SEATTLE IRISH NEWS
By JOHN KEANE
2004 Irish Week
With the sun shining brilliantly, the spirit was festive among marchers and spectators alike for Seattle's largest ever St. Patrick's Day Parade involving about 40 different marching groups. For the first time ever, a Unionist Mayor from Northern Ireland marched in a St. Patrick's Day Parade in the United States, when Mayor Billie Bell of Lisburn joined Galway Mayor Terry O'Flaherty, and all the other dignitaries in the Front Line of March along Seattle's Fourth Avenue.
Irish Week continued with a packed Center House at the Seattle Center for the two-day Irish Week Festival, and ended on St. Patrick's Day with a packed Plymouth Congregational Church for an inspiring talk by Belfast's Reverend Ken Newell, the new Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ireland, at a Mass celebrated by Most Reverend Alex Brunett and 15 priests of Seattle's Catholic Archdiocese. It was a great week to be Irish in Seattle and congratulations to all those involved in organizing it. Míle Buíochas! – A thousand thanks!
Soda Bread Winners
The winners of Seattle's Irish Soda Bread Contest last month were: WHITE: First place: Fionna Shriane; Second place: Mary Noel; Third place: Donna West. BROWN: First place: Bridie Eviston; Second place: Mary Shriane; Third place: Scott Bray. GLORIFIED: First place: Paula Johnson; Second place: Sophia Bosa; Third place place: Jodi Hamrick.
Entrants came from as far away as Portland, Oregon, Vancouver B.C., and Eastern Washington. The six judges had a hard time choosing the winners, who each received a piece of Galway Irish Crystal. Second place not only received gift certificates, but also two tickets to the play The O'Connor Girls at the Seattle Rep. Congratulations to Suzanne Green for a great job organizing everything.
Sister-City Reception
You're invited to join the Seattle Galway Sister City Association at the 8th Annual Seattle Sister Cities Reception honoring Seattle's Sister City Associations on April 20, 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Museum of History and Industry. There will be international entertainment and a program honoring past mayors and Council members. For tickets ($15) or information, call (425) 290-7839 or e-mail Galway@irishclub.org.
Sinn Féin Dinner
Gerry Kelly will be the guest speaker at a Friends of Sinn Féin dinner at Anthony's Homeport Shileshole, 6135 Seaview Avenue NW, Seattle, on April 19. Born in Belfast in 1953, Gerry Kelly is one of Sinn Féin's main spokespersons and negotiators, and is a leading proponent of the party's peace strategy.
He first became involved in politics during the civil rights campaign in Ireland during the late sixties and played a central role along with Martin McGuinness in protracted secret negotiations with representatives of the British government in the early 1990s.
Kelly is a member of Sinn Féin's Ard Chomhairle (National Executive) and is a Sinn Féin Assembly Member for North Belfast. For dinner tickets ($75 per person) and more information, call Sean O'Rawe at (206) 719-4667 or email sorawe@msn.com.
Irish Theatre
Gael Force Theatre's production of Sean O'Casey's The Shadow of a Gunman runs April 16 through May 2 at the Odd Duck Studio, 1214 - 10th Avenue on Seattle's Capitol Hill. Showtimes are Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 PM and Sunday, April 25 and Sunday, May 2 at 2 PM. Tickets are $14 adults; $7 students, seniors, TPS Members. For information, visit www.gaelforce.org
Anthony Kearns
Irish Tenor Anthony Kearns is in Concert on April 25 at 7 PM at Wilson High School Auditorium, 1202 N Orchard Street, Tacoma, in a benefit for youth music programs in the Tacoma area. For more information, visit www.anthonykearnswebsite.com. General Admission Tickets are $30, or $50 including a post-concert reception, available through ticketwindowonline.com or contact (253) 262-1372 or kailassie1@earthlink.net.
Ronan Tynan
Ballard Northwest Senior Activity Center and Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Senior Center present Irish tenor Ronan Tynan at Seattle's Benaroya Hall on May 8. Tickets are $40 for general admission or $125 for admission and a reception afterwards. Call (206) 292-ARTS or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
Great Kilted Run
The Great Kilted 5K Run and Walk is May 16, 2004, 10 AM, starting at Conor Byrne's on Ballard Avenue NW in Ballard. You are invited to participate in a unique experience combining athleticism with the traditional music, arts and flavor of the Celtic cultures. All participants must wear a kilt (flexible definition!) of some sort. For more information, visit www.seattlecelts.org.
SHORTS
Irish Boxing
Seattle's Irish boxer, Martin O'Malley, will be fighting on NBC on April 17, against Texan Juan Diaz, ranked eleventh in the world with a record of 23 wins and no losses. The 135 pound Lightweight fight will be in Temecula, California. O'Malley's record is 21 wins (14 KOs), two losses, and one draw.
Irish Book Club
Seattle's Irish Book Club meets on May 6 at 7 PM at Jane Sepede's house on 133rd Street near I-5. May's book is Eureka Street: A Novel of Ireland Like No Other, by Robert McLiam Wilson. For information, call Judith at (206) 367-5630, or e-mail hudit@earthlink.net.
Irish Festival
An Rí Rá Montana Irish Festival, organized by the Montana Gaelic Cultural Society, will be August 13-14-15, in Historic Uptown Butte, Montana. For information, go to www.mgcsonline.org.
Bloomsday
2004 is the centenary of the original Bloomsday, June 16, 1904, the day made famous by James Joyce in his literary masterpiece Ulysses. If you want to be involved in this year's Bloomsday Centenary Celebrations in Seattle, contact Kieran O'Malley at (206) 351-8607 or kieranom@u.washington.edu.
Martin Hayes
May 23-24, at the Tractor Tavern, Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill. Tickets are $25 - visit www.martinhayes.com for more information.
Claypipe CD
Congrats to Claypipe on their new CD, appropriately entitled Finally!, which was recently recorded at Conor Byrne Pub in Ballard. To get your copy at $10 each, contact waynequinn@hotmail.com.
Condolences
to Martina McMahon, a former Seattle resident now living in her native County Armagh, on the death of her four-year-old son Rory from cancer. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.
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