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| Friday, February 19, 2010 |
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RECENT
PASSINGS |
John O'Mahony, 93, who died in Co. Cork, Ireland, last week, the father of Kieran O'Mahony of Seattle.
Patty Browne, 68, who died recently in Port Angeles, was born in 1941 in Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow.
Jack Fitzsimmons, 89, who died recently in Langley, was a former active member of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick and grandfather of Seattle fiddler Sarah Dillon.
Margaret Rose Smyth, 98, who died recently in Mount Vernon, was the daughter of one of the early Irish settlers in Skagit County.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha dílis.
May their faithful souls be at God's right hand. |
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DON'T FORGET! PLEASE SHOW YOUR SUPPORT!
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| All Irish Heritage Club Memberships expire on December 31 each year, even though members remain in good standing until the following March 31. Please show your support for Irish activities in Seattle(and for this newsletter!) by being a paid 2010 member. |
| If you cannot be a member, any Donation in any amount in support of this newsletter is also welcome, whether it's $1 or $5 or $50.
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| Míle Buíochas!
A Thousand Thanks! |
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The Celtic Connection |
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Read the Seattle News in the most recent Celtic Connection, the voice of Celts around the Pacific Northwest. You can also pick up a copy each month at your local Seattle-area Irish Pub or Restaurant! |
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| IRISH CONSULATE
San Francisco |
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| Click to read the latest issue of The Irish Echo. |
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| ON OUR WEBSITE |
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If you need Irish Musicians, Irish Pubs, Irish Stores, or anything else Irish in Seattle, you'll probably find it listed on our website's Seattle Irish Resource Page. |
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2010 ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE HONORARY
GRAND MARSHALS |
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Leo and Carol Costello will be the Honorary Grand Marshals of Seattle's 2010 St. Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday, March 13. Click the photo for more information.
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For all the details on the events of Irish Week 2010, visit
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| MAYOR OF GALWAY |
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Councillor Declan McDonnell, Mayor of Galway, Seatle's Irish Sister City, will visit Seattle for Irish Week 2010. Mayor McDonnell is the 16th Mayor of Galway to visit Seattle since Seattle and Galway became sister cities in 1986. In 2011, the Seattle Galway Sister City relationship will celebrate its 25th year. |
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| MAYOR OF DONEGAL |
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Councillor Brendan Byrne, the Mayor of County Donegal, will also be visiting Seattle for Irish Week 2010 and will attend the events of March 12-14, 2010. |
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| MASS SPEAKER |
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The 2010 Mass for Peace homilist is Fr. Bill Treacy who was also the homilist and main celebrant at the first St. Patrick's Day Mass for Peace held at Seattle's Plymouth Congregational Church 29 years ago on March 17, 1982. |
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IRISH SEATTLE NEWS
LEARN HOW TO MAKE IRISH SODA BREAD!
An Irish Soda Bread Cooking Class will be held at St. Patrick's Church Hall, 2702 Broadway E (off I-5 at Roanoke) at 1 pm, Saturday, February 27. All the necessary mixing ingredients will be provided - just bring a mixing bowl and measuring spoons - and the first 10 people to register will bring home their own fully-cooked Irish Soda Bread loaf! Cost is $10 pp and Advance Reservations are required. For details, contact 425-582-8026 or SodaBread@irishclub.org.
IRISH WEEK MEETING - The final planning meeting in preparation for Irish Week will be held Friday evening, February 26, at 6 pm at Hale's Ales Brewery, 4301 Leary Way NW, located about half way between the Fremont Bridge and the Ballard Bridge. All volunteers are asked to attend as this is a large mailing party and any help will be appreciated. Call 425-427-3027 for more details.
SEATTLE'S IRISH WEEK 2010
Check an event for more details
Saturday, March 6
Irish Soda Bread Contest, 2 pm, T S McHugh's
Irish Week Proclamation Luncheon, Noon, F X McRory's
Green Stripe Laying, 7 pm, 4th Ave & Jefferson St
Sunday, March 14
St Patrick's Day Dash, 8:30 am, 1st & Mercer
Irish Festival, Noon - 6 pm, Seattle Center
Matt Talbot Dinner, 6 pm, F X McRory's
St. Patrick's Day, Wednesday, March 17
Mass For Peace, 12 Noon, Plymouth Congregational Church.
Irish Seniors' Luncheon , 2 pm, F. X. McRory's.
Irish Festival, 11:30 am - 3 pm, Seattle Center
IRISH WHISKEY TASTING - On Tuesday, March 9, at 6:15 pm, the downtown Seattle Rainier Club's Scotch Committee invites their Irish brethren to celebrate the ides of March and the spirits of Ireland! Join the Mayor of Galway for a talk and tasting of 3 great Irish Whiskies, and Chef Morris invites you to a special Irish Themed Dinner immediately following featuring, Irish Beer, Irish Whiskey and Irish Cream for dessert! For details on cost and reservations (#s are limited), call 206-818-1174 or email Anthony@welcher.org.
BOOK CLUB - The Irish Book Club meets this Monday, February 22nd, at 7pm in Magnolia to discuss The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry. Contact Judith at hudit@comcast.net for details.
MAGICAL STRINGS CONCERT - On Sunday evening, March 14 at 7 pm, Maplewood Presbyterian Church in Edmonds (19523 84th Ave W) hosts Magical Strings in a celebration of Irish music, song, dance and spirituality to kick-off St. Patrick's Week in Edmonds! All are welcome with a suggested donation of $20, $15 seniors, $10 children. Contact Barry Keating at 425-778-5248 for information.
CELTIC CONCERT - Seattle Folklore Society Concert Saturday, February 27, 7:30 pm, featuring Violinist/fiddler Jamie Laval and guitarist Zac Leger at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, with a two-hour program of traditional music from around the Celtic diaspora, from Scotland and Ireland to Quebec, and Appalachia. Reserve online or call 206-528-8523.
FEILE CONCERT - A fundraiser for the Tara Academy Irish dancers will be held Sunday, February 28, at 4 pm at Shorecrest Performing Arts Center in Shoreline. The dancers will be joined by special guests Mark Raney, Magical Strings, Hanz Araki, Colleen Raney and Cary Novotny. Tickets are $15.00 at Brown Paper tickets or contact caroline@cumming.cc.
IRISH DANCE CHAMPIONSHIPS - The Pacific Northwest Irish Dance Championships Feis will be held at the Hilton Seattle Airport Hotel on Saturday-Sunday, March 6. Up to 600 dancers from the western US and Canada, ranging in age from four years to adults, will compete throughout the weekend in competitions starting at 8 am each day. This will be the eleventh annual staging of this Feis and admission is free both days.
BURIEN 5K RACE - The Cove to Clover is a 5K race in Burien on Sunday afternoon, March 14 starting at 1 pm. Sponsored by Mick Kelly's Irish Pub and Restaurant, the race is followed by a 1mile family run "for shorter legs" at 1:40 pm. Cove to Clover is a benefit fundraiser for the Highline Area Food Bank and Highline District Schools.
ARTIST SHOW - Works of Irish artist Paula Stokes are featured through March 12 at the Seattle Art Museum Gallery, 1220 Third Avenue, Seattle. Born in Ireland, Paula has lived in the Seattle area since 1993. Most recently her glass work has been added to the permanent collection of the National Museum of Ireland.
IRISH OLYMPIANS - Among those cheering at the Winter Olympics in Whistler, BC, is Seattle's Eavanne O'Donoghue whose nephew Shane O'Connor is representing Ireland in the men's Alpine Slalom. Another of Eavanne's nephews, Niall O'Connor, is the Irish Alpine Team Manager.
DONEGAL BAND - The St. Catherine's Accordion Marching Band from Killybegs, Co. Donegal, will be marching in Seattle's St. Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday, March 13, 2010. Killybegs is a small town on the northwest coast of Ireland and the 39 band members' ages range from 12 to 17. The band has performed at numerous fairs and festivals across Ireland, including in Dublin's St. Patrick's Day Parade, and now in the Emerald City of Seattle. For information on Killybegs, visit www.killybegs.ie.
LEGO WHITE HOUSE - At Seattle's Irish Festival next month, a LEGO artist will build a roughly 5 feet X 4 feet replica of the White House in Washington, DC. Built between 1792-1800, the White House architect was James Hoban from Co. Kilkenny, and he based his design partly on the design of Leinster House in Dublin which was built 1745-1747 and where the Dáil (Irish Parliament) meets today. As a result, both buildings are considered to be architectural twins.
DeLOREAN DISPLAY - The DeLorean automobile was manufactured in Belfast from 1981 to 1983, and about 8,500 of the vehicles were built. The vehicles were popularized by being used in the "Back to the Future" trilogy of movies made 1985 - 1990. On Saturday and Sunday, March 13 & 14, Pacific Northwest DeLorean Club members will display a couple of their futuristic-looking Irish-made vehicles outside Center House from 2-4 pm each day of the Festival.
GAELIC FOOTBALL - A men's Gaelic Football team is being re-started in Seattle. If you are interested or know someone who is, contact Rob Rayburn at mensfootball@seattlegaels.com. The Seattle Gaels will host a Gaelic games tournament at Green Lake Park on Saturday, June 5. For details, visit seattlegaels.com.
BELLINGHAM PARADE - The 1st Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in Bellingham is Saturday, March 13 at noon. Starting from Cornwall and Ohio, the Parade winds through downtown, and finishes at Cornwall and Maple.
CRAIC FEST - Four of the most popular Celtic-influenced rock bands on the West coast, from Vancouver, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle, will perform Saturday, March 6 in the Great West Coast Craic Celtic Rock Experience at the D&R Theatre 205 South I St, Aberdeen, on Washington's coast. The Clumsy Lovers, Culann's Hounds, Amadan, and Ockham's Razor perform and tickets are available at www.greatwestcoast.com.
CELTIC RADIO - Listen on the Internet 24/7 to Radio Dé Danann, Music of the Pan-Celtic World hosted by Nan Hawthorn from Mill Creek who invites mp3 submissions from Seattle-area Celtic musicians - contact hawthorne@nanhawthorne.com.
CANCER CYCLE - Three Dubliners will set off from Seattle on August 1 planning to cycle some 3,750 miles to Washington, DC, arriving on September 18, all in aid of cancer charities in Ireland and the US. For details, visitwww.cycleofamerica2010.com.
MISCELLANEOUS AREA HAPPENINGS
For the most up-to-date information on Irish and Celtic events in the Pacific Northwest, visit www.hoilands.com.
· The ninth Friday Harbor Irish Music Camp, March 8-13, is hosted by Randal Bays & Dan Paulson.
· A new Irish Music Session has started at Couth Buzzard / Espresso Buono, 8310 Greenwood Ave N, from 11 am - 1 pm on the 1st & 3rd Saturdays of each month. |
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NEWS FROM IRELAND IRISH NETWORK - The Global Irish Network has been formally launched by the Irish government to develop relations between the Irish Government "and the most influential members of the global Irish business community". 300 Irish business leaders across the world have been invited to join what is described as "a network of Irish CEOs", and the hope is that this Irish Diaspora will help bring financial benefits to Ireland.
NI AGREEMENT - Following the longest set of continuous negotiations held in the Northern Ireland peace process, nearly two weeks of round-the-clock negotiations ended with an agreement that Policing and justice powers will be devolved from London to Belfast from April 12.
DECOMMISSIONING - The INLA, a Northern Ireland republican paramilitary organization, has decommissioned all its weapons. The group was responsible for some 120 murders during the Troubles, including the killing of the British politician Airey Neave in 1979. The Official IRA, which split from the Provisional IRA in 1969, has also decommissioned its weapons.
IRISH OSCAR? - The Irish Animated Short film Granny O'Grimm was recently nominated for an Oscar. To see the entire short, visit grannyogrimm.com.
RUSSBOROUGH FIRE - No works of art were damaged in a recent fire at Russborough House in Co Wicklow that seriously damaged the home's west wing which happened to be empty as it was undergoing repair work. Russborough was built in 1741 and is considered to be the finest house in Ireland open to the public. It is beautifully maintained and lavishly furnished, and in addition to works of art, contains fine furniture, tapestries, carpets, porcelain and silver.
FAMINE DAY - Murrisk, Co. Mayo, will host Ireland's 2010 National Famine Memorial Day on May 16. Murrisk is home to the National Famine Monument which depicts a 'Coffin Ship' with skeletal bodies and is the largest bronze sculpture in Ireland.
PATHE NEWSREELS - The Pathe cinema newsreel was a feature of the movies from the early 1900s until the 1970s. Now the Pathe digital news archive is available online, including newsreel footage of many historical Irish events, including a 1922 Concentration Camp of captured Sinn Feiners; 1922 Michael Collins electioneering, 1920 Irish republican leaders (including Eamon de Valera, William Cosgrave and Terence MacSwiney); and 1963 JFK visiting Ireland.
LOO CHARGE - Ryanair, the Irish budget airline, says it is going ahead with plans to charge passengers for using toilets during flights of one hour or less. The charge will be about $1.50, but the airline says fares will be reduced by at least 5%.
IRISH SHARKS - Ireland's northernmost tip, Malin Head in Co. Donegal, has been identified by marine scientists as one of the top European "hotspots" for basking sharks. The Basking Shark (An Liamhán Gréine or "Sun Fish", known for its habit of swimming just below the surface) is the largest fish in the Northern Atlantic and the second largest in the world.
ANTHEM HIT - Ireland's national anthem has become an international hit with users of Nokia cell phones. Amhrán na bhFiann is available for free Nokia download as a Karaoke style application that enables you to learn the words and the tune. More than 30,000 downloads have so far been made in countries far from Ireland, including Finland, Vietnam and Turkey.
SAN PATRICIOS - The Chieftains and actor Liam Neeson are collaborating on a song to commemorate the San Patricios, a group of mostly Irish soldiers who fought in the Mexican Army during the 1846-1848 war with the US. The San Patricios were led by Galwayman John Reilly and fought under a banner that had St. Patrick on one side and a shamrock and Harp of Erin on the other. The San Patricios are remembered twice a year in Mexico, on September 12, the anniversary of their execution and on March 17.
ANTARTIC WHISKY - Five crates of whisky and brandy buried under Antarctic ice for more than 100 years have been recovered by a heritage team restoring Irish-born explorer Ernest Shackleton's hut. The hut was abandoned when Shackleton was forced to abort his Nimrod expedition to the South Pole in 1909. Shackleton was born near Athy, Co Kildare, in 1874.
ANTIQUE BROOCH - A 1,400-year-old brooch dating from around AD 600 was recently found in the remnants of a turf fire in a home in Kerry. The area has numerous early Christian ruins and holy wells and the brooch is believed to have been used to fasten the cloak of a clergyman.
ST. BRIGID - The feastday of St. Brigid, one of Ireland's three patron saints along with Patrick and Columba, was celebrated February 1, but Brigid is also claimed as the patron saint of babies, blacksmiths, boatmen, cattle, chicken farmers, children born out of wedlock, dairy workers, fugitives, infants, Leinster, mariners, midwives, nuns, poets, the poor, poultry farmers, printing presses, sailors, scholars, travelers and watermen.
INSURANCE CLAUSE - Although they insured a several hundred years old thatched cottage in Co. Louth that burned down in 2008, Lloyds of London has refused to pay the claim because the company was never told the building had a mural depicting the Battle of the Boyne on the gable wall. |
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TID BITS
Fake Irish Passports were used by three members of the hit-team responsible for last week's assasination of a senior Hamas operative in Dubai.
Conservative political commentator Ann Coulter this week on TV twice used a negative Irish stereotype to refer to Vice-President Joe Biden, calling him "this drunken Irishman".
Margeret Ritchie has succeeded Mark Durkan as leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party in Northern Ireland.
Britain's Conservative Party has an agreement with the Ulster Unionists to field joint candidates in Northern Ireland for the 18 British Parliament seats at stake in the UK election that must be held before May 10.
The President of Iceland recently said Ireland and Iceland have many things in common, "We have both in our histories experienced the arrogance of the British."
The Cushman Photo Collection has been put online by Indiana University and contains numerous photos of Dublin taken between 1961-1965.
Most people traveling b etween Shannon Airport and Limerick drive right by the Heather Harp Roundabout without noticing the beautiful Harp design in the middle of the roundabout.
Ireland was the only EU country to have a perfect gender balance in 2008, with 100 women per 100 men in the population.
6,455 people were jailed in Ireland in 2007, 7.4% of them women.
Women account for 84% of Irish primary education employees, yet 52% of primary school managers are male.
If you've never heard of Hare-Coursing, watch the sights and hear the sounds of coursing in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.
Staff at a Dublin funeral home preparing a man's body for burial this week found a golf ball lodged in the man's throat and nobody knows how it got there. The Gardaí (Police) are now involved but do not view the man's death as suspicious.
PSNI (Northern Ireland Police) officers three times searched the home of a Derry man who had been reported missing by a neighbor. Only on the third search did they notice the decomposing body of the man lying on his sofa under a blanket.
January was the coldest month for more than 45 years in Dublin and for at least 25 years across Ireland.
If you attend the Vancouver Winter Olympics, make sure to visit Irish House, a 9,000 square-foot temporary building at 620 Nelson Street in downtown Vancouver.
President Obama has invited Ireland's Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian Cowan to visit the White House on March 17 for a St. Patrick's Day celebration "as a reminder of the shared history and close kinship between our two countries".
Chicago's 2010 Southside St. Patrick's Day Parade has been canceled because the event had become too big to handle!
One in four Irish consumers said they shopped in Northern Ireland in 2009. Toiletries, detergents and alcohol were the products people were most likely to buy on cross-Border shopping trips.
When areas of Dublin were without water following the rupture of water pipes because of the January cold, Guinness tankers were used to take water to the affected areas.
"Riverdance," which became an international phenomenon in 1994 and has since been seen by millions worldwide, will end its run this March with a last show at New York's Radio City Music Hall. | |
IRISH PROVERB
Is minic cuma aingeal ar an Diabhal féin There is often the look of an angel on the Devil himself
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ARE YOU A 2010 IRISH HERITAGE CLUB MEMBER? Please show support for Irish activities in the Seattle area by becoming a member. Membership is open to anyone interested in "Things Irish". Dues are $20 (single membership) or $30 (family membership), and you can pay by cash, check, or Secure Credit Card. For more information, email Membership@irishclub.org or visit www.irishclub.org. |
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2010 Members remain in good standing until March 31, 2011 |
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