SEATTLE IRISH NEWS - Irish Week 2004
March 13-14 – Irish Reels Film Festival
Seattle's Irish Reels is now in its seventh year and the March 13-14 screenings will be at the Seattle Center during the Irish Week Festival. For more detailed information, visit www.irishreels.org.
March 12 – Green Stripe Laying On Fourth Avenue, 7 PM
This is a mini-parade to put a green stripe down the center of Fourth Avenue, to mark the route of the St. Patrick's Day parade. Participants gather at FX McRory's at 6:30 PM to ride the truck or trolley up to Prefontaine Park. The stripe runs from Fourth Avenue and Jefferson to Westlake Park, a distance of about one mile. Children and adults, anyone and everyone, are invited to come along for the “craic” – a Gaelic word meaning “a lot of fun.” There's no admission fee. For more information, call (206) 548-9859.
March 13 – Pre-Parade Proclamation Breakfast, FX McRory's, 10:30 AM
The 33rd Annual Irish Week Proclamation from the City of Seattle, King County and the State of Washington will be issued on the morning of the St. Patrick's Day Parade at a pre-parade breakfast preceding the St. Patrick's Day parade which follows at 12:30 PM. In attendance at the breakfast will be the Mayor of Seattle's Sister City of Galway, Councillor Terry O'Flaherty and the Mayor of Lisburn, Councillor Billy Bell. For tickets ($20) and more information, call (206) 361-1713.
March 13 – Irish Flag-Raising & Anthems, 12:20 PM
The Parade Grand Marshals and other dignitaries join the King County Executive and the Mayor of Seattle in the raising of the Irish tricolor in front of the King-County Administration Building, followed by the playing of the Irish and U.S. national anthems.
March 13 – St. Patrick's Day Parade, On 4th Ave, 12:30 PM
The St. Patrick's Day Parade Grand Marshal Mike McGavick and the Honorary Parade Grand Marshals, Dónal and Mary McKevitt, lead Seattle's 33rd Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade up Fourth Avenue. The parade travels north from Jefferson, and after passing the reviewing stand at Westlake, goes from there via the Monorail to the Seattle Center for closing ceremonies in Center House at 1:30 PM.
Individual marchers are welcome to walk in the Parade, but all marching groups are required to register in advance. Already groups such as the Chief Sealth High School Marching Band, Denny Elementary School Marching Band, Keith Highlanders Pipe Band, Keystone Cops, Saints of Seattle, the Shorecrest Highlanders Pipe Band, Marching Band, and Cheerleaders, St. Joseph's School, Tara Academy of Irish Dancing, Blanchet High School, Comerford School of Irish Dance, Ancient Order of Hibernians, Friends of St. Patrick in Seattle, Irish Wolfhounds, etc., have all registered to march.
To volunteer to help with the Parade, or for more information, call David Jacobsen at (206) 412-2960, or visit www.irishclub.org.
March 13 – Irish Week Festival, Seattle Center, Noon - 6 PM
The weekend Festival starts at noon on Saturday at the Seattle Center and the St. Patrick's Day parade closing ceremonies will be in Center House at about 1:30 PM. Each day of the Festival, there will be booths selling Irish and Celtic products, Irish food and libations, Irish music, singing, dancing, an Irish film festival, workshops, lectures, cultural displays, children's contests and more. For a detailed schedule, visit www.irishclub.org.
March 13 – An Irish Cabaret, Everett, 7 PM
In the historic Everett Theatre, 2911 Colby Avenue (at Hewitt), an old-fashioned Irish Variety show with Irish humor, music, singing, and Irish dancing that will take your breath away. Special attractions at the 2004 Irish Cabaret include performances by Irish Dancers direct from Ireland for Irish Week 2004.
One of the dancers is Andrew Trill, the Under-14 All-World Champion Dancer. He also competed and won the Irish Championship, the British Championship, the North American Championship and the Scottish Championship.
In addition to Andrew, our dancers from Ireland include John Rigney, the Leinster Champion, five times Connaught Champion Catriona McLoughlin, and five other dancers who have all been prizewinners in their region's national and international competitions.
We also have fantastic local group Rapparee, and local MC and Seanchai David McCourt, all guaranteeing a great evening's entertainment. Ticket prices range from $15 to $12 each – call (425) 258-6766 for tickets and information.
March 14 – St. Patrick's Day Dash, 9 Am
This is the annual “nearly four-mile run downhill” from TS McHugh's near the Space Needle to FX McRory's near Safeco Field! Over 15,000 runners are expected and registration closes March 10. There is no race day registration. Even if you're not going to run, it's well worthwhile just coming out to watch. For more information, call (206) 522-7711, or for on-line registration visit www.stpatsdash.com.
March 14 – Irish Week Festival, Seattle Center, Noon-6 PM
Seattle's main event, the Irish Week Festival, continues on March 14. The Festival starts at noon and runs until 6 PM. There will be continuous Irish music, singing and dancing, booths selling Irish and Celtic products, Irish food and libations, an Irish film festival, workshops, lectures, cultural displays, children's contests and activities, and much more. A special drawing for two round-trip tickets anywhere in the U.S. will be held on the main stage at 5:30 PM in Center House. For more information, visit www.irishclub.org.
March 14 – Matt Talbot Dinner, 6 PM, FX McRory's Restaurant
This is the annual fund-raiser for the downtown program for the homeless and the suggested donation is $65 per person. Join Seattle Archbishop Alex J. Brunett, Galway Mayor Terry O'Flaherty, and others in a great cause. For more information on the dinner or the programs of Seattle's Matt Talbot Center, visit www.matttalbotcenter.org. For tickets, call (425) 290-7839.
March 17 – St. Patrick's Day – Mass For Peace In Ireland
Plymouth Congregational Church, Sixth and University, downtown Seattle, 12 noon. There is a tremendous symbolism in this annual gathering of Catholics and others on St. Patrick's Day in a Protestant Church for a Catholic Mass for Peace in Ireland. Celebrant and Presider is Seattle's Catholic Archbishop Alex J. Brunett, while the guest speaker is the Reverend Ken Newell, a Presbyterian Minister from Belfast. For more information, see www.irishclub.org.
March 17 – St. Patrick's Day Celebration, Seattle Center, 11:30 AM-3 PM
This special St. Patrick's Day celebration starts at 11:30 AM at the Seattle Center in Center House and runs until 3 PM. The Costello Irish Dancers from Ireland including All-World Irish Dancing Champion Andrew Trill, perform at 2 PM. For more detailed information, call (206) 684-7200.
March 17 – Friends Of St. Patrick Banquet, 6 PM
A black-tie optional (meaning dark suits are OK) dinner and dance, the 65th Annual Dinner of the Society of the Friends of St. Patrick, will be at the Red Lion Hotel on Fifth Avenue at Union. Tickets are $75 per person and can be had by contacting (425) 290-7839.
Galway Mayor
Mayor Terry O'Flaherty will be in Seattle for Irish Week 2004. A native of County Galway, Terry was first elected to Galway City Council in 1999 and on June 30, 2003, she was elected Mayor of Galway. She follows in the footsteps of her mother, Bridie O'Flaherty, who was Mayor of Galway in 1986 when the Sister City relationship was formalized between Seattle and Galway. This is Terry's first visit to Seattle and she is accompanied by her sister Claire, the City of Galway Finance Director Joe O'Neill and Kay O'Neill.
Lisburn Mayor
Councillor Billy Bell, Mayor of the City of Lisburn, Northern Ireland, along with Lisburn Chief Executive, Norman Davidson, will be in Seattle for the March 13 and14 Irish Week events, including the pre-parade Breakfast and the St. Patrick's Day parade. Lisburn is a city south of Belfast in Northern Ireland. There are many business ties between Lisburn and the Seattle area, and this is Mayor Bell's fourth visit to Seattle.
Mass Speaker
This year's Guest Speaker at the annual St. Patrick's Day Mass for Peace in Ireland, is the Reverend Ken Newell. Born in Belfast in 1943, Reverend Newell has been Minister at Fitzroy Presbyterian Church, Belfast, since 1976.
His life is very much bound up with the divisions and troubles that plague Belfast. He helped establish the annual Evangelical – Roman Catholic Theological Conference which brings together Catholic and Protestant clergy.
In 1994 he received the annual Justice Award conferred by Belvedere College Union in Dublin and in 1999, he received the Pax Christi International Peace Award. Ken is married to Valerie who is a teacher in a high-security Prison outside Belfast.
The Mass for Peace will be celebrated by Seattle's Catholic Archbishop, Most Reverend Alex J. Brunett, on March 17, at 12 noon at Plymouth Congregational Church, Sixth and University, Seattle. For more information, call (425) 290-7839.
SEATTLE GAELIC FOOTBALL & HURLING
The Seattle Gaels Gaelic footballers AGM elected Ed Harkin as the new Seattle Gaels Chair while Tom Lagan was returned as Secretary. The new Seattle Hurling Club agreed to merge with the Seattle Gaels and Rob Mullin (Call (206) 953-8460 for information) was elected Hurling Team Coach.
Liam Boyle was returned as women's team coach and the men's team coaching position was left vacant for the present. Cecilia Richards was elected coach of the Gaels Youth Team. Eight to 10 members of the Gaels will be traveling to San Francisco to attend the April 3-4 Coaching Clinics organized by the North American GAA. For more detailed information on the Seattle Gaels, call (206) 935-1993 or email Gaels@irishclub.org.
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