down the shore in July and back in Delco in August.

Or, you can pop in a CD and check out Brian Mengini’s excellent photographs of this week’s concert, below, and pretend you were there.

[flickr_set id=”72157645315791573″]

June 20, 2014 by
News

The Irish Center in Crisis

The Commodore John Barry Center, familiarly known as The Irish Center

The Commodore John Barry Center, familiarly known as The Irish Center

It’s the place where, since 1958, Philadelphia’s Irish community has gathered to talk, laugh, eat, drink, sing, dance, celebrate and mourn. Located in the Mt. Airy section of the city, and known officially as the Commodore Barry Club, the Irish Center–the heart of all things Irish for over 50 years–is now in imminent danger of having its doors shut forever.

The Irish Center has weathered its share of financial emergencies in the past.

But this financial crisis is different.

At the crux of the recent crisis is a recent change in tax rates by the city. The building at 6815 Emlen Street was just re-assessed at $1.2 million, which means an annual tax bill of $16,000. Added to that expense are annual regulatory and insurance fees of $7,000, monthly utilities of $4,000, and upkeep and maintenance costs–including $25,000 to purchase up-to-code appliances in the kitchen. “It’s been years of struggling with the routine maintenance costs, but these new costs go beyond the cushion we’ve relied on in the past,” Irish Center Board Member Sean McMenamin explained. “The city regulations require we upgrade the hood in the kitchen to stainless steel. We applied for a variance, and our kitchen certificate is good for two years. By then, we have to have the new hood in place.”

All of this means an immediate need to raise $50,000 in the next few months in order to keep the Irish Center doors open, and an ultimate goal of raising $100,000 as part of a two-year plan. Without this money, the Center will be gone by the end of the year, and the Irish community will have lost its home.

And a big home the Irish Center is. It’s home to an impressive and ever-expanding historic library; to an incredible array of Irish musicians and dancers; to Gaelic sports fans; to one of the city’s leading folk societies, the Philadelphia Ceili Group; to many county Societies; and to the Philadelphia Emerald Society Band. And that’s just to name just a few.

The Irish Center is both past and future to the Philadelphia Irish community, and this summer is all about celebrating the memories and guaranteeing it will continue and flourish well beyond 2014.

To do that, the Irish Center needs the help and donations of everyone who has ever celebrated their culture or embraced their heritage, so that generations to come can have the same opportunity.

Here’s how you can help save a beloved institution:

  • Donate money immediately via PayPal, you can visit the Irish Center web page at www.theirishcenter.com. Click on the “Donate” button on the left side of the page. Donations can also be made by check, made out to “The Society of Commodore John Barry, Inc” and sent to 6815 Emlen Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19119.

  • Keep on the lookout for a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign. It’s launching on July 15. Details to follow.

  • Toddle on over to Maloney’s Pub in Ardmore on Saturday, July 19, for a big fund-raiser.

  • Mark your calendars now for The Gathering, a celebratory day at The Irish Center on September 28, featuring many more ways to give.

While this fundraising is immediate and paramount to the current and continued survival of the Irish Center, plans are already under way for the direction that the Center will take beyond the two-year plan. The ultimate goal is to evolve the Irish Center into an Irish Arts and Cultural Center. This will allow the Center to become a non-profit organization, and thrive as a showcase for the history and heritage of the Irish in Philadelphia.

The Commodore Barry Center has always been about the people who gather there, but now this beautiful and historical building needs those people to save it so it can continue on for future generations to also call it home.

“The survival of the Irish Center is based on how we structure ourselves in the next two years. We need this money to keep the Irish Center afloat and the community together as we develop the Irish Center into an Irish Arts and Cultural Center,” Sean said. “When you hear the story of the struggle to keep this place open, you know how much people must love it.”

 

 

June 20, 2014 by