irishphiladelphia.com

Mick Moloney, together with fiddler Athena Tergis and the legendary Bill McComiskey on accordion, filled the Irish Center’s Fireside Room wall to wall.

Lots of local bands to lead you up to Bird Day, followed by the annual convention of the dancing girls and boys, the Mid-Atlantic Oireachtas in downtown Philadelphia.

What’s new? A certain Scottish celebrity TV chef stopped into a restaurant co-owned by a certain Irish singer-songwriter in Philly. Find out how Gordon Ramsay liked the lamb sliders at The Blind Pig. Also, buy a raffle ticket to win a boatload of Irish goodies, all for a good cause.

The three 2011 honorees were surrounded by loved ones, big and small–including a few surprise visitors.

John Conlon, an executive with Ireland’s Industrial Development Agency (IDA), is one of several speakers who will be talking about how to start a business or work with firms in the Gaelic-speaking regions of Ireland (Gaeltacht) on November 30 in Philadelphia. The conference is co-sponsored by the locally based Irish American Business Chamber and Network.

The recent announcement by Amtrak that the mass grave at Duffy’s Cut is too close to the tracks to be safely exhumed was disappointing, but not devastating; there is still much work to be done at the site.

It’s John J. Dougherty–AKA “Johnny Doc”–business manager of the powerful electricians’ union, Local 98, and a long-time supporter of the parade and Irish causes. This year’s parade theme: St. Patrick, Bless the American Worker.

This hard-working, dedicated businessman was instrumental in the establishment of The Irish Memorial on Penns Landing. Friends call him “rock solid” and “the finest man I’ve ever known.” This weekend, he’ll be honored at The Irish Center.