'This is what Great St. Pat's Celebrations Are All About'
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HALF-WAY TO ST. PATRICK'S celebration at Dublin Crossing Pub in Surrey (L-R) bartender Mark, server Anna and general manager Matt Brear.
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DUBLIN CROSSING executive chef Laura Sharpe (R) is shown above with Celeste one of the servers at the half-way to St. Patrick's celebration |
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happy patrons enjoying the celebrations at Dublin Crossing Pub in Surrey.
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THE VANCOUVER REGIMENT of the Irish Pipes and Drums were part of the entertainment at the big party at Dublin Crossing.
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CELTIC SESSION PLAYERS who played day and night at the Dublin Crossing's half-way to St. Patrick's party.
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IRISH DANCERS dazzled patrons at half-way to St. Patrick's celebrations. Shown above (L-R) Luc Benoit with the Comerford School of Irish Dance; Liam Anjos with the Comerford School; and Brianna Bell with the Moore School of Irish Dance.
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MUSICIAN RYAN WYLIE who organized all the entertainment for the half-way to St. Patrick's celebrations at the Dublin Crossing.
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By CATHOLINE BUTLER
SURREY - Halfway to St. Patrick's day celebrations have become very popular, particularly at local Irish pubs and restaurants.
On September 15, I attended the halfway to St. Patrick's Day celebrations at the Dublin Crossing Irish pub in Surrey.
This was a huge event with entertainment starting at 11 AM and continuing throughout the day until 1 AM. There was a great atmosphere in the pub and it certainly felt like St. Patrick's celebrations.
Entertainment included Celtic session musicians who played throughout the day and into the evening. There were lively Irish dancers along with the always superb B.C. Regiment Irish Pipes and Drums.
Ryan Wylie, one of the session musicians, was responsible for putting together all the excellent entertainment for the day.
Genial host and general manager Matt Brear was everywhere - meeting and greeting patrons and ensuring that all went smoothly. Servers circulated adorned with green beads and shamrocks.
The Dublin Crossing Irish pub is fortunate to have award-winning executive chef Laura Sharpe. I can heartily recommend the O'Ryan's prime rib dinner I enjoyed that evening. It consisted of triple A prime rib, Yorkshire pudding, Colcannon garlic mashed potatoes, along with vegetables with Guinness gravy - absolutely delicious.
To finish off, I shared a dish of the blue cheese cheesecake. This was the first time I ever heard of this type of cheesecake and it sounded like it might be a bit heavy, but, in fact, it was quite light and delicious.
The Irish dancers that evening were Luc Benoit, Liam Anjos and Brianna Bell.
Brianna is a dancer with the Moore School of Irish Dance in New Westminister.
I was surprised and very impressed to learn that both Liam and Luc's parents drive them to Seattle to study Irish dancing with Tony Comerford who flies in weekly from San Diego to teach the class.
That's a huge commitment, not only for the parents but also for the dancers. Their parents each said the kids loved Irish dancing - and that was reason enough for them.
I had an opportunity to speak to Elegwen O'Maoileoin, one of the session musicians for the half-way to St. Patrick's day celebrations. This multi-talented musician plays bouzouki, uilleann pipes, bodhran and also sings vocals.
What is particularly interesting about Elegwen is that he has Canadian roots, lives in Ireland, and plays with a group called Damanta. In the Irish language this can mean damned or deadly, and it's a word the Irish often use to mean very great or cool.
So, all-in-all it was a great evening of music and dance and I had the opportunity to meet some very talented dancers and musicians. Sure isn't that what St. Patrick's celebrations are all about.
The Dublin Crossing Irish Pub is located at 18789 Fraser Highway (corner of 188 and Fraser Highway) Surrey. For more information, call (604) 575-5470, or visit: www.dublincrossing.com.
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