Irish Women’s Network: A Great Buzz of Excitement at this Year’s Nollaig na mBan
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
VANCOUVER - The Irish Women’s Network (IWN) held their eighth annual celebration of Nollaig na mBan (Women’s little Christmas) at the Vancouver Renaissance Hotel Harbourside on January 7.
Nollaig na mBan was a custom originally observed in some rural communities of Ireland but has now been adopted by many Irish women at home and abroad as an opportunity to gather and toast themselves and the coming year.
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| NOLLAIG NA MBAN’S organizing committee: (L-R) Back row (Marie Bruce, Mary Schlote and Geraldine Megannety. Front row - President Deirdre O’Ruairc and Eilis Courtney. |
The gathering seems to continuously grow and improve, with over 100 women attending this year. Women from the White Rock area arrived in two limousines, while others opted to stay overnight at the hotel. The women were dressed to the nines and there was a great buzz of excitement as they enjoyed cocktails, conversation and the companionship of other women.
This is a wonderful opportunity for the women who have worked to prepare meals, bake, and shop for their families over the holidays, to finally sit down and be served a delicious dinner that they didn’t have to prepare.
After dinner, many of the women sang or told jokes and it was striking to note how many gifted and talented women were gathered in the room.
Later John Cronin of the Killarney Showband provided some wonderful dance music which was thoroughly appreciated. The dance floor was crowded all night and John remarked how amazing it was to see so many women having such a fantastic time....and not a man in sight! Colleen Carpenter, who was a first time guest at this year’s Nollaig na mBan said, “those women really know how to enjoy themselves.”
Marie Cronin – another member of Killarney – also performed and after her rendition of The Fields of Athenry there was an outpouring from the audience asking for more.
Tanya and Bree Cronin also joined John on stage (Bree is John’s daughter and Tanya is his niece). These girls have tremendous stage presence and they exude confidence that comes with years of training and experience. They have the looks, the talent, and the personality to carry them a long way in the music business.
IWN President Deirdre O’Ruairc and fellow volunteers who helped organize the evening are to be congratulated for their work in providing a great evening of food, conversation and entertainment.
The IWN was founded in 1998, by Dublin born, Mary Hatch, to provide Irish women in British Columbia with the opportunity for companionship, conversation and mutual support. There is no membership fee and the structure is informal. Communication is by e-mail, phone calls and publicized through The Celtic Connection and their website www.irishwomenbc.net.
The next event planned is the IWN’s annual Wine and Cheese Auction which is also a fundraiser. Proceeds from the auction are donated to the Celtic Society of Canada. This registered charity helps Celtic Families in the Lower Mainland in need.
The auction will be held at 7:30 PM on February 17 at the Scandinavian Community Centre located at 6540 Thomas Street in Burnaby (just off the Trans Canada Highway and Kensington Avenue). Tickets for this very special event are $10. For reservations, call Deirdre O’Ruairc at (604) 538-6765, or Geraldine Megannety at (604) 451-4125.
Spouses and guests are welcome at this event and the auctioneer and entertainer for the evening will be Nessa Flewelling.
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