SEATTLE IRISH NEWS - APRIL 2010
By JOHN KEANE
 GALWAY MAYOR Declan McDonnell (center) with the parade Honorary Grand Marshals Carol Costello and Leo Costello before Seattle’s St. Patrick’s Day parade. |
 PARADE GRAND MARSHAL Desmond Guinness with the president of the Society of the Friends of St. Patrick in Seattle prior to Seattle’s St. Patrick’s Day parade. Mike McQuaid, who is holding a 150-year-old shillelagh that is the organization’s symbol of office. |
 JOHN KEANE (center) with Mary McDonnell and Galway Mayor Declan McDonnell at the 70th annual banquet for the Society of the Friends of St. Patrick in Seattle. |
 SEATTLE parade Grand Marshal Desmond Guinness with Mary Shriane, Mick McHugh and Frank Shriane. |
 THE REVIEWING STAND at Westlake at the end of the parade route. |
 IRISH HERITAGE CLUB members marching in the annual St. Patrick’s parade followed by the Shamrock Shuttle, available for seniors and people with disabilities unable to walk the parade route.
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 THE BAILE GLAS Irish Dancers performed in front of the reviewing stand after walking the parade route. |
 MEMBERS of the Delta Police Pipe Band marched in the Seattle parade. |
 THE FADO Irish Pub float was quite imaginative and featured the Seattle Space Needle along with King Kong and Fay Wray and a glass of Guinness among other things. |
 DANCERS with the Grafton Street school performing during the Irish Festival at the Seattle Center.
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 THE SEATTLE FIREFIGHTERS Pipes and Drums marching in Seattle’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, followed by over 100 firefighters from various Seattle area fire departments all in full dress uniform and marching in formation. |
 EVEN THE DOGS took part in the St. Patrick’s Day parade – this one was pulling a pot o’ gold. |
 JOHN COSTELLO and Finian Rowland at the Proclamation Luncheon in Seattle. |
 A LITTLE girl on the parade route all decked out in green. |
 PREPARING the banner of St. Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint, for the 2010 parade in Seattle. |
RECENT PASSINGS
• Tess Nicholls, 70, from Co. Leitrim and a sister of Mary Charles of Edmonds, recently died in England. A memorial Mass for Tess will be celebrated on April 21 at 5:30 pm at St. Thomas More Church in Lynnwood.
• Mary Kathleen Douglas, born in Roscommon in 1922, died on March 16 in Ocean Park on the Long Beach Peninsula.
• Bridie Mangan, 83, born in Mohill, Co. Leitrim, and a former resident of Seattle, died on March 13 in Wenatchee.
• Patrick Mangan of Montana who died in late February was the father of Noreen McCormack of Seattle.
• Sgt. Maj. John B. Allan, U. S. Army (Ret.), a highly decorated combat veteran, died in Bremerton on February 23. He was born Sean O'Cooney in Co. Roscommon in 1915.
• Patty Browne died in Port Angeles on February 6. She was born on March 18, 1941 in Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha – May their faithful souls rest at the right hand of God.
IRISH WEEK THANKS – Our visitors from Ireland this March, Desmond Guinness and his daughter Marina; Galway Mayor Declan McDonnell and his wife Mary; and Galway Deputy City Manager Joe O’Neill and his wife Kay, all declared themselves amazed and delighted with what they saw and experienced in Seattle. They asked me to pass on their thanks for a wonderful visit to the Emerald City.
They especially enjoyed the St. Patrick’s Day parade which was the largest ever in Seattle. For that and for all the events, we must extend a sincere Míle, Míle Buíochas, a Thousand, Thousand Thanks to all the volunteers who helped organize everything, and also to all the participants!
We had a truly great celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in Seattle. To view literally hundreds of photos from the different events, visit www.irishclub.org.
GALWAY SPEAKER – Dr. Kathleen Cavanaugh, a Lecturer of International Law at the National University of Ireland, Galway, will speak at the University of Washington’s Law School, Gates Hall, Room 138, on April 19, from 4-6 PM.
Cavanaugh’s fields of study include nationalism, ethnic conflict, political violence, states of exception and the laws of belligerent occupation. She is currently Chair of the Executive Committee of Amnesty International (Ireland) and a former member of the International Policy Committee of Amnesty International. She is coming to the UW law school as part of the Gates Public Service Law Speakers Series.
APRIL 24-25 FEIS – The Baile Glas Irish Dancers and Tara Academy of Irish Dancing host the Emerald City Feis on April 24 and 25 at the Northwest Rooms, 305 Harrison Street, at the Seattle Center.
Over 500 dancers, beginners through champions, gather from all areas of the Northwest to represent their dance schools in these competitions. Admission is free, and dance events begin each day at 8 AM. For more information, visit www.emeralcityfeis.com.
IRISH PLAY – Brian Friel’s play Translations, directed by Paula Bennett, will be performed by the UW School of Drama from April 18 - May 2, Tuesday-Saturday at 7:30 PM, Sundays at 2 PM, at the Penthouse Theatre on the University of Washington campus (near NE 45th Street and 17th Avenue NE).
When Irish place names begin to be translated into proper English by a group of British soldiers in 1833 rural Ireland, tragic misunderstandings occur. Tickets are $10. For more information, e-mail: ticket@u.washington.edu, or call (206) 543-4880.
IRISH CONCERT – Des Moines' Waterland Music Series presents Seattle’s premier Irish band Crumac at 7:30 PM on April 20 at the Highline College Artist-Lecture Center, 2400 S. 240th Street, Des Moines. Crumac features Tom Creegan on Uilleann pipes and whistles, Dale Russ on fiddle and Mike Saunders on guitar and vocals. Tickets range from $5 to $15. Call (206) 870-6527.
MEMORIAL DAY MASS – An open-air Mass will be celebrated at the Seattle area's Irish Pioneer Cemetery, St. Patrick Cemetery in Kent, at 10:30 AM on Memorial Day, May 31. Established in 1880 by Richard O'Connell from Co. Limerick, St. Patrick Cemetery is located one half mile east of I-5 on Orillia Road at 204th Street, just east of Sea-Tac Airport. For details, e-mail: Mass@irishclub.org.
IRISH RACE DAY – Irish Day at Emerald Downs in Auburn is June 6, 2-6 PM. Unlimited coupons for free admissions and free race programs can be printed off the Irish Heritage Club website at www.irishclub.org.
The $50,000 Irish Day handicap features spectacular thoroughbred racing with a backdrop of Irish music, Irish stepdancers, free kids activities (free pony rides, free inflatable slide, free face painters), etc. For information on Emerald Downs, visit: www.emeralddowns.com. For seating and dining reservations, call (253) 288-7711.
CONGRATULATIONS – To The Ethnic Heritage Council (EHC) which celebrates its 30th anniversary with a dinner on May 15 at the Nordic Heritage Museum.
The EHC is dedicated to preserving the unique mix of cultural traditions that enrich our Northwest communities. Its member organizations work to preserve and document ethnic heritage, and advance cross-cultural understanding in the Northwest, through festivals, workshops, meetings and publications.
Serving on the EHC Board of Directors is Nanci Spieker, president of the Irish Heritage Club. For more information, visit: www.ethnicheritagecouncil.org.
AUGUST 1 PICNIC – Seattle’s Irish community picnic is noon-6 PM on August 1, at Lake Sammamish State Park in Issaquah (exit # 15 off I-90). Games and fun for the entire family, and all are welcome. For information, e-mail: Picnic@irishclub.org or call (206) 223-3608.
IRISH MARINERS NIGHT – Half-way to St. Patrick’s Day, Irish Night at the Seattle Mariners is September 17, 7:10 PM, vs. the Texas Rangers. Enjoy Irish music, Irish stepdancers, bagpipers, a FREE Seattle Mariners Irish Heritage Night cap and reduced price tickets ($40 tickets for $28, $20 tickets for $14) when you purchase online at Mariners.com/Irish.
GAA TELECASTS – All televised Gaelic football and hurling games from Ireland will be telecast live at Fadó Irish Pub, 1st and Columbia, downtown Seattle. Visit the Fadó website for weekly updates on teams, telecast times, annual or individual game fees, etc, or call (206) 264-2700.
IRISH TRIP – You are invited to join The Friends of Irish Studies at the University of Montana on a nine-day tour of Ireland May 25 - June 3.
Leading the group is Dr. Traolach Ó Ríordáin, UM Professor of Irish language and Literature, and he says the tour will appeal to those who trace their roots to the south of Ireland in general and to Cork and Kerry in particular. Contact: toriordain@hotmail.com.
JFK FUNDRAISER – 24 student members of Burien’s John F. Kennedy High School Catholic Irish Studies Group will visit Ireland on a literary and spiritual study tour this summer.
To help fund their trip, they are holding a fundraiser at the Celtic Swell Irish Pub at 2722 Alki Avenue SW, about six blocks east of Alki Point, on May 2. They would love to see some members and friends of the Irish Heritage Club join them on May 2.
SEATTLE GAELS – The Seattle Gaels will be hosting a Gaelic games tournament – hurling, camogie, and men’s and women's Gaelic football – at Green Lake Park in the heart of Seattle on June 5.
Team practices are just starting and new members are still very welcome, especially for the men’s Gaelic football team which is being reorganized. For all the details as to practice locations and times, visit: www.seattlegaels.com.
MISCELLANEOUS
• For the latest information on all the Irish/Celtic events in the Seattle area, visit www.hoilands.com.
• An Irish Language Immersion Week offering credit and non-credit courses will be held July 17 - 24 in historic Butte, Montana. For details, visit www.irishmontana.com.
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