SEATTLE IRISH NEWS
By JOHN KEANE
CONDOLENCES
To Seattle's McHugh family - Mick and Tracy, Mud, Sheila and Marco, Tucker and Mimi, Frank and Ofelia, and the McHugh and Magnano children - on the death on September 1 of Maureen (Moe) McHugh Martinelli in California following a long battle with cancer. Moe was 60 and taught at St. Bonaventure School in Huntington Beach for almost 40 years.
To the family of Franciscan Sister Marie Howard from Waterford who died in Tacoma on July 31. She ministered for 33 years at St. Joseph Hospital in Tacoma.
To Pete and Nora Sullivan of Seattle, originally from Co. Cork, on the sudden death on July 30 of their 37-year-old son, James.
To Colm McGlynn of Seattle on the death of his brother, Fr. John McGlynn, in Co. Donegal on July 27. In the 1960s, Fr. McGlynn ministered as a priest for several years in Seattle.
To Susan and the family of Seán Dolan who died July 23 in Tacoma. From Blacklion, Co. Cavan, Seán always loved "the craic."
To the O'Connor family of Renton on the recent death of Daniel R. O'Connor at the age of 94. Daniel's parents were Mathew O'Connor and Mary (Lyons) from Listowel, Co. Kerry .
To Tom Quinlan of Tacoma on the sudden death by drowning of Martin Duggan, his 14-year-old cousin in County Cork.
To Marie McGowan of Seattle on the sudden death in Achill, Co. Mayo, of her father, Denis McGowan.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha.
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AT IRISH HERITAGE night at the Seattle Mariners on July 31, Nolan McHugh, John Keane, Mick McHugh, Shannon Watts, Mike McQuaid, and Frank Shriane pose with Mariners relief pitcher Eric O'Flaherty before Mick McHugh threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
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SEPTEMBER FEICEÁIL - September's Feiceáil gathering is September 15 at the Puyallup Fair (www.thefair.com/puyallup-fair). Enter the grounds on the GOLD Gate side and meet Noon-2 PM near the fountain (watch for someone wearing a shamrock!). The monthly Feiceáil is held on the 15th of each month and provides a chance to get together and share with friends, old and new! For information, contact (206) 321-4576 or melissae@irishclub.org.
IRISH-SPEAKERS - A group of people plan to meet socially on a regular basis in the Seattle area to converse in the Irish (Gaelic) language. Beginners and fluent speakers are all very welcome to participate. Ní neart go cur le chéile - Togetherness is strength! For more information or to join, contact the Irish Heritage Club Secretary at WendyZ@irishclub.org.
YEATS' FESTIVAL - The Wild Geese plan readings of poetry by William Butler Yeats at Murphy's Pub, 1928 N 45th, Seattle, on October 22, at the same time as the regular Traditional Irish Music Seisiún. The plan is to intersperse poems with music. If you'd like to participate, email wjoseph@cmc.net.
ERA ENDING - Since the late 1980s, Westmeathman Finn MacGinty has been a big part of Seattle's traditional Irish music scene, performing initially with the Suffering Gaels, and then, after Conor Byrne returned to Ireland, performing with Crumac. Finn himself has now returned to the Ould Sod and we wish him the very best - Ádh mór!
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A LONGTIME PLAYER on Seattle's traditional Irish music scene, Westmeathman Finn Macginty has recently returned to live in Ireland. Here he is shown second from left as a member of The Suffering Gaels, the premier traditional Irish music group in the Seattle area in the 1980s and 1990s. From left are Conor Byrne from Dublin who has also returned to Ireland, Finn MacGinty, Dale Russ and Tom Creegan.
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IRISH PLAY - A poignant and intense Irish drama production, The Steward of Christendom, has opened at the Studio21 Theatre, 2354 S. Jefferson Avenue, Tacoma, with performances Thursday to Saturday and Sunday afternoons through September 23. Thomas Dunne is the last Chief Superintendent of the Dublin Metropolitan Police which was disbanded after the Irish war of independence. Regarded by some as a traitor, Dunne is an aging, broken man, alone and confined in a country home, and is seeking forgiveness and understanding. For information and tickets, call (253) 761-7491.
FAMILY CÉILÍ - Celtic Roots hold their Fall Family Céilí in conjunction with celebrating Mick Kelly's 2nd Anniversary, on September 16, 3-5pm, at Mick Kelly's Irish Pub, 453 152nd Street, Burien. For more information, call (206) 335-5013 or eamaer@hotmail.com.
VISA LOTTERY - In the 2006 Visa Lottery, people from the island of Ireland got just 202 permanent resident visas which only points out the urgent need for reform of the U.S. immigration system. Seattle's Irish Immigrant Support Group urges people to contact their Senators and Members of Congress to demand comprehensive immigration reform. For information, visit www.irishseattle.com.
CÉILE DÉ - Fionn Tulach (formerly Fiona Davidson) from Scotland will offer an introduction about the living spiritual tradition of the Céile Dé - Uniting Heaven and Earth: Illustrated with Celtic Harp, Sacred Song and Gaelic Myth. Two workshops in the Pacific Northwest are September 15 at East West Bookshop, Seattle, and September 16 at Phoenix Rising Books in Port Townsend. For information: email Sioban@whidbey.com, call Dierdre at (360) 331-1105, or visit www.ceilede.co.uk.
IRISH BASEBALL - Over 600 people purchased discounted tickets to Irish Heritage Night at the Mariners on July 30. A limited number of Irish Night Mariners caps and t-shirts (photo at www.irishclub.org) are available at $6 each or $10 for cap & shirt (includes shipping). To order, email mariners@irishclub.org.
GALWAY TRIP - Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels travels to Galway, Ireland on September 27-30, on a Sister City visit that coincides with Galway's Oyster Festival. Seattle Galway Association members and supporters are invited to join the Mayor and his party and the more the merrier! For information, contact seattlegalway@irishclub.org.
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MAYOR GREG NICKELS will lead a Seattle Sister City delegation to Galway from September 27-30, 2007
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IRISH MARROW - Colleen Duffy, a former Irish dancing teacher in Seattle, recently returned from Ireland bringing donated bone marrow for a patient at Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. It was the third time the Irish program has provided a donor to "The Hutch."
DANCING CLASSES - Baile Glas Irish dancers have two new children's step dancing classes this fall. Beginning the second week in September, Monday evening classes are on Capitol Hill at St. Joseph's Church; and Tuesday evenings at the new Northrup Way studio in Bellevue. Thursday evening classes continue at the Crown Hill studio for children and adults. For class times and enrollment information email baileglas@netscape.net, or call Maggie Corrigan TCRG at (206) 324-6141. For a listing of all the Irish Dance Schools in Seattle, visit www.irishclub.org/resource.htm#5.
FARRAIGE MHÓR - Kody Friedrich's Bradan Irish Dancers and Katherine Cram's Cladach Irish Dancers have merged to form the new Farraige Mhór Academy of Irish Dance, offering non-competitive Irish Dance classes for children, teens, and adults, in Seattle, Mountlake Terrace, Edmonds, Everett, and Bothell. Visit www.farraigemhoracademy.com.
CONGRATULATIONS
To former Seattle Gaels Gaelic Footballer Sophia Iliakis and to Eoin Doherty from Waterford who recently announced their engagement. Their wedding is planned for next February in a Greek Orthodox Church in Spokane.
To Tom Lagan from Belfast and Susanna Hopkins from Bray on the recent birth of Liam Peter Lagan in Tacoma on August 1. Liam weighed in at 7lbs 5 oz, and the new family is reportedly doing very well.
IRISH FILM - Red Roses and Petrol, a prize-winning feature based on a successful Irish play by acclaimed writer Joseph O'Conner, opens this fall in Seattle. The darkly comedic drama showcases a Dublin University librarian, poet, and rascal who is the flawed patriarch of a dysfunctional family struggling to come to terms with his death and with one another. For information, visit www.redrosesandpetrol.com.
HORSE RACING - Tipperary man Tom Quinlan who lives in Tacoma has a two year old filly called Tipperary Dream that has already run three times at the Emerald Downs racetrack in Auburn, coming in third, second, and first. We wish him the best of luck at the Kentucky Derby which he assures us is next!
REUNIONS - The Ruanes of Moylough, Co. Galway, have a family reunion on September 29, in Saratoga Springs, CA (north of San Francisco), with food, games, fun and heritage. For details, contact Andy at (415) 457-4936 or dub171@comcast.net.
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