How to Be Irish in Philly

If you count the Lehigh Valley as part of Philly (we do), you have plenty of ways of being Irish this week. It’s Musikfest time and there are Celtic groups, from Eileen Ivers to Scythian to Seamus Kennedy, Terry Kane and John Beatty, and Tempest all sharing the platzes (that’s what they call the stages in Bethlehem—it’s a Moravian thing) with the likes of Avril Lavigne, the Stone Temple Pilots, Kool and the Gang, Jethro Tull, the Dixie Hummingbirds, Roseann Cash, and Earth, Wind, and Fire (for you young ‘uns, that last one is one group, not three).

You can also see the McDade Irish Dancers and the O’Grady Quinlan steppers from the Lehigh Valley while enjoying a local delicacy, like Moravian cake or shoofly pie.

We have all the Celtic listings on our calendar. Many of the concerts are free. Fortunately, they’ve been putting this amazing festival on for the last 25 years so there’s great information on the Musikfest website on where to park and about shuttlebuses (they call them shuttleplatz, in case you don’t speak German) and Musikfest trolleys. You may not even have to dirty the bottom of your shoes with that pesky walking around.

Too early to think about Christmas? You might want to. The Waterford Wedgwod Company Store at the Philadelphia Premium Outlets in Limerick is holding its first in-store warehouse sale this weekend, starting August 1, with savings up to 75%. Waterford crystal on sale? Made us want to check on the temperature in hell. We thought it might have frozen over. If you can wait till Sunday, the Chadds Ford Winery is holding a tasting in the store, and you can cleanse your palate with goodies from Harry and David. Store manager Andrea Vandervort tells us this sale is likely to be a one-time event.

Also over the weekend, the Irish Center is broadcasting GAA sports from Ireland live. On Saturday at 9 AM, you can watch the Down-Wexford match, followed by Tyrone-Mayo at 11. Sunday, watch Fermanagh go up against Kildare at 9 AM, with Monaghan vs. Kerry coming on at 11 AM. Cost is $20. On Sunday, that will also include a full Irish breakfast.

Want to see live live Gaelic sports? The Philly Shamrocks and the Allentown Hibernians are scheduled for another hurling match at 2:30 PM Sunday at Cardinal Dougherty High School. This is the game that requires sunscreen. BYO Irish food.

The crowd-pleasing Paddy’s Well will play a free concert Saturday, August 2, at Norristown Farm Park in Norristown. The last we saw this group, headed by Paul Moore, they were mesmerizing the throngs at the Penns Landing Irish-American Festival. The festivities begin at 6 PM.

Also on Saturday, it’s your last chance to hear fabulous Irish traditional musicians Angelina Carberry and Martin Quinn while they’re here on tour. The venue: the Hunting Shack at Tuckerton Seaport in Tuckerton, NJ. Read about our chance encounter with Carberry and Quinn at a local session this week.

On Wednesday, August 6, get ready for an amazing experience. The Irish Thunder Pipes and Drums will be playing at the Chapel in Valley Forge National Park. If you’ve ever been there, you know It’s a magical place, with views of green, rolling hills all around. When the bells of the carillon ring out, you can feel transported. At 7:30 PM, carillonneur Doug Gefvert will play the Chapel’s bell with the tunes of the British Isles.? After the Carillon concert the members of the AOH Notre Dame Division’s Irish Thunder will march out to the front of the Chapel and play tunes from the Emerald Isle.? The concert is free. Come early—this one draws a huge crowd every year. Bring chairs, blankets, and bug spray.

If you miss Paddy’s Well on Saturday, you get a second chance to hear them on Thursday night at Wentz Run Park in Whitpain. We love free summer concerts! See chairs, blankets, bug spray advice above.

And on Friday, go to the races. Sort of. The Philadelphia Donegal Football Club (Four Provinces) is sponsoring a benefit night at the races at Cawley’s Pub in Upper Darby. Our Donegal team is competing this year against New York teams at Gaelic Park in the Bronx—and making a fine showing, so we hear. This is your chance to support them and meet some of the new players.

Some amazing Irish events are on the horizon (we know, we just entered them on the calendar), including a Philly visit by the High Kings, the annual Philadelphia Ceili Group Traditional Music Festival (with a concert by one of our favorites, Tony DeMarco) , the AOH Irish Festival in North Wildwood, Bethlehem’s annual Celtic Fest, a “Save Irish Radio” benefit concert, and many great Irish acts of every genre coming to the World Café, Sellersville, and other venues.

Wait, what was that? Oh. The calendar wants me to shut up now and send you over there to see for yourself. You know, since it’s been named the best Irish event calendar in the universe by the readers of irishphiladelphia.com and JD Powers and Associates (who are they, anyway?), it’s become a little touchy. Humor it, will you?

Did you know that you can enter your own event on our calendar? Well, you can! Go to the full calendar. Click on “Notify us about your Irish events” and follow the instructions on the next screen. We do reserve the right to edit calendar items. For example, we don’t want you to use it as your own personal calendar. Don’t list the “Kelly Family Dinner” if it’s just you, the mister, and the kids, unless you really want a couple of hundred people named Kelly showing up for barbecued ribs and colcannon. And try to keep it Celtic, which means you folks whose roots are in Scotland, Brittany, Cornwall, Isle of Man, Wales, the Iberian peninsula and Celtic Canada can enter your events too!

There’s plenty of music this week in case you find you’ve had enough of Gaelic sports (we never feel that way–most action-packed games in the world!).

Of course, the 2008 Continental Gaelic Youth Championships are being held in Malvern all weekend. But on Saturday night, Galway banjo player Angelina Carberry and her husband, Martin Quinn, will be appearing at the Coatesville Cultural Society.

Team Ratty Shoes is holding its second Benefit for Hope at Brittinghams in Lafayette Hill on Sunday. These folks, fans of Blackthorn (they got their name from a Blackthorn song), participate each year in the MS Walk to raise money for multiple sclerosis research. For your $30 donation, you get free eats and beer, plus music and the knowledge that you enjoyed yourself for a very good cause.

On Wednesday, The Young Dubliners are appearing at the Sellersville Theater. We’ve heard that very few people are able to stay in their seats when the group plays. We’re going to catch them next time around.

Speaking of Blackthorn, the local Celtic rockers will be giving at free concert at Rosetree Park in Media on Thursday. Always a good time. Bring your own seats, even if you don’t stay in them.

Coming up next week: the Irish Thunder will be banging the drum quickly at Valley Forge Park and there’s a hurling match scheduled for the weekend.

Meanwhile, please visit our calendar for all the details. And while you’re there, you might want to buy it a pint for all the good work it does for you

This week is dominated by Gaelic sports. On Sunday, July 20, it’s football all afternoon at Cardinal Dougherty High School in the city’s Olney section, starting at 1 PM when the Young Irelanders face off against the Kevin Barry’s. At 2:30, a national team comprising Irish-American players from all over the country will take on the locals, the Eire Og club. It’s a “practice” for the national team, but don’t expect any of the Eire Ogs to take the gloves off. That game will be followed by a Junior B matchup: St. Patrick’s versus the Kevin Barrys.

If you’re planning to attend, understand that there are only a few places in the shade where you can pitch your lawn chairs. If you have a tent, bring it. And tote plenty of fluids and ice. It’s supposed to be a scorcher. And don’t forget the sunblock. You are Irish, after all. We don’t really tan, we just develop skin cancer.

Also on Sunday, the Philadelphia Donegal footballers (Four Provinces) face the New York Donegal team at Gaelic Park in New York at 4 PM.

On Thursday, July 24, the Continental Gaelic Youth Championship games kick off with a parade in West Chester prior to three days of matches involving kids from all over the country. It’s quite a coup for Philadelphia’s Gaelic Athletic Association to be hosting the games and an estimated 3,000 people are expected at the Greater Chester Valley Soccer Association in Malvern over the weekend. The GAA is turning the facility’s 14 soccer fields into 10 Gaelic sports fields, so you know there’s always going to be a game to watch.

Take some time out from sports to listen to some music and do a good deed too: On Saturday, July 26, Angelina Carberry and Martin Quinn will be appearing at the Coatesville Cultural Society. The following day at Brittingham’s in Lafayette Hill, Team Ratty Shoes will be holding a benefit to raise money for research into multiple sclerosis, a crippling disease affecting mainly young adults.

The Irish Times pub and restaurant in Philly’s Queen Village has launched a new session with legendary fiddler Harold Dunn every Thursday night, starting at 8:30 PM. Queen Village is a happening place and Eamon Lyons’ new pub has great food and drink at great prices. And you can discuss the latest sport news with Eamon, who is often seen out on the field himself.

“You—oo-oo, my brown-eyed girl. . .”

What? Oh, sorry, we just couldn’t help ourselves. Van Morrison is in town—Friday night at the Tower Theater, Saturday night at the Borgata in Atlantic City. Whenever we hear his name, we can’t help humming one of his biggest hits. Ticket prices to see the Belfast cowboy top out at $300 at the Tower and $500 at the Borgata. All we can say is “Sha la la la la la la la la la la te da.”

The good news is, there are cheaper ways to be Irish this week. Like heading over to Cardinal Dougherty High School in Philly on Sunday for the hurling championships. We’ve said it before and yet we see so few of you there—this is one action-packed game that is way more fun to watch than baseball. You can bring your beach umbrella, a couple of lawn chairs, and your picnic cooler and have a great old time—all for free. So head out to the field for the 2:30 PM match—and wear your Celtic-strength sunscreen. Read all about it here.

There’s still time to get tickets to hear the Three Irish Tenors at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville on Thursday, July 17. See our interview with the witty and talented Ciaran Nagle, a founding member of the group.

Then, on Friday, July 18, the inimitable Ceili Rain will be performing at the Tin Angel in Philly.

Check our calendar to plan your calendar for the next few weeks, which are jam-packed with Irish events. Coming up:

The 2008 Continental Gaelic Youth Championships come to West Chester, kicking off (literally) with a parade on Gay Street on Thursday, July 24. Young Gaelic sports players will be coming from around the country for this event to be held at the Greater Chester Valley Soccer Association Arena all weekend. It’s an honor for our area to be hosting the national finals for youth Gaelic games, so get out and support them! If you have the time, they’re looking for field marshals to make sure the games start on time, the teams are in place, and the referees are on the field (sounds like a job for a CEO, shift supervisor, or any Mom). If you can help, please contact Tommy Higgins at 215-275-0591 or email: tom_higgins2000@yahoo.com or John McDaid @ 267-226-8581, or email: johnbmcdaid@msn.com

On Saturday, July 26, you can hear Angelina Carberry (on banjo) and her husband, Martin Quinn (on button box) at the Coatesville Cultural Society. Trad music lovers alert: This a must-see!

On Sunday, July 27, do your good deed for the day by supporting Team Ratty Shoes (it’s a Blackthorn reference) in their quest to raise money for research into multiple sclerosis, a crippling disease affecting mainly young adults. Random Blonde will perform (yes, they’re Irish and they’re rocking) and for your $30 per person donation, you get free eats and draft Miller Light. All the fun will be at Brittingham’s Irish Pub and Restaurant in Lafayette Hill (which is now smoke-free!). Hang around till after dinner and hear Oliver McElhone at 7:30.

While you’re perusing the calendar, check out the month of September. We’ve posted the dates but not all the details for two major annual Irish events in the area—the Philadelphia Ceili Group’s Irish Traditional Music and Dance Festival and the North Wildwood Irish Festival. And check out our photos of all the fun you could be having if you got off your duff and went.

Want a little Amish with your Irish? On Saturday, June 28, consider heading to Lancaster where you can not only get your fill of Amish treats (help me out here—what are they?) you can enjoy a weekend of caber tossing, highland flinging, border collie sheepherding, and oh, lots of Irish stuff too. There will be more than 50 musical sets at the annual Celtic Fling and Highland Games, at the Mt. Hope Estate and Winery in Manheim. It’s not as far away as you think!

This weekend is also a great opportunity for kids 8 to 17 to brush up on their Irish language and culture at the Gaelscoil in Lawrenceville, NJ, a two-day program sponsored by the AOH Mercer County Division 10.

For some real excitement, on Saturday our winning footballers, the Donegal GFC (Four Provinces) go up against Sligo in New York’s Gaelic Park. Since Seamus Sweeney’s team has knocked down all the rest of their opponents so far, we have every hope the shut-out will continue.

Bristol Borough’s Celtic Day is in its twelfth year and the festivities are all on Sunday in Lions Park off Radcliffe Street in this little town on the Delaware. The Bogside Rogues and the Malones (including our pal, Fintan Malone) are on the bill, along with Irish dancers and vendors.

Ahead: On July 17, The Three Irish Tenors will be appearing at The Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville. Look for an interview with Dublin tenor Ciaran Nagle next week, right here at www.irishphiladelphia.com.

Philadelphia's Rose of Tralee, Colleen Gallagher, will give up her crown on Friday night.

If a pretty girl truly is like a melody, then Friday, June 20, will be quite a musical evening at the Hyatt Regency on Columbus Boulevard in Philadelphia. The Rose of Tralee Pageant, sponsored by the Irish Immigrational and Pastoral Center of Philadelphia, a nonprofit organization based in Upper Darby that provides assistance and social services to Irish immigrants in the Philadelphia area. The event is also the IIPCP’s main annual fundraiser.

Philadelphia’s current Rose, Colleen Gallagher, 22, an actress and singer who grew up in Bryn Mawr, will turn over her crown to another young woman who will travel to Ireland this summer to compete in the International Rose of Tralee pageant. It’s one of Ireland’s largest festivals.

Also on Friday evening, there are not-to-be-missed performances by the Pearl River Ceili Band and local traditional musician Caitlin Finley at the Irish Center. The event is a fundraiser to send the young people to Ireland to compete in the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann—otherwise known as the world championships of Irish music—in Tullamore, County Offaly, in late August. These kids are the future of Irish traditional music in the US—let’s get out and support them.

On Sunday, after the Mass at the Irish Memorial, head down to the Penns Landing waterfront for a day of Irish frivolity with bands like Blackthorn and Paddy’s Well, Irish food (like shepherd’s pie from Mike Driscoll’s Finnigan’s Wake) and vendors. (You can also see and hear Caitlin Finley playing with her band, Pat the Budgie.) This annual festival is one of a number of ethnic events at Penns Landing this summer (and we like to think it’s the most fun because it’s, well, Irish).

There are more major events coming up that we’ll tell you about next week. Or you could look them up on our calendar, which sees all, knows all, and tells all. What a blabbermouth.

Do some flag waving on Saturday. After all, it’s Flag Day. It’s also the day that local documentary filmmaker John Foley debuts his paean to the American Flag, “The Color Bearers,” at the Independence Living History Museum on S. Third Street. The Celtic connection: One of the stories Foley tells is of Col. St Clair Mulholland and the 116th PA Irish Brigade. Born in Ireland in 1839, Mulholland and his family emigrated to Pennsylvania when he was seven years old. Wounded four times in the Civil War, Mulholland was given the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery in the battle of Chancellorville.

On Friday (yes, we got a little ahead of ourselves), the Philadelphia Donegal GFC, AKA Four Provinces, will meet Cavan (head-on, we’re sure) at Gaelic Park in New York.

Next Tuesday, if you’re near Princeton, head over to Looking Glass Park to hear a terrific group of Irish musicians from Tucson, AZ, called Round the House, playing in concert. But if you miss them, don’t worry. They’re also playing at various locations in the area, including at the Suzanne Patterson Center in Princeton on Wednesday night, and accompanying the dancers at the Philadelphia Thursday Night Contra Dance at the Glenside Memorial Hall. On Saturday, June 21, you can hear them in a great setting: Four Dogs Tavern in West Chester.

Don’t forget on Tuesday night, June 17, the US Air Force Heritage Aire Celtic Ensemble will be giving a free concert at the Irish Center in Mt. Airy.

And plan carefully for next weekend. On Friday night, Philadelphia’s new Rose of Tralee will be selected at a gala held the Hyatt Regency on Columbus Avenue in Philadelphia. On Saturday night, support your local young Irish musicians by attending a fundraiser at the Irish Center to raise money to send our Fleadh winners to Ireland to compete. Many musicians will be there, including winners Caitlin Finley and the Pearl River Ceili Band.

And on Sunday, the Penns Landing Irish Festival—bands, food, beer, vendors, and always a good time. Pray for Celtic-friendly weather. See our story.

Check out our calendar for more details. It’s been checking you out for a while.

Like to spend a day speaking Irish? Then sign up for the 2009 Satharn na nGael to be held May 31 at the Miquon School in Conshohocken. You’ll also get a sampling of Irish music, poetry, customs and folklore. Language classes are held in the morning and afternoon, interspersed with informal workshops. Sessions are offered in tin whistle, concertina, uilleann pipes, and even Irish language on the Internet.

This year you can also see and hear two topnotch Irish traditional musicians , Micheál Ó Raghallaigh (concertina) and Ivan Goff (uillean pipes). Even if you don’t spend the day speaking Irish, you can pay $10 and hear them in an evening concert that starts at 6 PM at the school. The two will also be playing next Saturday, June 7, at the Coatesville Cultural Society.

If you knew the Irish Center “when,” you might want to consider having lunch there on Sunday. Billed as the “Young at Heart” event, the Center is offering a meal at 2 PM for those 55 and older (we resemble that) so you can see the new changes at the center (it’s looking gorgeous), reminisce, and dance. If you need a lift, contact Geraldine Quigg (215-884-4948) or Nancy Cantwell (215-483-7990).

There are a few sporting events ahead. On Sunday, the Philadelphia Donegal GFC (Four Provinces) is facing the Down GFC in Gaelic Park in the Bronx. The following Saturday, they’re taking on Derry.

Scythian is playing on Friday, June 6, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Also that day, the always-fun Celtic Festival that AOH Div. 1 holds in Mont Clare, PA.

The Fourth Annual Celtic Festival is being held on June 7 at Historic Cold Spring Village in Cape May, NJ with the usual bagpipers, Celtic music, craft vendors, and an all-day Irish buffet (and it’s way more than a six pack and a potato, trust us).

Not to be repetitive, but the Frank McCourt musical, “The Irish and How They Got That Way,” will be at the Walnut Theater until the end of June.

Coming up: Rose of Tralee pageant on June 20 and the rocking Irish Festival on Penns Landing on June 21.