March 2024
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Easy For Easter: Sweet Lemon Loaf
It’s a safe bet that you’ll find slices of this cake offered in tea rooms, coffee shops, home kitchens, and take-aways throughout the Emerald Isle. It’s a “standard” to which bakers often add a personal touch — think extra lemon (or orange) zest in the cake or fresh herbs in the drizzle — and it would be a delightful addition to your Easter menu. Nicholas Mosse (Bennettsbridge, County Kilkenny), one of Ireland’s most well-known pottery […] Read More
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Raise a Toast to the Inspired Creator of Pops McCann Irish Whiskey
Jason Fogg grew up in the bar business. So, it’s probably not a big surprise that he is the driving force behind Pops McCann Whiskey, his brainchild and a means of perpetuating family history. Now, Fogg has opened a storefront in Wayne, where patrons can imbibe his whiskeys, and hand-crafted cocktails. Fogg’s mother, Mary Frances (Frassee), has been a bartender for 45 years, and his father owned a neighborhood bar in Juniata Park, Pat’s Pub. […] Read More
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How the Irish Built Philadelphia
By Aidan McElwee Photo: Dublin-born Matthew Carey, publisher, economist, and philanthropist in Philadelphia Philadelphia has been a home for Irishmen and Irishwomen for generations. William Penn himself was Irish on his father’s side. At the turn of the 19th century, 5,000 Irish-born people were living in Philadelphia. By 1860, 95,000 Irishmen and Irishwomen lived in Philadelphia marking the largest immigrant population in the city. Today, 10% of the entire city has Irish roots, roughly 160,000 […] Read More
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A Tin Pan Alley Tribute To Dad
By Frank Keel March is the Month of the Irish and, of course, St. Patrick’s Day is the pinnacle of the celebration of our shared Irish heritage. It’s an especially joyous time here in Philadelphia, which for a long, long time boasted the largest Irish population per capita in the United States (Boo, Boston!) I have treasured St. Patrick’s Day my entire adult life but since my Dad, Frank Sr., passed in 2021, the day […] Read More
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Hearty Fare for St. Patrick’s Day
Nothing warms the heart on St. Patrick’s Day more than the mashed potato-topped casserole known as Shepherd’s Pie. In a land where sheep were traditionally a primary food supply, it’s not surprising that lamb is the foundation for many Irish farmhouse dishes, especially this long-time favorite originally created as an economical way to use leftover lamb. If you’re headed out to a parade, this make-ahead meat and vegetable pie, topped with a crust of mashed […] Read More