How to Be Irish in Philly

Looking for a Covid-safe dinner out? Hoping to catch some live Irish tunes? Want to catch up on your Irish history?

This is the week for all of the above and more.

Here’s the deal:

Friday, October 23

Jamison Celtic Rock takes the stage outdoors at Sweeney’s Philly, 13639 Philmont Avenue, starting at 6 p.m. If you’re looking for live music, Jamison won’t disappoint.

Saturday, October 24

If you love the Screaming Orphans—we’ve seen them many times—they’re back with a Facebook Live concert starting at 5 p.m. Check it out here. (And if you haven’t seen them, do … they’re a party.)

Sunday, October 25

Caitlin Finley and Will Woodson resume their Facebook Live cocktail hour and a half, Sunday at 5 p.m. Watch it here. You can also watch it on YouTube. We’ve written about Caitlin and Will recently. Be sure to catch their wonderful traditional Irish tunes. Continue Reading

Here’s another week with a nice mix of virtual and in-person events.

Let’s get to it:

Friday, October 16

Irish singer Mary Courtney is back with her weekly concert, streaming live to Facebook, tonight at 6 p.m. Tune in here: https://www.facebook.com/MorningStarBand/

Also, kicking off at 7 p.m., it’s Friday Night Virtual Bingo hosted by the Tyrone Society of Philadelphia. (And every Friday night through November 20, FYI.) For $10 per night, you get to play five games of bingo. Cash prizes are based on how many people sign up to play. All the details are here.

Saturday, October 17

Grab your Irish traditional musical instrument and join a Mid-Tempo Virtual Irish Session hosted by Matt and Shannon Heaton. Meant for tune learners and second instrument players, this session kicks off at 2 p.m. Details here. Continue Reading

There’s a pretty fair amount of live music in the area this week.

Without further ado …

Friday, October 9

You can catch Jamison Celtic Rock live in concert at Nick’s Roast Beef, 4501 Woodhaven Road in Northeast Philly, starting at 6 p.m.

Also tonight, at 6 p.m., the wondrous Irish singer Mary Courtney streams live again on Facebook. Check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/MorningStarBand.

One quick note … “Heart of Camden: The Story of Father Michael Doyle,” a pop-up drive-in movie scheduled for Cooper’s Poynt Park in Camden, N.J., is now sold out.

Saturday, October 10

The Shantys, one of the area’s favorite paddy rock bands, takes the stage at Palmer Square & McCarter Theatre Center’s “Fall Music on the Square” in the heart of Princeton, N.J., starting at 12 noon.

And … another live performance. This time, it’s John Byrne performing solo at Oktoberfest, at Kelly Center for Music, Arts, and Community, 4 East Eagle Road in Havertown, starting at 3:45 p.m.

Can’t get there? No worries. The tunes will also be streamed live on Facebook.

To watch on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/KellyCenterMusicArtsCommunity/

Saturday, October 17

The Jamison Duo performs at the New Deck Tavern, 3408 Sansom Street in University City. The show starts at 7 p.m.

And that’s it for this week. Please stay safe, and we’ll see you next time.

It’s a big week for Philly’s Irish, with a fair amount of in-person activities—a welcome respite, we’re sure.

Here’s what’s up:

Friday, October 2

Two events tonight; one virtual, one not.

First, there’s the virtually famous Raymond Coleman, showing up at Dooney’s Pub & Restaurant, 154 NJ-73 in the Cedar Hill Shopping Center, Voorhees, N.J., starting at 6 p.m. A guaranteed good time.

On Facebook, check out the wonderful Irish singer Mary Courtney, also starting at 6 p.m. Tune in at https://www.facebook.com/MorningStarBand. Continue Reading

We don’t have a full week of events, but, hey, the weekend itself is packed with stuff to help you get into an Irish state of mind.

Here’s what’s on.

Friday, September 25

Maggie’s Boots—the talented trio of fiddler Hollis Payer, accordionist Rob Curto and cellist Melissa Brun—will host an online concert, starting at 7 p.m. Donations via PayPal and Venmo happily accepted. Check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/MaggiesBoots/live_videos

Also tonight, Country Dance New York hosts “The Queens of Harps,” a special Zoom concert featuring Tomoko Sugawara and Philly own Ellen Tepper, who will showcase harp music “spanning centuries of repertoire, both familiar and exotic.” It all starts at 7 p.m. Details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/2827792844130622 Continue Reading

By this point, you’re probably missing live concerts, ceili dances and most of all, at this time of year the Wildwood Irish Fall Festival.

Cheer up. We have plenty to keep you content—even though most of it is virtual—and we wouldn’t completely give up on Wildwood, as you’ll see.

Friday, September 18

The fabulous Mary Courtney streams live on Facebook, starting at 6 p.m. You can tune in here: https://www.facebook.com/MorningStarBand She’s one of our very favorite Irish singers. If you haven’t heard her, give her a listen. Tips will be accepted.

Saturday, September 19

Singer-guitarist Seamus Kelleher appears at Blueprint Brewing at 1571 Gehman Road in Harleysville. The show starts at 6 p.m.

Sunday, September 20

Shilelagh Law, billed as NYC’s Thirstiest Band, hosts its virtual Halfway to St. Patrick’s Sunday Funday Virtual Busking Extravaganza. It’s live on Facebook, and you can find it at https://www.facebook.com/SLNYC. The tunes start at 4 p.m. Sure, they’re New Yorkers, but given that it’s virtual, they could be pretty much anywhere.

Also Sunday, it’s time for cocktail hour with Philly-area native fiddler Caitlin Finley and flutist/uilleann piper Will Woodson, starting at 5 p.m. They’ll be streaming live on https://www.facebook.com/woodsonandfinley/live or on YouTube at youtube.com/c/willwoodson/live. We wrote a story about them recently if you want to learn more about this talented duo. Continue Reading

Big week ahead of us, starting tonight with the (virtual) Philadelphia Ceili Group Festival.

Let’s jump right into it:

Friday, September 11-Saturday, September 12

We mentioned this last week (see our story), but because of the pandemic, the Philadelphia Ceili Group Festival—normally held at the Irish Center in Mount Airy—just wasn’t in the cards. In person, that is. But the Ceili Group has come up with a thoroughly creative way to celebrate the festival on the web. It’s well worth checking out. They’ve put a ton of work into their plans, and it shows.

First of all, tonight … celebrate a Rambling House with host Hollis Payer. There’s also a dance workshop. The dance workshop is led by the great Kieran Jordan at 6 p.m. The Rambling House kicks in at 7. Learn more here, and they’ll send you the link.

Here’s who’s going to be at the Rambling House: The wonderful Mary Courtney (video below), Kathy DeAngelo and Dennis Gormley, piper Tim Hill and Autumn Rhodes, Rob Curto, Patch and Bob Glennan, Gabriel Donohue and Marian Makins, Donie Carroll, and many more. Continue Reading

We have a packed week for you, featuring live concerts—isn’t it wonderful to have them—culminating in the virtual Philadelphia Ceili Group Festival. (That’s right—they’re continuing the tradition, and no pandemic will stop them.)

Here’s the scoop:

Friday, September 4

Join fiddler Philly-area native Caitlin Finley and flutist/uilleann piper Will Goodson for a cocktail hour and a half, live on Facebook. (As always, tips are appreciated.) Catch them here:

https://www.facebook.com/woodsonandfinley/live

It all takes place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Pour yourself a pint, sit back and enjoy some of the tunes. Continue Reading