Had enough snow? Too bad—more is on the way. But you’re so experienced at navigating streets that look like the South Pole that it probably won’t stop you from heading out this week for a hit of Irish.
Like tomorrow. The first of several fundraisers for the Philadelphia’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is happening at Paddy Whack’s on the Roosevelt Boulevard, sponsored by AOH Division 25. Slainte will be providing the music and AOH 25 President Pearse Kerr will be celebrity bartender (and a real celebrity he is—Kerr, who grew up in Belfast, is grand marshal of the Burlington County St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New Jersey).
Also on the agenda for Saturday is the installation of the statue of Our Lady of Knock at the Irish Center by the Mayo Association. The group will place the statue, sculpted in Knock, County Mayo, in the Irish Center dining room. There will be a party afterwards.
If you’re in Bethlehem or heading to the Christmas city, Tony McAuley, author of “The Paperboy,” set in 1970s Belfast, will be speaking at Granny McCarthy’s Restaurant and Tea Room at a breakfast event.
Interested in your family history? Head on down to the Irish Immigration Center on Thursday, February 10, and genealogy expert John McDevitt will help you unearth your ancestors (on paper, that is—no shovels required).
And get your tickets now for next Saturday’s big concert at the Irish Center. Danish banjo and bouzouki player Jonas Fromseier and American piper and flute player Isaac Alderson will be joining forces on the stage as part of their two-week US tour. Don’t let those names fool you. This is a Philadelphia Ceili Group concert so the music will be Irish.
Looking ahead: The Abbey Theatre of Dublin’s production of the play, “Terminus,” is coming on February 16 to the Zellerbach Theater in Philadelphia as part of the Philadelphia Irish Theater Festival. Remember, you can get 20 percent off ticket prices by getting tickets to two or more plays through the Theatre Alliancec of Greater Philadelphia. So while you’re at it, buy tickets for Martin McDonagh’s “The Lieutenant of Inishmore” at the Plays and Players Theater (Theatre Exile) which debuts February 17. Order tickets here.