Seattle Irish News
By JOHN KEANE
Seattle Gaelic
The Seattle Gaels are organizing Team Ireland to participate in the World Cup Seattle Soccer Tournament starting on June 4, but they are also participating in regular Gaelic football and hurling practices. To participate in any of the games, or for more information, call men's football team manager Niall King at (206) 935-1993; women's football team manager Rebecca Fox at (206) 498-2762; hurling team manager Rob Mullin at (206) 353-8460; and/or youth (boys and girls 10-16 years of age) team manager Russ Richards at (206) 527-1702. Or just email SeattleGaels@irishclub.org.
Team Ireland
Ireland's team in the World Cup Seattle Soccer Tournament has been drawn to play England in the tournament's opening game on the evening of June 4 at 9 PM. That weekend also sees Ireland playing Bosnia on Saturday at 2:30 PM and Armenia on Sunday at 11:30 AM.
The entire weekend features food from every region of the world, community music and dance performances, youth clinics with the Sounders and a Saturday night concert. Two teams from Ireland's group will advance, along with 14 other teams, to a second qualifying weekend on August 20, 21, 22, with the winners there advancing to play at Seahawks Stadium on August 29 for the World Cup Seattle Championship!
Weekend passes for the June 4-5-6 games are available for $10 each from Tom Lagan TLagan@aol.com. For the full tournament game schedule and more detailed information, visit www.worldcupseattle.org.
Montana Festival
An Rí Rá Montana Irish Festival is slated for August 13-14-15 in Butte, Montana. The headliner acts are Cherish the Ladies and the Makem Brothers and Mikey Spain. Spokane's An Dóchas and the Haran Irish Dancers, Sean Nós singer Terry Kane, and some of Montana's best Irish music groups also will take to the stage, along with the Trinity Academy of Irish Dance and other local dancers.
The festival features a golf tournament at the Old Works Golf Course, a sanctioned 5K run, workshops in music, Irish history, Irish language, genealogy, and dance. Other attractions include an archival photo display, children's activities, and many arts and crafts and food vendors. Sunday features an outdoor mass in the Irish language by a native speaker priest from County Cork.
Admission is $10 for Friday, $15 for Saturday, $20 for the entire weekend. Children under 12 are admitted free. Sponsored by the Montana Gaelic Cultural Society. For further information, check www.mgcsonline.org.
Tir Na Nog
The second Annual Tir na nOg Day Camp of Irish Culture and Dance for ages 4-8 will be July 5-July 9, from 9 AM to 12:30 PM, at the Phinney Neighborhood Center. For more information or to register, call Cathy Gill, Eamaer McGuigan or Melissa Curtis at (206) 856-5535 or email tirnanogdaycamp_seattle@hotmail.com.
Bloomsday
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Bloomsday, a day immortalized by lovers of James Joyce's Ulysses, the world's most highly acclaimed novel. Ireland and other countries around the world have planned literary and fun events to commemorate the day, where on June 16th 1904, Leopold Bloom – an ordinary Dubliner – was a modern-day Odysseus wandering through Dublin. 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.
Irish Book Club
Seattle's Irish Book Club continues to meet monthly at Jane Sepede's house on 133rd Street near I-5. For information on participating, call Judith at (206) 367-5630, or email hudit@earthlink.net.
Martin Hayes
May 23-24, at the Tractor Tavern, Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill. Tickets are $25 - visit www.martinhayes.com for more information.
Harp Book
Congrats to Seattle harpist Nora Joan Clark on the publication of her book, The Story of the Irish Harp. For all the details, visit the website of the publisher, North Creek Press, at www.home.earthlink.net/~northcreekpress/.
Vashon Ceili
The monthly Vashon Island Irish Ceili Dance will be held on May 22 at 7:30 PM, at the Grange Hall located in the north end ferry dock parking lot – you can just walk on the ferry at Fauntleroy and walk up to the Grange Hall. You don't need any experience to have a great time at a ceili dance, and you don't need a partner. Kathleen O'Grady-Graham of Seattle will be back this month to teach and call the dances. Live music will be provided by excellent local Irish session musicians. And make sure you're there for the half-time show – you never know what it will be, but it's always great.
The suggested donation to participate in the dance is $7 ($5 seniors and students), and the dances are suited to adults and children over 12. For more information about the Vashon Celtic Dance Society, or to volunteer, call Shannon Seath Meyer at (360) 463-9911 or Lori Malczyk at (360) 463-6917.
Great Kilted Run
The Great Kilted 5K Run and Walk is on May 16 at 10 AM, starting at Conor Byrne's on Ballard Ave 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 are required to wear a kilt of some sort, with authenticity not a worry. For more information, visit www.seattlecelts.org.
Irish Boxing
Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz dominated a 10-round lightweight bout against Seattle's Irish boxer, Martin O'Malley, knocking him out in the second round at the Pechanga Resort and Casino on April 17. Diaz, of Houston, scored the fight's only knockdown with a left hook, and after an eight-count, he drove O'Malley to the ropes where a series of unanswered blows forced referee Raul Caiz to stop the fight 55 seconds into the round.
Diaz, 20, won the first round clearly after hurting O'Malley with a body punch. The five-foot-six Diaz is unbeaten at 24-0 with 11 KOs, and he is ranked eleventh in the world. He weighed 136 pounds. The 28-year-old O'Malley, who is five-nine and weighed in at 135 1/2 pounds, is 21-3-1 with 14 wins by knockout.
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