Seattle-Irish News Update
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Daidí na Nodhlaig (Father Christmas) will arrive for a visit in his green robes on December 11.
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CHILDREN'S CHRISTMAS
Everyone is invited to the annual Irish Children's Christmas Party on December 11, 1-4 PM, Maplewood Church, 19523 84th Avenue West (on 196th Street at 84th Avenue West), Edmonds. Starting at 1 PM, there will be crafts, games, and light refreshments for all, and Daidí na Nodhlaig (Father Christmas) will arrive in his green robes at 2 PM. For information and to register (so there's a present for every child), call (206) 361-1713 or e-mail: xmas@irishclub.org.
DUELING POETS
The Wild Geese Players present Dueling Poets – Walt Whitman and W.B. Yeats, on November 18 at 8 PM, at the UW Faculty Club. The evening will feature two competing poetry teams directed by Kieran O'Malley with a panel of judges to allocate votes and pick a winner! A fencing duel will also be woven into the evening's entertainment! Donations at the door. For information, call Kieran or Nancy at (425) 778-3403.
IRISH PLAY
The Capitol Hill Arts Center, on the corner of 12th Avenue and East Pine Street, perform the Irish play, Stones In His Pockets by Marie Jones, from December 2 to March 11. The play is a comedy set in an Irish village where a Hollywood film is being shot. Hollywood descends on the rural Irish village and Jake and Charlie are two extras on the multi-million dollar shoot of a new movie, The Quiet Valley.
The two bounce from the film shoot to the catering table, from a glamorous starlet’s trailer to the pub where the locals and Hollywood crew all gather. By turns hilarious and somber, touching and hugely entertaining, this two-character comedy/drama won raves in the West End and on Broadway. For information and tickets, contact Jude Hill at: beaverknieval@yahoo.com, or (206) 251-8353.
HOLIDAY CONCERT
The sixth annual Celtic Holiday Concert at Bastyr University Chapel, 14500 Juanita Drive NE, Kenmore, is at 7 PM on December 3. The beautiful Bastyr sanctuary will be filled with the lustrous sounds of Irish and Scottish music with a unique blend of instrumental and vocal music and traditional Irish dancing. Proceeds benefit the Bastyr Fund. Ticket prices are $15 general admission, $12 students and seniors. Call (425) 602-3272, or e-mail: kdoolin@bastyr.edu.
YULETIDE CONCERT
Celebrate Magical Strings’ twenty seventh annual Celtic Yuletide Concert series with a joyous evening of music, dance, song and storytelling. This popular gala event unites the Boulding and Raney families with three generations of musicians and dancers. This event is a festive weaving of the ancient Yuletide journey heralding the return of light midst winter’s darkness.
The series of shows start on November 27 in Shoreline and ends in Bellevue on December 19. In between, there are shows in Soap Lake, Portland, Olympia, Kent, Tacoma, Seattle and Mount Vernon. For details, go to: www.magicalstrings.com, or call (253) 857-3716.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Please consider lending a hand for an hour or two before or during Irish Week 2006 in Seattle. There are numerous ways for people to help, either by attending planning meetings (the next one is December 11), helping with mailing letters and newsletters, or volunteering to help with one or more specific Irish Week event, etc. There is a special need for help with the Irish Festival at the Seattle Center March 17-19, and with the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 18. Please call Melissa at (206) 229-8512, or e-mail: MelissaE@irishclub.org.
IMMIGRATION BILL
Seattle Congressman Jim McDermott has added his name to the list of Co-Sponsors of H.R. 2330 (“To improve border security and immigration”), introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives Jim Kolbe (R) and Jeff Flake (D).
It is a companion to Immigration Bill, S.1033 (the “Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act”), introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators John McCain (R) and Ted Kennedy (D).
The Irish community across the U.S. is very much in favor of the passage of H.R.2330 and S.1033, and even the Irish government has gone on record in favor, in the expectation that their passage would be very helpful in dealing with the approximately 25,000 Irish-born people who are in the U.S. illegally.
The proposed immigration reform plan, which is endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and more than 60 other groups, would allow temporary visas for foreign workers, while tightening the nation's borders. It also would allow undocumented workers to eventually apply for work visas and permanent residency if they meet certain requirements. If you support the plan, please contact your Congressional Representatives or Senators and ask them to also sign on as a co-sponsor.
BELLINGHAM CEILI
Irish Ceili Dancing for everyone – all abilities, drop-ins welcome – at the Whatcom Arts Center at 1316 Bay Street, Suite 214, Bellingham, WA. On Wednesdays 6:30-8:30 PM. Cost is $5. Contact Heather Turner at (360) 595-2509 or ceili_dancers@yahoo.com.
IRISH LANGUAGE SCHOOL
Basic I classes will commence January 12, between 7-9 PM and will continue for 10 weeks. This program of 10 evening classes is for students who have had little or no exposure to the Irish language. Students learn pronunciation, practical expressions, and basic grammar. For information, e-mail: admin@usacademy.com, or phone (425) 223-1869.
IRISH CONCERTS
Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser and cellist Natalie Haas perform in a CELTIC CONCERT at Seattle’s Benaroya Hall at 8 PM on January 27. Tickets from 206-292-ARTS, or e-mail: upwest@olympus.net.
THE CHIEFTAINS at Benaroya Hall, January 31. Tickets at Ticketmaster.
MASTERS OF SCOTTISH ARTS CONCERT, the world’s best bagpipers, drummers, fiddlers and dancers, February 3 at 7:30 PM, at Benaroya Hall. Tickets at Ticketmaster.
CATHIE RYAN performs on February 10 at Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center at 400 South Second Street, Renton. For more information, visit: www.cathieryan.com.
U.S. VISAS
Registration for the 2007 Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery has started at www.dvlottery.state.gov. Anyone born in Ireland is eligible to apply, and applicants must register online before noon on December 4. There is no fee for applying.
SEAN-NOS DVD
Maldon Meehan and Ronan Regan, who recently visited Seattle from Ireland to teach dance workshops, now have an instructional DVD of sean-nos steps. It is the only sean-nos dancing DVD in existence. Sean-nos is a form of old-style Irish stepdancing which survives mostly in the Connemara Gaeltacht. The DVD is $35, paid by check. Contact Alicia Guinn at: maithcailin@yahoo.com, or (206) 860-3938.
GRAYS HARBOR
The Grays Harbor Irish are organizing again after several years of inactivity. If you are from the Aberdeen/ Hoquiam area and are interested in becoming involved in an Irish organization, contact Dorothy or Jerry Cook at: cook_jerry@coastaccess.com.
MAZE GAA
The GAA is the first of the three main sporting bodies in Northern Ireland to agree in principle to use the proposed sports stadium earmarked for the Maze Prison site near Belfast. Approval from the British government for the $142 million 42,000-seater stadium depends on it being used for Gaelic, soccer and rugby games. The GAA commitment is seen as a major boost for the stadium, which it is hoped will be completed by 2010. There is also the possibility that several soccer games associated with the London Olympics in 2012 might be played there.
RETURNING EMIGRANTS
Many people who choose to return home to Ireland after living abroad often feel overwhelmed dealing with the changes that have occurred since they left and with the amount of information they have to consider. Anyone planning on moving to Ireland to live should first contact Emigrant Advice, a Dublin-based information, advocacy and referral organization whose website can be accessed at www.emigrantadvice.ie. The Irish Embassy’s Living and Working in Ireland webpage can also be accessed at: www.irelandemb.org/living.html.
IRISH DEATH NOTICES
A new website provides a county by county listing and details of Irish death notices, including death notices of Irish people who die outside Ireland. The listing can be sorted by county, by name, date, etc. For information, visit: www.ripnotices.com.
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