SEATTLE-IRISH NEWS
MARCH 2007
By JOHN KEANE
CONDOLENCES
To Kathleen Anderson on the death of her mother in Everett on Thursday. A memorial service for her mother will be held in Longview on March 23, with burial in North Dakota.
To Aidan Maher of Kirkland on the death of his mother in Dublin in early February. Aidan, who teaches Gaelic in the Seattle area, was able to travel home for the funeral.
To the family of Roseanna Wabel McDermott who died recently in Seattle. She is survived by her children Congressman Jim, Irish Set dancer John, Lois and Mark.
To Sally McGrath on the recent death of her husband Bob McGrath. The well-known tenor who was a fixture at Seattle-area stadia and concert halls for nearly four decades. He died in California at the age of 85.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha - May their souls rest at God's right hand.
IRISH WEEK DATES
SEATTLE'S IRISH WEEK 2007
March 10, the IRISH SODA BREAD CONTEST, 2 PM, T S McHugh's, First and Mercer. Prizes include Waterford crystal and Beleek china, and admission is free. Entries accepted between 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM. Judging starts at 2 PM and contest winners announced at 3 PM.
For the Rules, sample recipes and other details, visit: www.irishclub.org/sodabread.htm, or call (206) 284-3802.
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ÉMER DEANE (centre), the Irish Consul General of Ireland for the Western United States, who is based in San Francisco, with Julie Albright of Seattle (left) and John Keane, author of Irish Seattle, at the March 3 launch of his new book.
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March 11, the ST. PATRICK'S DAY DASH at 9 AM from First and Mercer to Safeco Field. This is a nearly four-mile fun-run from T S McHugh's to F X McRory's, and over 12,000 runners are expected. There is no race-day registration. Call (206) 522-7711 for more information or go to www.stpatsdash.com.
March 11, the MATT TALBOT DINNER, 6 PM, F X McRory's across from Qwest Stadium. This is a fundraiser for Seattle's Matt Talbot Homeless Program that is named after the Dublin-born saint. Suggested donation is $75. Call (425) 290-7839 for reservations and information.
March 16, the IRISH WEEK PROCLAMATION LUNCHEON, noon, F X McRory's Whiskey Bar. The Mayor of Seattle will issue the formal proclamation of Irish Week 2007 in the company of Parade Grand Marshal John Curley, the Honorary Grand Marshals Frank and Mary Shriane, and other dignitaries. Tickets for the Salmon lunch are $30 and reservations are required. Call (206) 361-1713.
March 16, the GREEN STRIPE LAYING, 7 PM, on Fourth Avenue from Jefferson to Westlake Park. This is a mini-Parade to mark the St. Patrick's Day parade route with green chalk. Children and others are welcome to ride at no charge on the flat-bed truck or Double-Decker bus starting from F X McRory's at 6:30 PM. For information, call (206) 548-9859.
March 16, EVERETT'S IRISH CABARET, 7:30 PM, Historic Everett Theatre, 2911 Colby Ave (at Hewitt) in downtown Everett. This is an old-fashioned Irish Variety Show with Irish humor, music, singing, and stepdancers from Ireland who'll take your breath away, all MC'd by Seanchai (storyteller) and singer David McCourt. For tickets, call (425) 258-6766, or visit www.everetttheatre.org.
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FORMER WASHINGTON STATE Governor John Spellman (far left) speaks to the crowd at the March 3rd book launch of Irish Seattle.
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March 17, ST. PATRICK'S DAY, the MASS FOR PEACE IN IRELAND, 10 AM, Plymouth Congregational Church, Sixth and University. This is a Catholic Mass in a non-Catholic Church, with a non-Catholic speaker.
Participants include Seattle's Catholic Archbishop Alex Brunett; Belfast-born Methodist Minister William Abraham; Belfast-born Presbyterian Minister Barry Keating; and Lutheran Minister Kathleen Anderson. It's the idea of Catholics and others praying in a Protestant Church on St. Patrick's Day for Peace in Ireland. Call (425) 745-1034 for information.
March 17, the ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE, 12:30 PM, on Fourth Avenue from Jefferson. After raising the Irish flag and the playing of the Irish and U.S. national anthems, Parade Grand Marshal John Curley and the Honorary Grand Marshals Frank and Mary Shriane will lead the Parade north on Fourth Avenue from Jefferson, past the reviewing stand at Westlake.
Parade closing ceremonies will be in Center House at 2:30 PM. Anyone with an Irish connection (and everybody is Irish on St. Patrick's Day!) is invited to walk! Seniors and others who can't walk the distance are welcome to ride in the "Seniors Shamrock Shuttle," a double-decker bus in the parade's last division. Call (206) 242-5140 for more information.
March 17, the FRIENDS OF ST. PATRICK BANQUET at the College Club of Seattle. This is a black-tie dinner and dance, the 67th Annual Banquet of the Society in Seattle. The College Club is located on Madison Street at Fifth Avenue, and tickets are $85 per person. Call (425) 290-7839 for tickets or visit www.fosp.org.
March 17-18, the IRISH FESTIVAL at the Seattle Center, from Noon - 6 PM both days, and admission is free. There will be booths selling Irish and Celtic products, Irish music, singing, dancing, workshops, lectures, cultural displays and exhibits, genealogy workshops, Irish language workshops, art exhibits and more.
Family-oriented activities include wonderful Irish musicians along with champion Irish stepdancers from around the Pacific Northwest. Events for children include the "Smilingest Irish Eyes Contest" and the "Most Irish-Looking Face Contest," and other activities in the Children's Activities Center. Contemporary Irish short films will be screened during the Irish Reels Film Festival. For more detailed information on any event, visit: www.irishweek.org.
ROOTS FUNDRAISER - Celtic roots is hosting a fundraiser céili at Mick Kelly's Irish Pub and Restaurant in Burien on March 18 from 3-5 PM, to raise funds for Tír na nÓg Day Camp 2007. There will be live Irish music for all the family to enjoy. The cover is $5 which includes a ticket for a raffle.
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SEAN AND VICKEY O'Sullivan with John Keane at the March 3 book launch of Irish Seattle.
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MEMORIAL - On April 14, a memorial will be held for Mary Tomkins Dunn who died recently in California, and her ashes will be scattered off the Edmonds/Kingston ferry followed by a lunch reception at the club house in Indianola.
Mary was a member of the large Tomkins family that grew up on Seattle's Capitol Hill. The Tomkins home was a center for Seattle's Irish community in the 1950s and 1960s. For more information, contact her sister Kathleen Donahue at (425) 885-9301.
IRISH VISITORS - In addition to the Deputy Mayor of Galway, a delegation from Lisburn outside Belfast has accepted an invitation to visit Seattle for St. Patrick's Day. Leading the group is Mayor Trevor Lunn, an Alliance Party member, and he will be accompanied by Sinn Fein Councillor Paul Butler and Ulster Unionist Councillor Ivan Davis.
It is the first time that Lisburn Council has endorsed a delegation containing representatives of those three parties and they have declared their intent to participate in all aspects of the St. Patrick's Day events as a united group "in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day as it should be celebrated."
PLAY - The Irish Wake ("The best party of your life happens after you die") performs every Thursday and Friday March 1 to 23 at 8 PM, with a special show on March 17. All shows are at the Historic University Theater, 5510 University Way NE, Seattle. For information, call (206) 352-8291, or visit www.wingitpresents.com.
IRISH CONCERTS - On March 18, 7 PM, Michael Londra headlines a variety show with Irish step dancing and traditional Celtic music featuring the award winning Irish band, An Dochas, at the Northshore Performing Arts Center in Bothell. See www.npacf.org/events_calendar.html.
Dublin's Traditional Irish Cabaret performs in Mount Vernon on March 8 (McIntyre Hall - call (866) 624-6897) and Hoquiam on March 10 (Seventh Street Theater - call (888) 849-4255). For information, visit www.artbeatshows.org.
Gaelic Storm plays the Tractor Tavern on April 29. Tickets on sale March 2 - visit www.gaelicstorm.com.
'BARLEY' FILM - The Irish film The Wind That Shakes the Barley will open on April 20 in Seattle's Varsity Theatre, 4329 University Way NE, in the University District. The film was shot entirely in Cork and Kerry and won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival last May. For more information, visit www.ifcfilms.com.
LAW FELLOWS - Five UW students will travel to Ireland this summer to work on free legal aid projects in Galway, Dublin and Belfast. Law students from Ireland will also travel to Seattle to work on public service law projects here.
The Law Fellowship programs are named for William Sampson and Thomas Addis Emmett, two exiled United Irishmen who became eminent attorneys in the United States, with Emmett later serving as Attorney General for New York City. The fellowship programs are sponsored locally by the UW Law School and supported by The Irish Heritage Club, the Friends of St. Patrick and the Seattle Galway Association.
IRISH SURVEY - Irish-born residents of Washington State and British Columbia are asked to complete a 32-question confidential survey in connection with a PhD. research project co-sponsored by Seattle's Irish Immigration Support Group.
The goal is to survey Irish-born people currently in the northwest, regardless of when they were born or when they left Ireland. If you or someone you know is willing to participate, please contact Melissa at (206) 229-8512 or e-mail: melissa@irishclub.org.
WEAVING - Meghan Nuttall Sayres, author of Weaving Tapestry in Rural Ireland, about young artists in Glencolmcille, Donegal, who formed a weaving cooperative called Taipeis Gael, will speak at the Seattle Textile and Rug Society on March 16 at 7 PM at Pioneer Hall, 1642 - 43rd Avenue East, Seattle. For more information, call (206) 325-0888.
IMMIGRATION - Seattle's Irish Immigration Support Group was represented in Washington, DC, on March 7 for a day of lobbying for comprehensive immigration reform legislation. All supporters are encouraged to communicate with legislators about what elements they want to see in a comprehensive immigration bill. For more information, visit www.irishseattle.com.
TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL - Dunshaughlin Community College, County Meath, is one of 12 schools worldwide to be selected for development by Microsoft as a "school of the future" through new uses of technology. The innovative school program is aimed at facilitating learning through technology and three representatives from Dunshaughlin will be in Seattle in April for training.
It is expected that all students at the Dunshaughlin College will work from laptops, develop "e-portfolios" and work on an internal school network, possibly with a virtual teaching assistant. Schools from 101 countries were eligible to apply to participate in the program.
HOBAN REUNION - Descendants of Thomas Hoban and Eleanor Sloyne from Lisbane, Ballyhaunis, County Mayo, who in married 1867, will hold a two-day family reunion on August 25 and 26 at the Senior Activity Center in Kent, with displays, history program, cemetery visit, group photo, etc. For more information, contact Bill Mallow at wpmallow@hotmail.com.
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