CATHOLINE BUTLER
Sales & Promotion Manager
Catholine Butler is a founding partner in The Celtic Connection, a monthly newspaper with over 35,000 readers in Western Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The publication which was established in 1991, serves the Irish, Scottish and Welsh communities and Catholine is responsible for all aspects of sales and promotions.
Catholine is also the North American representative of the Bailey's Cup, an annual Gaelic football tournament sponsored by Bailey's Irish Cream.
Prior to working with The Celtic Connection, Catholine worked for O'Shea's Market Ireland in Edmonton, Alberta. Here she was responsible for all aspects of sales, merchandising and promotions for a high-end Irish retail chain with branches in Calgary, Banff, Edmonton Centre and the West Edmonton Mall. Responsibilities also included training all staff and purchasing inventory which required an annual buying trip to Ireland to attend trade shows.
From 1970 to 1980, Catholine was the owner of the Irish Entertainment Agency in Ottawa, Ontario where she managed numerous Irish bands and booked tours across Canada and the United States. She also arranged promotion and publicity through radio and television interviews and handled all aspects of immigration.
Also from 1970 to 1980 she was the part-owner of the Molly Maguire's Irish Pub in both Ottawa, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec. She was also part owner of Elaine's Irish Pub in Ottawa, Ontario.
Molly Maguire's was the first Irish pub opened in Ottawa, Ontario. Catholine also handled booking all entertainment for both Molly Maguires' in Ottawa and Montreal and Elaine's Pub located in Ottawa. She was responsible for staffing, greeting and handling line-ups on the door at the various locations.
From 1983 to 1984, Catholine hosted her own television show called Celtic Time in Calgary, Alberta. She created and hosted a weekly one hour television program on Rogers Cable with this show. She presented an annual St. Patrick's Day showcase featuring a fashion show and local Irish entertainers and interviewed many local and international Irish personalities, including Ruari O Braidigh (Rory O'Brady), the spokesman for the Official Irish Republican Army.
From 1981 to 1983, Catholine hosted a radio show also called Celtic Time in Edmonton, Alberta. This show was broadcast on CKER Radio, the Alberta multi-cultural radio station.
Catholine was also a founding member of Club Tir na Nog, an Irish cultural club consisting of over 2,000 members from 1965 to 1970. She was responsible for booking entertainment (primarily Irish showbands) for monthly dances, producing a newsletter and arranging cultural tours of Ireland. During those years, she was also the President of the Carlton Showband Fan Club of Ottawa where she was responsible for publicity and arranging fan club information.
From 1974 to 1982, Catholine worked as a fundraiser on the Gatineau Pioneer Cemetry in Martindale, Quebec. Here, she spearheaded the restoration of an Irish Famine immigrants graveyard in Martindale, Quebec.
The project successfully raised funds to establish a permanent memorial with a graphic depiction of the events leading to the arrival of the immigrants on North American shores, along with a stone Celtic cross.
The project was undertaken by Martin Brown, Eddie McLaughlin along with Catholine, who all have ancestors buried in the graveyard. These immigrants were refugees from the Irish potato famine of 1843-1850. Assistance in raising funds was provided by many Irish musicians who travelled from Ireland and volunteered their time.
Catholine has also studied Irish language, folklore, song and dance at the University of Ottawa and attended a summer school in Anagray in County Donegal in Ireland.
For further information, please contact:
The Celtic Connection at (604) 434-3747 Fax: (604) 434-3749 or E-mail: catholine@celtic-connection.com
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