People
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InBy Denise Foley
The Best Seat in the House: A Dance Judge Takes You Behind the Scenes
By Kate O’Neill Wosczyna In the fall of 1974 when I was four, my Mom started me in Irish dancing. Being a first generation Irish American, my Mom felt it was important that I remain close to my Irish heritage. All four of my grandparents were from Ireland–Mayo, Donegal, and Tyrone. Along with the dancing, I attempted playing the accordion, fiddle, piano, and tin whistle. Needless to say (and for the betterment of everyone’s ears), […] Read More
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Cherishing Joanie Madden
By Frank Keel Many apt descriptors come to mind when one thinks about Joanie Madden, the world-renowned flute and tin whistle virtuoso and unquestionable leader of the acclaimed Irish-American trad band, Cherish The Ladies. Gifted. Visionary. Trail-blazing. All the terms fit. But, for this long-time fan of Cherish The Ladies and Joanie Madden, there is one descriptor that truly captures the essence of this remarkable musician and band leader. Indefatigable. Take a glance at her […] Read More
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InBy Denise Foley
A Belated Focus on Women As Peacemakers in The Troubles: Peace Activist Monica McWilliams
Photos by Tom Keenan At a youth conference in Northern Ireland recently, a young woman taking her O levels in history approached Monica McWilliams, co-founder of the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition political party and a signatory of the Good Friday Peace Agreement in 1998. The student had a complaint. The only reference to women during “The Troubles” in the history curriculum, she told McWilliams, “was that women handed out tea and buns when the British […] Read More
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Sister James Anne: A Life Lesson in Irish Pride
Ask Sister James Anne Feerick where she grew up, and, like many Philadelphia Catholics, she answers with the name of her parish—Transfiguration of Our Lord, 56th and Cedar Avenue, in West Philadelphia. “It’s one of those churches that was taken down,” she says, “but it was a great place.” Transy, as locals called it, was the center of everything. Sister James Anne—then known as Nancy—recalls Valentine’s dances for the grown-ups, and Christmas parties for the children. […] Read More
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This Local Irish Dance Trainer Brings New Science to the Job
If you want to know the secret behind some winning Irish dancers, the Proud Mama Facebook posts say it all. From one whose daughter placed second in the under 22 age group at the regional Irish dance competition knowns as Oireachtas: “Thank you Angela for getting Chloe into dance shape both mentally and physically.” From another, whose daughter placed third in her competition and qualified for the world championships: “Thank you to all who have […] Read More
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If You Can’t Be Back Home in Derry, Do the Next Best Thing … Join the Derry Society
Philadelphia’s Irish community is gifted with several societies and associations for people with family ties back to counties throughout the Emerald Isle, but the Derry Society is relatively small. Small, yes … but mighty. Unlike larger county associations, the Derry folks don’t host a large fancy gala. Nothing against the big, splashy events—Derry Society people happily support and attend them, dressed to the nines. However, Derry generally hosts less formal events. Their Spring Fling on […] Read More
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InBy Denise Foley
RUNA and the Choctaw Nation: A Friendship Rekindled
Photo of RUNA with members of the Choctaw Nation by Brad Joe In 1847, members of the Choctaw Nation, who had lost one-sixth of their population in the forced resettlement known as the Trail of Tears only a decade before, did a remarkable thing. It was an act of kindness that would reverberate throughout 175 years of history and create a permanent friendship between two cultures an ocean apart. Members of the indigenous tribe met […] Read More
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Local Irish Musician’s Daughter Spurs Effort to Raise Funds–and Awareness–for Autism
Philadelphia area musician Raymond Coleman remembers when he and his wife Jaclyn first started worrying about their daughter Céilí. Céilí was a year and a half, and she didn’t respond when they called her name or rolled a ball back to her. At first, they thought she might have a hearing problem. Then, Coleman says, he wondered whether Céilí might be developmentally delayed. They consulted with Céilí’s pediatrician, who recommended testing. “We were calling her […] Read More
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Saving the Irish language, One Student at a Time
Growing up in Gweedore, the heart of Donegal’s Irish speaking region known as The Gaeltacht, Sorcha Ní Ghallachóir’s first encounter with the English language was a children’s television program about a red-haired, red-cheeked puppet named Bosco. She watched, mystified. He was speaking a foreign language. “To me it was double Dutch,” recalls Ní Ghallachóir. “I had no idea what he was saying except for the word or two he said in Irish.” Though Irish is the […] Read More
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John Byrne’s Songwriting Skills Take Center Stage
Standing in front of the noontime crowd at WXPN’s Free at Noon concert on this St. Patrick’s Day, John Byrne sounded almost giddy. “How are ye all?” he called to the crowd as he and his eponymous band launched into their version of the Dubliners’ “The Twang Man,” the story of a man who kills his lover’s new partner, then rolled right into “The Well Below the Valley,” an ancient tale of incest and infanticide, with […] Read More