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St. Patrick’s Day

People

Remembering Jim Kilgallen

Jim Kilgallen

CBS3's Susan Barnett, Kathy Orr, and parade commentator Jim Kilgallen.

There are many stories about Jim Kilgallen, the larger-than-life founder of the Irish of Havertown, 2004 grand marshal of the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade and owner of Kilgallen’s Tavern, who passed away on Saturday. Michael Bradley, director of the parade, has a favorite, which Kilgallen used to tell on himself.

“Once, when he was in his twenties, he went up to New York City with a bunch of guys from Philadelphia,” Bradley says. “They ran into a group of fellas from Ireland, and they all wound up in a pub. There was a lot of singing going on, and at one point, Jim himself got up to sing. Understand, he was always a big man. Anyway, he started to sing ‘If I had the wings of a swallow …’ when one of the Irish guys yelled out, ‘You’d never get your fat ass off the ground!'”

Jim Kilgallen never had a problem seeing the humor in life, Bradley says, even if it came at his own expense. An inveterate needler, he usually gave as good as he got. Even at the saddest times, Kilgallen had a talent for making his many friends smile. “At every funeral luncheon, he would get up and say, ‘Nobody wants anything sad. You had to sing a song or tell a story,” Bradley recalls. “He’d have everyone laughing by the time they were leaving.”

Now it falls upon Kilgallen’s family and many friends to find a way to smile through the tears.

James J. Kilgallen, Jr., was born in West Philadelphia in 1931—on St. Patrick’s Day, appropriately enough. He was first-generation Irish; his parents Bridget and James Kilgallen hailed from Castlebar, County Mayo. He was a longtime member of the Mayo Association of Philadelphia and a member of Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 65, now named after Joseph E. Montgomery. Since 1990, he served on the executive board of the St. Patrick’s Day Observance Association. He led the association as president in 1999 and 2000. In 2002, the Haverford Township Commissioners honored him as the Honorary Mayor of the 33rd County of Ireland-Havertown.

Tributes like that came Jim Kilgallen’s way in his life, though he never sought them out. Far from it, says Bradley: “He didn’t have a big ego.”

Bradley first came to know Kilgallen well in 1990. That was the year Bradley joined AOH 65. Through his parents, Bradley was already familiar with the older man. Bradley’s mother Bernie went to St. Rose of Lima School with Kilgallen, and his father Mickey attended St. Thomas More High School at about the same time he did.

Still, the friendship didn’t really kick in until Bradley became a Hibernian member of AOH Joseph E. Montgomery Division 65. Kilgallen and two other division members, Jack McNamee (the 2008 grand marshal, who died in late August) and Paul J. Phillips, took Bradley under their wing. All of them knew of Bradley’s interest in the parade—he was then a relatively wet-behind-the-ears volunteer marshal. Within a couple of years, Bradley had moved up to head marshal, and in time his mentors were backing him as a prospective member of the board. Kilgallen, he says, spearheaded the move.

(Bradley lost that year to the famous Johnny Doc of Local 98 fame, who has since become a close friend and trusted adviser, but moved onto the board—with the strong backing of the three men he calls his “posse”—in a subsequent election.)

The older gentlemen, Bradley says, were able to see what others might not have—that great institutions like the St. Patrick’s Day Observance Association need a periodic infusion of new blood. None of which suggests that they themselves were ready to be put out to pasture. On the contrary, says Bradley, “Those three guys, they just worked and worked and worked.”

Bradley has never been a stranger to hard work, but he learned much from his mentors. Kilgallen in particular “taught me more about people than anything I’ve ever learned in my life. He taught me to look past factions, to include everyone and make them all your friends.”

Kilgallen also impressed upon Bradley (and anyone else who would listen) the importance of not being an Irish snob. “He used to say, the people who come out on only one day a year and wear green plastic hats, they’re also Irish,” says Bradley. “We need them all. We’re much stronger together.”

Wise, to be sure—but also wickedly funny. Kilgallen the publican used to enjoy verbal jousting with his pal McNamee, who owned the popular Springfield restaurant C.J. McGee’s. “They used to tease each other unmercifully,” says Bradley. “Jack used to call Jim ‘the saloon tycoon.’ Jim would call Jack ‘the restaurateur.’”

Over the years, as the parade came to dominate Bradley’s life—particularly as March closed in—both men would show up at his door to help. “They would come over to my house and help put badges together, whatever needed doing” he says, “and tell Linda (Bradley’s wife) what an idiot I was. They’d drive over here and help me—and tease.”

Friends like that, Bradley says, are simply irreplaceable, and he and his colleagues on the parade committee will do their best to make sure they’re remembered as the St. Patrick’s Day Parade heads up the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Sunday, March 14, bigger and better than ever.

Bradley, for his part, will hang on tight to the happy memories. The memories, he says, keep him going when the pressures of parade planning close in, when the living room is full of badges and raffle tickets, and the phone never stops ringing.

Still, Bradley says, the sense of loss is inescapable. “It’s like I lost two dads in six months,” he says. “Jim’s death hit me doubly hard. It’s like I lost a father, my mentor and one of my best friends.”

Funeral details are as follows: Beloved husband of Margaret (nee Philbin) Kilgallen. Loving father of James M. Kilgallen, Maureen A. (Michael) Keeney, Theresa M. (Scott) McPherson, and Kevin F. (Joanne) Kilgallen. Brother of Nora Heiss. Also survived by 11 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. Relatives and friends are invited to his views Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the funeral home of John Stretch, E. Eagle & St. Denis Roads, Havertown, and to his Mass of Christian Burial following Saturday at 11 a.m. in St. Denis Church Havertown. Interment in Ss. Peter & Paul Cemetery. In lieu of flowers an offering in Mr. Kilgallen’s name to the American Heart Assn. Memorial Fulfillment Center 5455 N. High St. Columbus, Ohio 43214.

March 3, 2010 by
People

The Thrill of a Lifetime for this Year’s Burlington County Grand Marshal

Paul Kennedy

This year's grand marshal, Paul Kennedy, showed up with family in tow. (Click on the photo to see more.)

Community parades often hand out prizes for the strangest things, like fire engines traveling the longest distance to participate in the celebration. If they were awarding prizes like that in the Burlington County St. Patrick’s parade, they’d have to give one to the grand marshal, Paul Kennedy.

This enthusiastic grand marshal flew, oh, roughly 6,000 miles just for that celebratory ride down High Street in Mount Holly Saturday at 1 p.m.

Kennedy, who works for the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), has been based at the sprawling U.S. embassy in Baghdad’s Green Zone for several months. It’s his first tour of Iraq for the agency, which, according to the agency Web site, serves as “a watchdog for fraud, waste, and abuse of funds intended for Iraq reconstruction programs.”

“We identify areas of concern such as fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement,” says Kennedy, who, when he’s not on the job in Iraq, lives in Mount Holly with his wife Lynn. “We are comprised of auditors, inspectors and investigators. Some of our work has been instrumental in assisting the Department of Justice in recovering stolen money and prosecuting criminals.”

Kennedy is a senior analyst.

One look at Kennedy gives you a hint, at least, that he is cut out for work in hostile territory. With his closely-cropped hair, stocky build and military bearing, Kennedy betrays his background. Kennedy is Army—all Army. Kennedy was born in 1953, the son of a career Army Officer. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in June of 1974 and went on to serve in a number of infantry units, including the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. After that, he attended flight school and became a helicopter pilot. He retired from the Army as an aviation officer and maintenance test pilot, to become the Director of Internal Review at the Defense Supply Center in Philadelphia. Now, he’s serving SIGIR.

Kennedy’s Army roots go deep. What’s more, several of his children have gone on to serve, including Staff Sergeant Sean P. Kennedy, U.S. Army; SPC Margaret A. (Kennedy) Vargas, U.S. Army; Sergeant James Kennedy, U.S Army; and Sergeant Matthew T. Kennedy, U.S. Army. Paul, Jr., is a conductor with CSX Railroad.

Three of Kennedy’s children were in Iraq during a good portion of his tour there. “Fortunately, they have all returned back home,” he says. “My youngest (Matthew) is in Afghanistan serving with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. This is his second tour.  Both of his older brothers (Sean and James, members of the 82nd Airborne Division), have also completed multiple combat tours, Sean in both Iraq and Afghanistan.  My daughter (SPC Margaret A. Vargas) has decided to hang up her boots in favor of becoming a full-time mom. She returned from Iraq in August last year.”

All of his children are expected to join him in the parade.

Despite his service background, Kennedy is no stranger to the worry that dogs all parents of children serving in combat zones.

“It is never easy for a parent to have a child in a war zone,” he says. At one time we had four all in combat areas. We worry constantly, and pray unceasingly. When my wife Lynn heard of my opportunity to work in Iraq, she thought it was a great idea. She trusted me to keep an eye out on the kids. In reality however, she not only had to worry about our children, but now she had to worry about me as well. She got the worst part of the deal. I don’t know how she does it.”

For his part, Kennedy says, service in Iraq has been gratifying. And he’s far from roughing it.

“I am very fortunate to be housed in the diplomatic apartments,” he says. “They are fully furnished, with a kitchen, full bath, and common area (Two persons to an apartment). We have two gyms, an indoor pool, tennis courts, and plenty of activities. The food is excellent (thanks to the great folks who work at the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia). Our rooms are very comfortable… plenty of reading material, music, and TV with about 70 channels. I am never bored.”

While in Iraq, Kennedy also had the good fortune to meet and befriend Mount Holly’s chaplain. Father Tim Hirten, a major in the U.S. Air Force, said Masses at the embassy. Kennedy, a pretty fair musician, led the music group at the Masses.

With a name like Kennedy, this year’s grand marshal has a strong Irish pedigree, and his heritage has always been important to him. He and his son Paul, he says, are “huge supporters of Irish music.” Paul, a multi-instrumentalist, started playing at the High Street Grill in Mount Holly several years ago.

“When Paul, Jr., first started playing there, there was no Irish music at all in town.  I began sitting in with him and we developed a bit of a following,” he says. “Now, more and more events are springing up in town that highlight the Irish or Celtic culture including, what hopefully will become an annual event: the Mount Holly Celtic Festival. We also support other Celtic cultural events such the Annual Mount Holly Burns’ Supper, an idea my good friend Tom MacIver, Paul, Jr., and I put together with the help and support of our great friends at the High Street Grill, John and Nancy McDevitt, who host the event. No matter what the event however, we always end up back at the High Street Grill playing Irish music.  I think the biggest connection (to Irish heritage) for me is with the music… and pretty much any event that provides an opportunity to play Irish music.”

Kennedy has been involved in the parade committee since its inception. Still, he was surprised and honored to be selected as this year’s grand marshal. When  parade director Jim Logue broke the news to him, he says, he though Jim was joking. The shock wore off, though, and now he just has an opportunity to sit back and enjoy the thrill. “Serving this year as the grand marshal is a tremendous honor for me, and my family,” he says. “It is anexperience I will remember for the rest of my life.”

March 2, 2010 by
People

Everyone’s Favorite Leprechaun Gets a Big Honor as He Retires

Ed Slivak at the Penn's Landing Irish Festival.

Ed Slivak at the Penn's Landing Irish Festival.

The 2009 Conshohocken St. Patrick’s Day Parade was over. Ed Slivak had spent the afternoon traipsing up and down Fayette Street dressed up as Swedesburg AOH Division 1’s leprechaun—bent pipe, pointy ears, green top hat, orange beard and all. It had been a great parade, and Slivak was on top of the world.

“I was happy as hell,” he recalls. “I’d been waving to everybody. At the end of the parade, I stopped at a tavern for a beer, but I suddenly didn’t feel so good. I bumped into a friend, Jimmy Gallagher (the district justice in Bridgeport), and he got someone to drive me to my car. So I drove home, and I got out of my car. And that’s all I remember. The next thing I know, I was in Montgomery Hospital. I didn’t remember anything.”

Slivak, a member of the vibrant Montgomery County division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians since 2001, had suffered a debilitating stroke. What followed were five long, often discouraging months of hospitalization and rehabilitation. He’s back home now in Swedesburg with his wife Gi (short for Virginia) and their little pug General Patton, and slowly getting back on his feet again, seeing a physical therapist twice a week. Still, there’s no question that it’s been a long road.

“It scared the hell out of me—I’m lucky to be alive,” says Slivak, 68, who credits his wife for nursing him back from the brink. “If you met me today you wouldn’t believe how I’m getting around. You can hear I’m talking pretty good. Sometimes it takes me time to think a little more. At one point, I dropped down to 114 pounds; I had been up to 210. I’m back to 145 now. I think the Lord was calling me for judgment day, but St. Patrick, St. Brendan and St. Bridget all went to the Lord, and they gave me a little extra time on earth.”

Slivak’s abiding faith—he’s a member of Sacred Heart Parish near his home—gives him the courage to keep on going, to take what probably seem like giant steps toward recovery, like moving from a walker to the use of a cane. He treasures the loving support of his wife and children, which gives him additional strength. Without them, he confesses, “I would have given up.”

But Slivak has one other powerful incentive to get better. He is the grand marshal of the 2010 Conshohocken parade.

He’s known about the honor for quite some time. “Judge Gallagher told me about it while I was still in the hospital,” he says. Now he’s counting the days until March 6—the Grand Marshal’s Ball—and, finally, March 13, when he, his wife, grandchild Michael and great-grandchild Clare will hop into a convertible and slowly drive down Fayette Street at the head of the parade.

You might be wondering how a guy with the last name of Slivak gets to be grand marshal of a St. Patrick’s Day parade. Slivak, he explains, is his stepfather’s name. “He took care of me,” says Slivak, who was raised in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood and attended Immaculate Conception Church. “He was a good man.”

The Irish heritage is all on his mother Clare’s side. She was a Ward, and her father Bernard, a one-time boxer who fought under the name Joe Dougherty, was from Donegal. Slivak’s grandmother Marie was a Murphy, who came to the United States from Cork. He remembers spending a lot of time with her—and he fondly recalls her as a colorful, if plain-spoken character.

“Nana was born in 1875,” he says. “She just loved St. Joseph. She had an icon of him, and she said the rosary a lot. Nana often liked to have a cup of tea with me. One day when we were drinking our tea, I asked her: Do you hate the English? She said to me, you can’t get into heaven hating anybody—I just don’t like them. Nana had a great influence on me in life.”

So there was never really any question about Ed Slivak’s pedigree. But his Irish heritage never truly resonated with him until he retired from his job at the Philadelphia Inquirer—he was a tearsheets clerk—and moved to Swedesburg in 2001. That’s the same year he joined AOH Division 1 on Jefferson Street.

“It’s a big Irish family when you join the AOH,” Slivak says. “I remember, I didn’t know what the initials stood for. But in the past 10 years I’ve learned a lot more about being a Catholic and Irish.”

It was Slivak’s membership in the AOH that led to his star turn as a leprechaun. Pete Hand, president of the division, approached Slivak one day about six years ago and suggested that he dress up as a leprechaun. (Hand insists Slivak looks like a leprechaun even without the get-up.) That first year, Slivak recalls, his costume wasn’t very good: “I looked like an immigrant, just off the boat.”

He also wasn’t very comfortable in the role. “The first time,” he says, “it was for a St. Paddy’s parade. I felt a little goofy. I thought, here I am a grown man dressing up as a leprechaun.”

The next year, Hand and Slivak resolved to do better, and they purchased a costume on eBay for about $225. “After that I started hamming it up,” he says. “The next thing I know, people are coming up and wanting their picture taken with me.” (One of those leprechaun fans was former President Bill Clinton, who was in Girardville, Schuylkill County, for the St. Patrick’s Day parade in 2007.)

Slivak has settled into the part with great enthusiasm. He’s especially fond of kids, who are always astonished to find a real, live leprechaun in their midst—and a big one at that. “I tell them in a brogue that I’m from Donegal, and that leprechauns are bigger there,” he says. “They ask me how old I am. I tell them I’m 386 years old. I give them a lot of blarney.”

The self-proclaimed “Polish leprechaun” has also used his celebrity status to do a lot of good for kids. He takes up collections wherever he goes in his costume and raises money for St. Christopher’s Hospital and Ronald McDonald House. Every year, he manages to collect a couple of thousand dollars.

With all that has happened to him in the past year, though, Ed Slivak’s leprechaun days soon will be over. He’ll be handing over the duties to an apprentice—an 11-year-old boy.

On March 13, Division 1’s celebrated leprechaun will make one last appearance in full regalia, in the 2010 Conshohocken parade. After all, Slivak says, “That’s what got me there. I’m like a Santa Claus when there’s a parade.”

February 4, 2010 by
News

First Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day Festival Comes to Mount Holly

In a weekend filled with Delaware Valley Celtic festivals, New Jersey is not about to be left out.

On Saturday, Garden State Irish can head to the first-ever Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day Festival in Mount Holly, a fun-raiser to support the Burlington County St. Patrick’s Day Parade. And don’t worry about rain … it’s under a tent.

The event is sponsored by the parade committe and Mount Holly’s High Street Grille.

There will be plenty to see and do, according to organizer Jim Logue.

“We’ll have the Birmingham Six, The Shantys, Jamison and Paul Kennedy, along with the Lia Fail Pipes and Drums,” says Logue. “We’re going to have several tables with displays of Irish heritage and cultural groups, the Ancient Order of Hibernians Project Children, and the parade. There’ll also be vendors, and Irish dancers will perform at various times during the day. Food will be available, along with beer and soft drinks. And since it’s enclosed, it’ll be rain or shine.”

The Saturday, September 12, event starts at noon and goes to whenever. It will be held in the municipal parking lot behind the High Street Grille, along High Street. The cost is $10. All proceeds benefit the parade.

And this year, the parade, which costs about $20,000 to produce, needs a bit more of the ready. “This coming year,” says Logue, “we have the same problem the Philadelphia parade ran into last year—we have to pay for police coverage.”

So if you want to celebrate your Irishness on the Jersey side of the Delaware and help out a great cause at the same time, check out Mount Holly.

September 10, 2009 by
News, People

Many Ways to Observe the Day

Gathering at the Philadelphia Irish Memorial.

Gathering at the Philadelphia Irish Memorial.

Beer, first thing in the morning. It takes some getting used to.

Mind you, I didn’t indulge—by 10, I would have needed a nap—but I stand in awe of those who did.

Of course, the main attraction at the Patrick Kerr Benefit at Fado in Center City and at Judge Jimmy Lynn’s annual festivities at the Plough and Stars in Old City was breakfast. And if you were into Irish bacon, blood sausages and brown bread—who isn’t?—there was plenty to keep you fat and happy.

The affair at Fado was relatively low-key, but obviously satisfying to those who support the scholarship fund. At Jimmy Lynn’s bash, on the other hand, it was standing room—make that squeezing room—only. It was the most crowded I’ve seen the place. There was barely room for the McDade and Peter Smith school dancers who dropped by, or for the St, Malachy College musicians from Belfast.

In other words, a perfectly wonderful time.

Later in the morning, a more solemn occasion—the annual obervance a few blocks away at the Irish Memorial on Penn’s landing.

We have all the events of that unusually sunny and warm morning.

March 18, 2009 by
News

The Sun Shines on Conshy

Philadelphia on Sunday suffered the weather of the Irish–damp and cool.

In Conshohocken, on the other hand, the folks who organized the 2009 St. Patrick’s Day parade got all the luck. No one could call it a tropical day on Fayette Street, but at least it was dry.

The crowds of parade-goers seemed to appreciate it. And there was a lot more than decent weather to appreciate. As always, there were lots of pipers and drummers, and enough curly-wigged dancers to keep everyone well entertained.

We have the photos to prove it.

March 16, 2009 by
News, People

A Perfect Place to Be Irish

Kevin Brennan and Mary Malone entertain at the Auld Dubliner.

Kevin Brennan and Mary Malone entertain at the Auld Dubliner.

On St. Patrick’s Day, Irish eyes were smiling and Irish hearts were happy, at least where I was. I spent the day at The Auld Dubliner, an Irish pub in the river town of Gloucester City, NJ, “just over the bridge” from Philadelphia. Though it opened in October 2008, this corner bar and restaurant has an “auld” feel to it. In fact, it reminded me of McGrory’s Pub in Culdaff, County Donegal, where I spent a few memorable nights nearly a decade ago.

Like McGrory’s, the emphasis at The Auld Dubliner is on food and music. The food is Irish. (Don’t laugh—there are plenty of Irish pubs in the Philly region that “specialize” in nachos and chicken wings.) A few years ago, that might have meant a runny plate of shepherd’s pie, greasy fish and chips, or corned beef and cabbage so bland it might as well be drywall. But at the Auld Dubliner, the corned beef and cabbage comes with a chive mustard sauce, the fish and chips are light and crispy, and the shepherd’s pie is thick with beef and lamb.

And the music: On St. Patrick’s Day, fiddler Mary Malone and guitarist-singer Kevin Brennan, who anchor the brand new session there, sat in front of the fireplace, their chairs positioned on a beautiful kilm rug, looking as though they were playing in someone’s front parlor. That’s my kind of pub.

Apparently, a lot of people felt that way, because the place was packed, as you can see from the photos.

March 16, 2009 by
People

Conshy Grand Marshal Has a Strong Record of Service

Reine "Rae" Marie DiSpaldo.

Reine "Rae" Marie DiSpaldo.

By Pete Hand

Reine “Rae” Marie DiSpaldo has been selected as the Grand Marshal of the Montgomery County St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade will be held on March 14, 2009. in Conshohocken and is hosted by the Montgomery County Saint Patrick’s Parade, Inc. This organization is made up of the members of the AOH, LAOH and friends of the Notre Dame Divisions of Montgomery County.

Rae was born February 7, 1948, in Norristown to Howard and Rita Johnson, who are members of the A.O.H. and L.A.O.H. Notre Dame Division. Their Irish ancestry can be traced back to the counties of Mayo, Tyrone, Donegal, and Brandon Bay in Ireland. As a family, the Johnsons have supported and promoted the mission of the Hibernians and have been a consistent presence in the Irish community.

Rae attended St. Patrick’s elementary school and graduated in 1965 from Bishop Kenrick High School in Norristown. Rae is a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. She and her husband John have three children: her oldest son Joseph, his wife Gladys, daughter Leah, her husband Greg and son Gabriel and her youngest, Jake. For the past 21 years, Rae has worked as an administrative assistant at Women’s Health Care Specialists in King of Prussia. Through her involvement with her parish and school community, Rae epitomizes the Christian spirit and demonstrates to her children the importance of service to others. She continues to participate in community services through the Delaware Valley Reading Association by reading to children at affairs sponsored by the Elmwood Park Zoological Society.

Since 1992, Rae has been an active member of the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians and has worked hard to enhance the organization and expand its mission beyond Montgomery County. She has held every position on the board, and set a new precedent for both the LAOH and AOH Notre Dame Division when she became the first member to hold an elected position at the state level. But, perhaps most admirable is the work she did as county president. In her term, Rae reorganized the county division, re-energized its members, encouraged and solicited more member involvement and helped to promote the implementation of two new county divisions.

She continues to work hard on behalf of events sponsored by the AOH and LAOH, such as the Irish Festival, Veterans’ Day Ceremony and Home Association gatherings. Whenever called on to be of service, whether it is serving, setting up, lecturing, or promoting, Rae answers the call. She is an original member of the Parade Committee, where she currently serves as secretary. Each year she organizes the Grand Marshal’s Ball and celebrates with those honored with the Marshal title by putting forth the extra effort to make each Marshal feel special.

March 10, 2009 by