Seattle Irish News Round-Up
By JOHN KEANE
Seattle Gaels Anniversary Banquet
The Seattle Gaels Gaelic football club was founded in 1979. Now a football and hurling club, they celebrate their twenty-fifth anniversary with a dinner-dance on November 19 at The Skansonia, 205 N.E. Northlake Way (near Ivar's Salmon House). You're invited to join the Gaels from 7 PM to midnight as they celebrate this year's accomplishments and those of the past 25 years. Cocktails 7 PM, dinner 8 PM, awards 9 PM, dancing 9:30 PM-midnight. A limited number of tickets at $50 per person are still available and can be had by e-mailing Gaels@irishclub.org or call Ed Harkin at (206) 935-1993.
Irish Book Club
The next meeting of Seattle's Irish Book Club is December 2 at 7:30 PM at Joan Flanagan's house, near I-5 in the Northgate area. New members are always welcome. For directions and other information, call Judith at (206) 367-5630.
Visa Lottery
Applicants for the U.S. 2006 Diversity Visa Lottery are strongly advised to submit their entry early, as some who waited until the final week in 2003 were unable to submit due to the high volume of last minute entries. Applications are being accepted until January 7 at www.dvlottery.state.gov. Anyone born in Ireland is eligible to apply but only one entry per person is permitted. Paper entries and mail-in requests are not being accepted and there is no charge to apply. For more information, email visa@irishclub.org.
Roddy Doyle
Seattle Arts & Lectures presents An Evening with Roddy Doyle on November 15, 7:30 PM, Benaroya Hall. Famous for his clever dialogue, sense of humor, and honest portrayals of working-class characters in inner-city Dublin, Roddy Doyle is one of Ireland's most popular writers.
Doyle will read from his most recent novel, Oh, Play That Thing (2004), a sequel to his best-selling novel, A Star Called Henry (1999). His previous books include The Commitments (1988), The Snapper (1990), The Van (1991), and Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, which won the 1993 Booker Prize. The reading will be followed by an on-stage interview. For tickets, call (206) 621-2230 or visit www.lectures.org.
Irish Studies E-Institute
The Irish Consulate in San Francisco has announced a grant of $25,000 to fund the creation of an E Institute of Irish Studies of the West. It will be an on-line, Open University of the Web, which will avail of the latest in Twenty-First Century programming, software and hardware to create its personality. It will be an academic institute available to all serious students of Ireland, both ancient and modern, focusing in particular on the contribution of those who have traveled between Ireland and the Western United States. It will encompass language, literature, history, politics, economics, culture, technology and unparalleled access to a database of knowledge worldwide.
The institute's objective is to provide scholars and researchers of contemporary Ireland and of the Irish experience in the American West with both a place to study and to learn, utilizing innovative, cutting-edge technology. Satellite institutions across the Western U.S. and in Ireland will have the benefits of all of the resources a physical institute would typically provide, but without the difficulty associated with travel to a remote location.
Yachats Celtic Festival
The Yachats Celtic Festival will be held from November 12-14, in Yachats, a city on the Central Oregon coast between Newport and Florence, and includes performances by Kevin Burke, Jamie Lavell, Piper Michael Cooney, Irish stepdancers, and others. For information, call (541) 547-3000 or visit www.yachatscelticmusicfestival.com.
Children's Christmas Party
The annual Children's Christmas Party sponsored by the Irish Heritage Club will be held on December 12 at 1 PM at the Parish Hall at Maplewood Presbyterian Church, 19523 84th Avenue West, Edmonds. Daidí na Nodhlaig (Father Christmas) is scheduled to arrive in his green robes at 2 PM. All are welcome, but please register children in advance by calling (206) 361-1713 or via e-mail to JaneS@irishclub.org.
Celtic Yuletide
Magical Strings' 26th annual Celtic Yuletide Concert in Seattle is December 18. With their Celtic harps, hammered dulcimers, whistles, concertina, strings, and harp-like instruments from around the world, Philip and Pam Boulding reunite with their family's three generations and many special guests, including the Raney Irish Dancers. For details on their full series of concerts, call (253) 857-3716, or visit www.magicalstrings.com.
Mother's Christmas
The annual celebration of Nodhlaig na mBan, the Irish Mother's Christmas Dinner, is scheduled for January 9, with the location still to be decided. For more information, e-mail JackS@irishclub.org.
Music Camp
The Friday Harbor Music Camp will be next March 1-6, in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. The camp will feature Traditional Irish music classes, concerts, dances, sessions, and carrying-on in the spirit of County Clare's “Willie Week.” For more information, visit www.fridayharborirish.com.
Performers include: Catherine McEvoy on flute; Kevin Crehan on fiddle; Randal Bays on fiddle; Susan Waters provides an introduction to Irish fiddle; Roger Landes on Irish bouzouki; Daithi Sproule on guitar and song arranging; Jackie Daly on button accordion; Gearoid O hAllmhurain on concertina; Joel Bernstein on chromatic and diatonic harmonica; Maldon Meehan with Irish set dancing.
Irish Genealogy
Monthly meetings of the Irish Interest Group of the South King County Genealogical Society are held at the Auburn Library, 1102 Auburn Way S, and the next meeting will be on November 24, from 1-3 PM. For more information, contact Barb Callahan at barbc70@comcast.net or call (253) 852-4218.
George Benson
Former Seattle City Council member George Benson has died at the age of 85. A good friend of Seattle's Irish community, George was Grand Marshal of Seattle's St. Patrick's Day Parade in 1993. That same year, as City Council President, he led a delegation to Galway to preside over the unveiling of a stone monument marking Seattle's Sister City relationship with Galway. A matching stone monument is located in Seattle at 2200 Alaskan Way, opposite Pier 66, on the waterfront.
Traditional Irish Music
November 14, Kevin Burke and Ged Foley with Johnny B. Connolly are at the Tractor Tavern in Ballard. Visit www.tractortavern.com for tickets and information.
Free Weekly Traditional Irish Music Sessions are held at the following Seattle area locations: Sundays at 4 PM, Fadó, 801 First Avenue, Seattle. Sundays at 9 PM, The Old Pequliar, 1722 N.W. Market St., Seattle. Mondays at 8 PM, The Dubliner, 3405 Fremont N., Seattle. Wednesdays at 8 PM, The Irish Emigrant, 5260 University Way N.E., Seattle. Wednesdays at 8 PM, Fishbowl Brewpub, 515 Jefferson Street S.E., Olympia. Thursdays at 7:30 PM, The Plenty Restaurant, 200 Fourth Avenue W., Olympia. Thursdays at 9 PM, The Celtic Bayou, 7281 West Lake Sammamish Pkwy N.E., Redmond. First Fridays at 7 PM, Wit's End Bookstore, 4262 Fremont N., Seattle.
Condolences
Sincere sympathy to JoAnn and the family of the late Jack Rendall who passed away several weeks ago at the age of 75. Jack was a Past President and very active member of the Friends of St. Patrick in Seattle and he will be sorely missed.
Condolences also to Kieran O'Malley, Director of Seattle's Wild Geese Players, on the recent death of his father in County Mayo, Ireland.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha – May their souls rest at God's right hand.
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