Music, People, Photos, Videos

Singers Night at the Philadelphia Ceili Group Festival

The Philadelphia Ceili Group kicked off the 45th  Annual Festival with its time-honored tradition of Singers Night. Hosted by Terry Kane (one half of the popular Jameson Sisters) and dedicated to the late Frank Malley, who was a driving force behind both Singers Night and the Festival itself, last night also brought poignant tributes to other beloved Irish Philadelphia musicians who have recently passed away.

The late Eugene O’Donnell, Kitty Kelly-Albrecht and Eugenia Brennan were all at the forefront throughout the evening, remembered in favorite songs and personal stories. Among the performers who took the stage were Ellen Tepper (the other half of the Jameson sisters) on the harp, Matt Ward, Rosaleen McGill, Jim McGill, Steve Stanislaw, John Handy, Kathleen Warren, Don Simon, Seamus Carmichael, Don Gill, Trish Callahan and Mike Albrecht.

Jeff took some photos and I got some videos. So, if you couldn’t be there in person, enjoy! And join us for the rest of the weekend; tonight’s Rambling House hosted by the River Drivers and the Ceili Dance with the McGillians & Friends starts at 8 p.m., and tomorrow’s day of concerts and activities begins at 11 a.m. and continues throughout the day and evening. For more information, check out the Philadelphia Ceili Group website. Continue Reading

September 13, 2019 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philly This Week

You have one busy week ahead of you—and actually most of the area’s Irish activities are crammed into just this one weekend.

Here’s what’s happening:

Saturday, September 14

It’s the final day of the Philadelphia Ceili Group Traditional Irish Music & Dance Festival, one of the premier events in Philly’s Irish social calendar. If you like Irish music and dance, you’ll find it all day and into the night, capped off by a big concert headlined by Tony DeMarco and Atlantic Wave. There will also be workshops all day, focusing on everything from genealogy to tin whistle to the Irish language. There are kid-friendly activities, Celtic vendors and lots more.

If you want to know more, we have the complete rundown here. Continue Reading

September 13, 2019 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philly This Week

Welcome back to HTBI, your weekly Irish fix.

We’re roughly halfway to St. Patrick’s Day, and you’ll find plenty of ways to celebrate.

Here’s how:

Sunday, September 8

It’s monthly Children’s Story Time at the Irish Immigration Center, 7 South Cedar Lane in Upper Darby, from 3 to 4 p.m. This week’s classic tale: the story of Brian Boru. Stories are followed by arts and crafts activities, supervised by Immigration Center staff and members of the center’s Foróige youth group.

Potty-trained kiddies between 3 and 9 years of age are welcome.

For details, call Ciaran at 610-789-6355 extension 3201 or email him at ciaran@icphila.org to reserve a spot. Continue Reading

September 6, 2019 by
Music

Music, Dance, Workshops, Genealogy, Food and More: The 2019 Philadelphia Ceili Group Festival

Rosaleen McGill has been volunteering for the Philadelphia Ceili Group Traditional Music & Dance Festival since she was 8 or 9 years old. “It was a great tradition in which to grow up. It felt like being raised by a village. And people were always excited to tell me about their instrument or try to teach me a few words of Gaelic or how to make a St. Brigid’s Cross. There was always so much to get involved in and a beautiful range of ages.”

Now, here she is in her early 30s, and it never gets tired. Obviously not, because she’s on the board of the Ceili Group.

Just as obviously, the festival holds an incredible amount of appeal for her—and, she suggests, that’s as it should be, not just for her, but for anyone even the least bit interested in their Irish heritage and culture.

This year’s festival is certainly no exception.

“It’s a unique showcase of Irish culture,” McGill says. “It’s nice to have a culture all your own to dive deep into and examine the traditions and language and stories and the instruments that we have created, and not just celebrate the history, but all facets.” Continue Reading

September 6, 2019 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philly This Week

Welcome to the unofficial end of summer. (Cue the copious weeping.)

Fear not, there’s much to keep you occupied as we enter the Labor Day weekend and beyond.

Here’s how things shake out:

Sunday, September 1

If you’ve never been to Brittingham’s annual Irish festival, we’ve been there, and we recommend it. The weather is supposed to be picture perfect and you’ll find plenty to occupy your time in an Irish-y sort of way.

You’ll get to hear tunes from the Paul Moore Band and the Flip-N-Mickeys, plus there will be food and drink specials, raffles and giveaways. Proceeds of the event benefit St. Baldrick’s Foundation for childhood cancer research. In other words, a good time for a very good cause.

You’ll find Brittingham’s at 640 Germantown Pike in Lafayette Hill (right at the curve, across from the Barren Hill Fire Company). It starts at 11:30 a.m. and runs for hours and hours. Continue Reading

August 30, 2019 by
Audio, Audios

Podcast: Interview with Riverdance Fiddler Haley Richardson

New Jersey native Haley Richardson, a young fiddle player well-known within the Philadelphia traditional Irish music community, where her love of the genre first took root, joined the cast of Riverdance at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin this summer.

Often described as a “child prodigy,” at 17 Haley is no longer a child, and regardless of the  honors and accolades thrown her way, remains a thoroughly grounded young lady.

Anyone who has ever heard her play—from her childhood playing an appropriately child-sized violin to her victories at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (the world championships of Irish music) and appearances on stage with the likes of The Chieftains—knows those honors and accolades are well-deserved.

We recently spoke with Haley about Riverdance, her upbringing in music, and thoughts on her future. Here’s what she had to say. Continue Reading

August 29, 2019 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philly This Week

Here’s your weekly dose of Irish-ness. As always, an interesting mix of events, and you ought to be able to find something—or a few somethings—to pique your interest.

Also, we’ve had some requests to include dates along with days in our announcements, so we’ve changed the format a bit to make it easier for you to track what’s up and when.

Saturday, August 24

The John Byrne Band plays the music of Shane MacGowan and The Pogues at Kildare’s Irish Pub, 18 West Gay Street in West Chester. The show starts at 6 p.m. Recommend highly. Continue Reading

August 23, 2019 by
Food & Drink

Touring West Cork

Driving around Ireland definitely makes you hungry—and sometimes forgetful—so after a day of touring around West Cork I arrived at The Fish Kitchen, a small-ish restaurant in Bantry situated, appropriately, above a fish market, without a reservation.

Call it the luck of the Irish, but proprietor Diarmaid Murphy managed to squeeze me and my friend in because of a cancellation.

Great luck, indeed, to grab a table in a place where they focus on three elements of serving fish: freshness, simplicity, and quality. Murphy says, “We do our best not to interfere with the fish, serving it simply skin side-up with a variety of simple butters or sauces on top or on the side … geographically we’re in an ideal location to keep the distance between the sea and the plate as short as possible,” an ethos not lost on the diners.

Here’s one of the standouts on the menu. Continue Reading

August 23, 2019 by