You know you’re Irish when you hear a patron in a pub ask the bartender, “Are you all ready for March Madness?” and you’re pretty sure he’s not talking about basketball.
While there will be plenty of college hoops in March, the real madness for the Delaware Valley’s millions of Irish, Irish-Americans, and Irish wannabes will be in the pubs, on stage, and in streets as dozens of Irish performers big and small fill every venue and each weekend brings a new parade or pub crawl.
There’s an event for every taste, from the Celtic Tenors at the Sellersville Theater in Sellersville on Sunday, March 5, to the Bastard Bearded Irishmen, a Celtic rock band from Pittsburgh, at the City Winery in Philadelphia on Saturday, March 18.
You can catch the high-energy Irish supergroup Dervish at the Irish Center in Philly on March 18, only their second post-pandemic tour, and the equally high-energy Barleyjuice returning for their popular St. Patrick’s Day Party at the Sellersville Theater on March 17.
Our calendar will keep you up to date and we’ll be back to tell you more about the latter part of the month. But here are some of the highlights of the first two weeks of St. Patrick’s Season:
The first parade in our area is, as always, in Burlington County, NJ, starting at 1 PM the corner of High and Washington Streets in Mount Holly, NJ on Saturday, March 4.
There are literary choices this month too. Starting on March 2, the Irish Heritage Theater is presenting Irish playwright Brian Friel’s take on characters from two Chekov plays, including “Uncle Vanya.” Performances for The Bear and Afterplay at the Plays and Players Theater, 1714 Delancey Place, in Philadelphia, run through Sunday, March 19.
The Seamus Egan Project (he of Solas Fame) will be on stage at City Winery on March 11; Gilbert O’ Sullivan (his ‘60s hit, “Alone Again,” will become an earworm to anyone of a certain age) on March 15; the duo Rakish on March 16; and the aforementioned Bastard Bearded Irishmen on March 18.
March 4 begins some of the special events leading up to the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade, one of the oldest and largest in the country.
On the fourth, there will be a .317 “Irish Jog” in the name of Dan Harrell, this year’s Grand Marshal, which will raise money for the parade.
On March 5, the parade committee holds one of its biggest fundraisers of the year at the Springfield Country Club in Delaware County. Dan Harrell will be there as well as celebrities from the local CBS station in Philadelphia which airs the parade. Music will be provided by Michael Boyce, John McGillian, and some of their talented family members and friends. You can also catch the award-winning McDade-Cara Dancers.
On Thursday, March 9, there will be the annual wreath-laying at the plaque honoring Irish Revolutionary War patriots at Philadelphia’s City Hall, sponsored each year by the Friendly Sons and Daughters of St. Patrick and usually attended by local dignitaries. Starting at 6 PM, there will be a dinner at LIVE Casino at 900 Packer Avenue in Philadelphia during which the grand marshal and Ring of Honor will receive their sashes.
Some great music will be happening in the days leading up to Philadelphia’s parade.
Gerry Timlin, folk singer and comedian from County Tyrone, will be doing two shows, one at 7 PM on Saturday, March 4, and the other at 2 PM on Sunday, March 5, at The Dubliner on the Delaware in New Hope, a venue that hosts some of the best Irish performers in the area.
The Ambler Celtic Strings will be performing at the MacSwiney Club in Jenkintown on March 4.
No Irish Need Apply will be headlining the annual Celtic Night at St. Cecilia Parish at Rhawn and Jeanes Street in Philadelphia on March 4.
Charlie Zahm, a popular soloist on the Irish festival circuit, will be appearing at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Ambler for a concert of Irish music on March 4.
Irish folk and traditional singer Karan Casey will be performing at The Baby Grand at The Grand Opera House in Wilmington, DE, on March 7.
Enter the Haggis will be on stage at the Sellersville Theater on March 8.
The original Wolfetones are scheduled to appear at the Fillmore in Philadelphia on March 8.
The McKrells, whose frontman Kevin McKrell pioneered American Celtic music back in 1979, will be at Sellersville Theater on March 9.
Dublin imports, The Scratch, are scheduled for March 9 at MilkBoy Philly. Another Dublin import–John Byrne and his band–will be opening for them.
In Wilmington, DE, at The Grand, Lunasa, called “the hottest Irish acoustic band on the planet” by The Irish Voice, will be making their only St. Patrick’s season appearance in the area. The concert, on March 9, starts at 8 PM.
Fiddler Hollis Payer is heading up the March 3 music session at the Irish Center in Philadelphia during which there will be dancing instruction—and dancing!—for beginning and intermediate ceili dancers. On Sunday March 5, the dance floor will be taken up with the families—from the very old to the very young—who are coming regularly to the Philadelphia Ceili Group’s popular Ceili Og at the Irish Center.
In Riverton, NJ, audiences will be delighted by The Sliabh Notes, a first-rate Irish trad band that specializes in music from the Sliabh Luchara region of Ireland which is known for its polkas and slides. And yes, dancing is encouraged. The concert is held at the Porch Club of Riverton on Friday, March 10.
John Byrne Band and No Irish Need Apply will be teaming up once again for their St. Patrick’s concert at the World Café Live on March 10. As usual, it’s sold out but check the band’s website or the band’s Facebook page for any available tickets.
If you can’t get into the John Byrne concert, try Sean Daly and the Shams with the Irish Brigade at the Irish Center in Philadelphia, also on March 10. They’re a rebel rock band now based in Portland, OR looking to augment their huge West Coast fan base.
The Philly Parade starts at noon on Sunday March 12, after a Mass at St. Patrick’s Church at 20th and Locust, but you can get some parade practice before with these festive marches:
March 5, Gloucester City, NJ, possibly one of the region’s most Irish spots. Their grand marshal is retired Msgr. William Hodge who, while ministering to the poor, found time to become a recording star (he’s an accordion-playing tenor) and used the proceeds from his records to keep his church and community afloat.
March 11, the Conshohocken St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the Hamilton Township, NJ. Parade step off with pipe bands, string bands, dancers, and Celtic rockers, as does the Bucks County St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Fairless Hills. Springfield Delco will be strutting its stuff on March 11 too, beginning at noon at Springfield Road near S. Britton Road.
There are after-parties galore following the Philly parade, including one sponsored by the Tyrone Society of Philadelphia at the Mummers’ Museum which benefits the chairtable Charlie Dunlop Fund with music by John Lefty Kelly and Patsy Ward.
Stall the Digger will be entertaining parade goers at The Irish Center where there will be food for sale and activities for the kids.
Join The Hooligans’ front man Luke Jardel and his friends at the Red Rooster, 7960 Dungan Road in Philadelphia to rest up after the parade. No, Luke is wild, there will be no resting.
Please check the calendar for all the details and plenty of other events during the first half of the month. We included the calendars of various local musicians and watering holes. Pretty much every minute is filled with celebrating the great and glorious St. Patrick. And the month isn’t over yet. Stay tuned for more. See you again soon.
