How to Be Irish in Philly

We could all use a few laughs and there will be more than a few when the Irish Comedy Tour rolls into town on Sunday at the Sellersville Theatre. It’s also your chance to see former Philly guy, Pat Godwin, late of the John DeBella Morning Zoo and Howard Stern radio programs.

But, before that happens, local documentary maker John Foley’s poignant and patriotic film, The Color Bearers, which features former Eagle Vince Papale, will be shown at the FirstGlance Philadelphia Film Festival at the Franklin Theater at the Franklin Institute on Saturday. The film explores the courage of those who carried the flag in the Revolutionary and Civil wars.

So, you think you can dance? Or sing? Or play a bodhran? America’s Got Talent Season 5 auditions are being held at Pennsylvania’s Convention Center on Saturday and they’re looking for Irish acts. So drag your harp or your pipes on down and show them how it’s done.

There are also a couple of fundraisers on Saturday. AOH/LAOH Div. 87 is holding a benefit to raise money to help member George Lees repair his motorized wheelchair. Paddy’s Well is at Brittingham’s Irish Pub in Lafayette Hill on Sunday afternoon to drum up support and money for Jessica Reed, daughter of Paddy’s Well bass player Frank Reed, who suffers from cystic fibrosis. Jessica recently underwent a lung transplant and her medical costs are high. Also on the bill, Oliver McElhone, The King Brothers, and Seamus McGroary.

What happened to the Celtic Tiger? That’s the focus of a panel discussion on Tuesday at the Rittenhouse Hotel, sponsored by the Irish American Business Chamber and Network. Dublin representatives from Baker Tilly, one the world’s leading accounting firms, will explore the issue of Ireland’s economy.

On Friday, don your scariest costume (yes, anything you wore back in the ‘80s will be fine) and head over to the Irish Center in Mt. Airy for the Samhain Rambling House and celebrate Halloween Irish style. We’ve heard that there have been some ghostly manifestations at the center (no, really), so you may want to bring your ouija board. Check back with us later in the week to get the whole story!

It’s beginning to look a lot like ball season. The Cavan Society is having theirs (the 102nd) on Friday night at the Springfield Country Club, with the Vince Gallagher Band providing the music. Next up, Mayo, followed by Donegal, but there’s still a little time to drop five pounds to fit into that dress. . . .they’re not rocking till next month.

A couple of benefits this Saturday: AOH/LAOH Division 87 is holding its annual scholarship fund golf outing at Juniata Golf Course in Philadelphia. And in Delco, the group Misty Isle is providing the music for the Be True to Your School Beef and Beer, which raises money for Catholic grades schools (and you get to choose your own school as beneficiary), at the St. Denis parish gym in Havertown.

Also on Saturday, wear your scariest costume. Or not. But the Irish Club of Delaware County is holding its Halloween party at McGilllicuddy’s on West Chester Pike in Upper Darby.

On Sunday, the New Castle, DE, Irish Society is running its 16th annual Irish fest at the Irish Center on Rodney Street in Wilmington. It starts at 11 AM with mass, and entertainment by the Seven Rings Band and the Willie Lynch Band follows at noon, along with homemade baked goods and “tae”—that’s tea to you—and a raffle for great prizes, including a two-night stay at a Chesapeake Bay B&B. There will also be Irish vendors, so you can get some of your Christmas shopping done. Remember, Irish sweaters save energy costs.

Gloucester City, NJ, resident Ken Doyle, co-author with his brother, Patrick, of “Mother From Hell,” a shocking memoir of their horrific abuse as children at the hands of their mother, will be at the Irish Center in Philadelphia at 4:30 PM to speak and sign copies of the book. If you haven’t read this Irish bestseller, you should. You won’t soon forget it. Read our interview with Ken Doyle.

We added a new session to our session finder this week—Monday night at the Rocking Stone Bar & Grill in Paulsboro, NJ. Local musicians Fintan Malone and Kevin Brennan are the anchors.

On Wednesday, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, daughter of Robert Kennedy, will be at the Church on the Mall in Plymouth Meeting to talk about her book, “Failing America’s Faithful: How Today’s Churches are Mixing God with Politics and Losing Their Way.”

Don’t forget the jive and ballroom dancing classes at the Irish Center on Thursday nights. Isn’t it about time you learned to shake your groove thing? And consider watching the baseball playoffs in the comfort of the center’s Fireside Room. They just installed three 42-inch plasma TVs and are offering free food (hotdogs, popcorn, and pretzels). You’re allowed to cheer for any team you want. Within reason. Don’t forget to tip the bartender.

If your group is having an event, you can list it on our calendar for free. You can even put it up there yourself. Click on Events on the upper left hand of the home page, then on the highlighted phrase “Notify us about your Irish events,” and follow the instructions. If you need help, just hit the “contact us” button and one of us will get back to you. Our calendar lets your prospective attendees add your event to their e-calendar, send them an email, or even a text message reminding them of the date and time. If your event is on our calendar, we mention it in our weekly “How to Be Irish in Philly” feature. You may have to put up with some snarky comments, depending on our mood, but you get what you pay for.

You may know Mark Doherty from his standup, or his stint as Father Alan on the popular British series, “Father Ted,” about a group of off-kilter Irish priests, or from his acclaimed film, “A Film With Me In It” in which he starred with Irish funny man Dylan Moran. You can get to know his genius and wit this weekend as the Inis Nua Theater Company presents, “Trad,” Doherty’s award-winning play, Sunday night at 8 at the Irish Center.

How can you go wrong with a story whose characters are both over 100—a farmer and his son who have set off looking for the son’s offspring (who is 70 if he’s a day), conceived in a rare—possibly first and only–moment of passion? The play explores the culture shock of two rural denizens who encounter 21st century Ireland on the road. And since Doherty is a comic, you can expect laughs along with the biting commentary.

But let’s back up a moment. On Saturday night, settle back for a wonderful “evening of Irish music, dancing and storytelling” with the Martin Family Band and the Hooley Irish dancers at the Bucks County Community College Library Auditorium. There’s also a post-concert reception featuring fresh-baked Irish breads (we can smell them now!).

The Irish Club of Delaware County is holding its monthly meeting at the Irish Immigration Center in Upper Darby at 2 PM on Sunday. This relatively new group celebrates Irish culture and heritage, so this is your chance to join up.

And talk about your embarrassment of riches. The Scottish pipe and drum group (if you’ve never seen them, don’t be imagining any band you’ve ever seen in a parade), Albannach, will be appearing at Brittingham’s in Lafayette Hill on Sunday at 7:30 PM. They’re a unique act with a huge following. They put the barbarian back in pipe-and-drum music–where it belongs.

On Monday, join other members of the Irish community at an immigration reform rally at Philadelphia’s City Hall. Representatives from the Irish Immigration Center will be there. Executive Director Siobhan Lyons asks that you wear green as a reminder that some of the nation’s undocumented workers have Irish accents, a fact often lost in the national discussion on immigration reform.

Don’t forget that there are now ballroom/ceili dance classes at the Irish Center on Thursday nights. The county balls are coming up (Cavan’s is next Friday night!), and so are the holidays. And at $10 a lesson, it’s way cheaper than the gym. Did you know that you could burn 204 calories just by doing the foxtrot or cha cha? That’s the calorie equivalent of nearly three glasses of wine (which you can have at the Irish Center bar afterwards because, calorically speaking, you paid for them). Irish dancing earns you 306 calories which gets you almost 4 glasses of wine (not recommended if you have to drive home, but you can eat a Snickers bar and then some).

“Happy Days,” by Samuel Beckett is still running at the Lantern Theatre Company in Philadelphia. It’s Beckett’s most cheerful play (written, it’s said, because his wife suggested he lighten up a little), although truth be told a play about a wife who is buried up to her waist in soil and has a gun in her purse, but still manages to look good is not necessarily anyone’s idea of a laugh riot. What can I say, it’s Beckett and he’s Irish. You know it will be good.

Check out our calendar. Lots of fun stuff coming. And a reminder to support your local Irish pubs, restaurants, gift shops, and organizations. These are tough times and many of your brothers and sisters are struggling. Let’s keep the Irish community strong and vital! Hope to see you out and about.

Sure and you’re all worn out from Irish Weekend in Wildwood or Celtic Classic in Bethlehem, but there’s still lots to do.

On Friday, October 2, for instance, you can come out to the Irish Center in Mt. Airy and hear Northern Irish singer Fil Campbelll perform the music of five female singers of the 1930s to the 1960s. We heard her up in Bethlehem this past weekend and shot a few videos to give you a taste of her show.  

• Fil is accompanied by piper Robert Watts.
• A little song about marrying the wrong guy.
• Fil sings a song from Mary O’Hara. 

Speaking of taste, the inaugural meeting of the Eastern PA Whiskey Society is scheduled for Friday night at Maggie O’Neill’s Irish Pub in Drexel Hill. We have been assured that this is a bone fide organization with an interest in the complexities of good whiskey, and not a cover for. . .well, anything. 

On Saturday, there’s a fundraiser for the Shelby and Benjamin Chestnut Trust at the Legion Hall in Narberth. These two youngsters were born with severe disabilities—Shelby with a form of cerebral palsy and Benjamin with a rare neurological disease. Neither child can walk or talk, and their care is expensive.

There’s a second fundraiser on Saturday, this one to raise money for the Police Survivors Fund. It’s being held at Maggie’s Waterfront Café in Philadelphia and features Blackthorn.

And you thought the festivals were over: The Trenton Irish Music Festival is scheduled for Sunday at the Trenton AOH Grounds. On the bill: the Willie Lynch Band, the Bogside Rogues, Jamison, Barleyjuice and others. There will also be a tribute to longtime Trenton Irish publican, the late Billy Briggs.

Did your family come from Ulster? The Ulster-American Society is holding an informal meet-up at Kildare’s Pub in King of Prussia on Monday night from 5-9 PM. Ten percent of your food and drink receipts will be donated to the group.

On Wednesday, the legendary singer-piper-actor Finbar Furey returns to the Shanachie in Ambler with Brian Gaffney. 

On Thursday, another great musical event at the Irish Center—and listen up all you history buffs. Jimmy Crowley and Mairtin de Cogain are bringing to life the songs of the Irish at war with their Captain Mackey’s Goatskin and String Band show, which was a major hit at this year’s Milwaukee Irish Fest. They’re both fabulous singers, and Mairtin is an actor. If you saw the chilling film, “The Wind that Shakes the Barley,” you saw Mairtin. It should be an amazing evening. So buy your ticket, grab your beer, and travel back in time. . .

And on the theater front: Samuel Beckett’s “Happy Days” is at the Lantern Theater, and the Inis Nua Theatre Company’s production of “Trad,”–which was nominated for a top award at the New York Theater Festival this year–is coming to the Irish Center on October 11 for a one-off performance, thanks to the Philadelphia Ceili Group.

Two great festivals are already underway in the region, but they run all weekend so there’s still time to join in the craic.

To our south, the AOH Irish Weekend in N. Wildwood, NJ, is so anticipated, many out-of-towners book their motels months in advance and take off work so they can start partying on Thursday night. If you don’t have a place to stay, it’s a fairly easy day trip, but make sure you designate a driver.

Much of the action takes place at the Music Tent at the Inlet at Anglesea “where Olde New Jersey meets the ocean.” There’s pretty much nonstop music going on there, including Paddy’s Well, the Elders, Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfetones, The Broken Shillelaghs, the Bogside Rogues, the Sean Fleming Band, Love Seed Mama Jump, and the Secret Service Band. Dancing and cuteness will be provided by the Fitzpatrick School of Irish Dance from Bucks County. Blackthorn will be playing at the Anglesea Pub right nearby all weekend.

There’s usually vendors as far as the eye can see, lots of great food, a pipe band competition, and lots of camaraderie. The event benefits AOH charities, so you can feel good about getting a little crazy. But get crazy wisely—you want the memories to be good. Heck, you just want to be able to remember. . . .

The Celtic Classic is equally fun (we’ve been to both, many times), but in Bethlehem you also get to watch highland games (caber tossing, the hammer throw, the sheaf toss, haggis eating–no, wait, that’s a separate event, but eating an oatmeal-filled sheep’s intestine takes courage nonetheless), see border collies go through their paces, and watch drum major, pipe band and fiddle competitions.

The Allentown Hibernians hurling team—in their second year of existence, they earned the right to compete on a national level—will be giving a demo, and then there’s music, music, music. Among the entertainers: Malinky, Albannach (Scottish drums and pipes–we like to think of their music as Barbarian rock), Scythian (you can join them for breakfast at McCarthy’s Tea Room in downtown Bethlehem—check our calendar), the Glengharry Boys, the Barley Boys, Barleyjuice, Burning Bridget Cleary,Timlin and Kane, Robert Watt and Charlie Zahm, Blackwater, Kane and Beatty, Seamus Kennedy, and Bua (fresh from their recent appearance at the Philadelphia Ceili Group Festival), to name a few. We’re excited to see Fil Campbell, who will be appearing on Friday, October 2 at the Irish Center and is scheduled to perform several times over the weekend in Bethlehem.

Believe it or not, there are other things going on this week. The Lantern Theater Company is performing Samuel Beckett’s “Happy Days” till mid-October—and no, there’s no Richie Cunningham or Fonzie in this one. You can also catch the Inis Nua Theatre Company’s staging of “Trad” at the Amaryllis at the Adrienne in Philadelphia.They’re bringing a one-off performance to the Irish Center on October 11 too.

Unfairly buried in all of this festival-ing is one of my favorite musicians, Tony DeMarco, a Sligo-style fiddler who is appearing at the Coatesville Cultural Society on Saturday night. Tony is magic—and I can’t say any more than that. Absolutely worth the trip to this wonderful venue.

Speaking of fiddlers, Liz Carroll will be in York giving a fiddle workshop on Sunday. Later, she’ll be at the Yorktowne Hotel giving a concert with the group Trian.

Want to learn to do Irish ceili dancing? A new class is being held this week at the E.T. Richardson Middle School in Springfield, Delaware County, and costs only $40 for a 10-week session, after which we expect to see you at the regular monthly ceilis at the Irish Center, kicking up your heels (when that step is called for, of course). On Thursday nights at the Irish Center, you can learn some ballroom dancing along with ceili dancing so you’re ready for the county balls, which are coming up soon.

Dolores O’Riordan was the voice of the Irish supergroup, The Cranberries, and she’s bringing her solo act to the World Café Live on Monday, September 28.

We bid a fond farewell to September this week, and with it goes the last of the big festivals until March, which we like to think of as St. Paddy’s month in the Philadelphia region because the fun never stops. But the craic goes on. Tune in next week!

Or, go look at the calendar. That’s where you’ll also find the details about this week’s events.

You’ve been to a couple or three festivals already and it’s only the middle of September (halfway to St.Paddy’s Day, by the way). So you think you can rest up this weekend.

But noooooo. Start your weekend off on Friday night at the free Rambling House event at the Irish Center. There’s a movie, “Shore to Shore,” about Irish music, and then there’s Irish music, including The Malones (Luke and Fintan are also quite funny, so you get a comedy act too). Free food, free admission, free fun. But you’ll have to buy your own drinks, unless you get lucky.

The Gloucester City Shamrock Festival is scheduled for Saturday. If you haven’t been to Gloucester City, it’s a short hop over the bridge from Philly and is a sweet little Irish town along the river. The festival is held at the Gloucester City Marina and features Blackthorn, among other enticements. And it only costs $5 to get in. A bargain and a great place to entertain the kids.

Also on Saturday, Paddy’s Well is holding a benefit for the Upper Darby Police Department at Casey’s Pubin Drexel Hill. It’s a personal thing: Their sound man, Dennis McNamara, was just a small boy when his dad became the first Upper Darby police office killed in the line of duty. Singer Olive McElhone will also perform.

At Downey’s in Philly, you can hear new group Handy with a Stick at 7 PM. It features many of the Brennan family and Bette Conway.

On Sunday morning, join the Emerald Pipers, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, the 69thPennsylvania Color Party re-enactors and the Heenan family as a memorial to Colonel Dennis Heenan, commander of the Irish Brigade heroes, is unveiled at Cathedral Cemetery in Philadelphia.

Also on Sunday, there’s a ceili-set dance in Wilmington, DE and a concert by the Philadelphia Orchestra to raise money for the Philadelphia police Surivor’s Fund (a Blackthorn benefit for the same cause happens in a few weeks).

On Monday, the golfers and music lovers will be mingling for a good cause—to raise money for the medical bills of Ciara Higgins, whose dad, Tommy Higgins, is well known in the Gaelic Athletic Association. Ciara was born prematurely six years ago and suffers from cerebral palsy. With the help of therapists, she’s learning to walk. But her care is expensive. A day of golf, a dinner, and music at Plymouth Country Club helps raise money for that care.

On Tuesday, former Philly Irish mover and shaker Mick Moloney is back in town. He’s at Villanova to present “If It Wasn’t For the Irish and the Jews: Irish American Music in Vaudeville and Tin Pan Alley.” A little bit lecture, a little bit music.

And on Thursday, the long Irish weekend at the shore begins. This major fundraiser for the Ancient Order of Hibernians in Cape May, held every year in N. Wildwood, features more musical acts than you can shake a shillelagh at, vendors as far as the Irish eye can see, pipers, dancers, food, drink. . .and more shamrock deely bobbers than can be found in the entire western world. It all starts on Thursday with a boxing match between the Harrowgate Club from Philadelphia and the Holy Family Boxing Club from Belfast, Northern Ireland and goes through Sunday featuring popular acts like Paddy’s Well, the Bogside Rogues, and Derek Warfield in the music tent, and various other Irish acts at other venues throughout the area. Blackthorn,for example, is booked at the Anglesea Pub which usually has its own music tent.

If your feet want to take you north, there’s another great Celtic festival next weekend in Bethlehem, the long-running Celtic Classic, which also offers highland games (caber toss, anyone?) and border collies. There’s always lots of great music. We’re going up to hear Fil Campbell, the Irish singer-songwriter who will be making an appearance on October 2 at the Irish Center. Oh, and everyone else we can hear in a few hours.

But mark your calendars for Saturday night, September 26. The incredible Tony DeMarco, master of the Sligo fiddle style, is coming to the Coatesville Cultural Center that evening. If you’re feeling a little low, it’s Tony you want to hear. His lively, foot-tapping fiddle music is just the thing to perk you up. He never fails to make us laugh and smile. And all that foot-tapping does burn calories.

Don’t forget the plays “The Bros. Flanagan” (at Fergie’s on Sansom Street through Saturday) and “Trad” (at the Adrienne on Sansom Street through the end of the month), both part of the Philly Fringe Festival. “Trad” makes an appearance at the Irish Center on October 11 under the auspices of the Philadelphia Ceili Group, which is resting up from its recent Irish Music Festival.

Of the three festivals happening this weekend, only one is sweating the weather reports. The 10^thAnnual Scottish-Irish Festival held at Green Lane Park in Green Lane, Montgomery County, is scheduled to kick off on Friday night, September 11, with Barleyjuice and Raining Hearts (an unfortunate coincidence, since it’s raining buckets as we write this).

 If all goes on as planned, you’ll see more Irish dancers that you do at a feis, an exhibition of Gaelic football, pipe bands, and great music from Barleyjuice, the Hooligans, and the Martin Family Band. The weather is supposed to clear by Sunday. We hope.

 In Mt. Holly, New Jersey, the Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day Irish Festival, which raises money for police coverage for Burlington County’s fabulous St. Patrick’s Day Parade, is scheduled for Saturday. It features the Brimingham Six, the Shantys and Jamison, and only costs $10. And it’s under a tent. 

We’ll try to keep you posted on weather updates.

 The Philadelphia Ceili Group Festival is indoors at the Irish Center in Mt. Airy so it’s going on. In fact, it started on Thursday night with a terrific concert featuring Tim Britton. On Friday night, there are some fabulous singers on tap, including Len Graham, Brian Hart, Terry Kane and Rosaleen McGill, among others. On Saturday, there are vendors, food, educational workshops, music, dancing, and an evening house party—bring your dancing shoes and your party piece.

 Otherwise this week: The plays, “The Bros. Flanagan” and “Trad” are still going on. “The Bros. Flanagan” is being staged upstairs at Fergie’s Pub at 12^th and Sansom Streets in Philadelphia. Buy one entrée and get the second free, thanks to the kindness of Fergie (Fergus Carey).  “Trad” is at the Amaryllis at the Adrienne Theatre, also on Sansom Street. It’s produced by the Inis Nua Theatre Company, which brings the best of Irish, British, and Scottish plays to the Philadelphia area. 

 If you’re gambling away your kids’ college fund at the New Sands Casino in Bethlehem, you can catch The Broken Shillelaghs at St. James Gate Pub there on Saturday night.

 On Sunday, head out to McNally’s on Rhawn Street in the city for a beef-and-beer to raise money for The Shamrocks youth football team.

 On Tuesday, Lunasa’s Kevin Crawford is giving workshops on flute and tin whistle in Vorhees, NJ. See the calendar for contact information. On Thursday, he and band mate Cillian Villaly will be performing. They’re both extraordinary musicians, and Crawford, we can tell you from experience, is one damn fine stand-up comic. A very funny guy.

You should check out our calendar not only for the details on these events, but for much, much more.This week, we added as many local Irish radio shows as we could find to the calendar so you know when to tune in. There are more than you think, from Bucks to Lehigh Counties! There are some great new classes at the Irish Center, including flute and whistle for beginners and advanced, and DADGAD Irish guitar accompaniment (DADGAD is a kind of tuning used in Irish music).

 Coming up: The Gloucester City Shamrock Festival (September 19); musician and folklorist Mick Moloney will examine the role of the Irish and Jews in the songs of Tin Pan Alley at Villanova (September 22); the AOH Irish Festival in N. Wildwood, which starts off with a boxing match (the Harrowgate Boxing Club of Philly vs. The Holy Family Boxing Club of Belfast on September 24) and continues through the weekend with great music (Paddy’s Well, the Elders, The Broken Shillelaghs,  the Bgside Rogues, the Sean Fleming Band, Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfetones, among others) food, vendors and lots of wild fun (and this year, Blackthorn returns for two days at the Anglesea Pub); the Celtic Classic in Bethlehem (September 25) featuring music, food, pipers, dancers, border collies and highland games (care to learn to toss a caber?); and the appearance of incredible Sligo-style fiddler Tony DeMarco (September 26) at the Coatesville Cultural Center.

 It’s a great month to be Irish anywhere within 100 miles of Philly. Remember, you can sleep when you’re dead.

What could be better to bring summer to a close than an Irish festival? We can’t think of anything.

 Well, there’s one this Sunday at Brittingham’s Irish Pub in Lafayette Hill. Headlining is a great local group, Paddy’s Well, with the Bogside Rogues, Olive McElhone and Jamison on hand, along with bagpipers, dancers, vendors and pipes and drums. It being Brittingham’s there’s also great food (burgers, dogs and barbecue chicken—andyou don’t even have to fire up the grill!) and beer. It’s cheap too—only $10 for all day.

 The plays “The Bros.Flanagan” and “Trad” are on stage at Fergie’s Irish Pub and the Amaryllis at the Adrienne in Center City respectively. They’re part of the Philly LiveArts and Fringe Festivals.

 On Tuesday, have a beer with Dr. Lew Losoncy, a motivational psychologist and author of “Early Poppers: The Secrets of Self-Starters”—and no, it’s not about hot pepper appetizers—at McGillins Old Ale House in Center City. It’s all part of McGillin’s 150^th birthday celebration. Losoncy cites a longtime McGillins’ employee, John Doyle, as a superstar of customer service in his book.

 Also on Tuesday night, spend “An Evening with Sean Tyrell” at Villanova University’s Connolly Center. This award-winning Irish folk singer will share both his music and his poetry with the audience.

 Starting on Thursday night, the Philadelphia Ceili Group Irish Music Festival will showcase dozens of musicians and provide workshops for everyone who wants to hone their skills (or learn a little about genealogy) through Saturday night (very, very late). There will be dancing, vendors, food and drink, and lots of great music.

 On Friday, the annual Green Lane Scottish Irish Festival kicks off a weekend of all things Celtic (even some Gaelic football!) at Green Lane Park in Green Lane.

So you can begin and end your week with festivals. But don’t get fesitvaled out. There’s more to come: Mt. Holly, Bethlehem, and North Wildwood in the next few weeks.