Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig!
Happy St Patrick’s Day!
Irish Festival 2017
Céad Míle Fáilte ó Chumann Oidhreacht Gaelach Seattle
One Hundred Thousand Welcomes from the Irish Heritage Club of Seattle!
This is our 36th Annual Irish Festival at the Seattle Center and the 20th anniversary of Festál which plays a vital part in Seattle Center efforts to connect the Seattle area’s dynamic and varied communities. We salute Festál and very much appreciate their support. 2017 is also the Sesquicentennial of the Fenian Rebellion which broke out 150 years ago in February and March, 1867 – more about that ahead in this booklet. The Sesquicentennial is the focus of our Irish Week celebrations as we continue the tradition of bringing together many of the Seattle area’s finest performers and other artists to provide a taste of the very best of what it means to be Irish. We hope you learn about Irish culture and history while also enjoying the celebrations!
As always, Míle, Míle Buíochas (A Thousand, Thousand Thanks) to all our performers, dancers, musicians, exhibitors and our dedicated volunteers without whom there would be no Irish Festival. Enjoy this Taste of Ireland.
IRISH HERITAGE CLUB OFFICERS & BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT: David Jacobsen
VICE-PRES: Ari Hausler
SECRETARY: Jane Sepede
TREASURER: John Keane
MEMBERSHIP SECTY: Mary Shriane
BOARD MEMBERS: Ari Hausler, Brendan Shriane, Candace Dunne, Corbin Johnson, David Jacobsen, Diana Jacobsen, Frank Gill, Heather Murphy, Jane Sepede, Jean Roth, Meagan McGuire, and Nanci Spieker
IRISH WEEK CHAIR: John Keane
IRISH FESTIVAL CHAIR: Nanci Spieker
STAGE BOOKING/MANAGEMENT: Ralph Kosche
VENDOR COORDINATION: Candace Dunne
WORKSHOPS/DISPLAYS: Frank Gill
IRISH REELS FILM FESTIVAL: Caroline Cumming
CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES: Meagan McGuire
ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE: David Jacobsen
IRISH SODA BREAD CLASS & CONTEST: Mary Shriane & Brendan Shriane
GREEN STRIPE: Heather Murphy
MAYOR’S PROCLAMATION LUNCHEON: Jane Sepede
MASS FOR PEACE: Corbin Johnson
GENEALOGY: Jean Roth
FOLLOW THE IRISH HERITAGE CLUB ON SOCIAL MEDIA /IrishClubSeattle @IRISHSEATTLE
IRISH HERITAGE CLUB AFFILIATED PROGRAMS
Visiting from ireland Galway Mayor Noel Larkin
First elected to Galway City Council in 2014, Councilor. Noel Larkin was elected Mayor of Galway City on 10th June 2017. A successful businessman and entrepreneur, Noel is Managing Director of Larkin Engineering, a leader in the Irish Steel Fabrication and Street Furniture markets. He established the company in 1985 and produces a full range of high-quality Street Furniture and Outdoor Street Products at his 20,000 square ft. premises outside Galway City. Noel is a member of many local organizations and development committees in the Galway area including on the Board of Management of Galway Community College and is a Founder member of the Corrib Lions Club. He is married to Rita and they have three children, and this is his first ever visit to Seattle. The Mayor is accompanied by his wife Rita, along with Galway City Manager Brendan McGrath and his wife Rose and their daughter Siobhán. We’re delighted that the group from Galway is joining us to help us properly celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and Galway’s Sister City relationship with Seattle. We extend to them a warm Céad Míle Fáilte (One Hundred Thousand Welcomes) from the Emerald Isle to the Emerald City.
The Irish Heritage Club and its affiliated programs gratefully acknowledge the support of the Irish government through grants provided by the Irish Abroad Unit of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin.
Irish Heritage Club - IrishClub.org. | Tacoma Rangers Gaelic Football, Hurling & Camogie - TacomaRangers.com | Cascade Youth Gaelic Games – Cascade@irishclub.org Society of the Friends of St. Patrick in Seattle - FOSP.org | Seattle-Galway Sister City Association - SeattleGalway.org. Seattle Irish Immigrant Support - IrishSeattle.com | Seattle Gaels Gaelic Football, Hurling & Camogie - SeattleGaels.com Irish Reels Film & Video Festival - IrishReels.org | Irish Network Seattle - IrishNetworkSeattle.org | Ceol Cascadia Irish Music Association – CascadiaIrish.org
2017 St Patrick’s Day parade
saturday, march 11
Irish Flag-Raising
12:20pm
The Parade Grand Marshals and other dignitaries join the Mayor of Seattle in raising the Irish Tricolor in front of the King-County Administration Building, followed by the playing of the Irish and US National Anthems.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
On 4th Ave at 12:30pm
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade Grand Marshal and the Honorary Grand Marshal lead Seattle’s 46th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade up 4th Avenue. The Parade travels north from Jefferson, and after passing the reviewing stand at Westlake, goes via the Monorail to the Seattle Center for closing ceremonies in the Armory at 2:30 pm.
Grand Marshal
Author timothy egan
Honorary Grand Marshal
Mary charles
Timothy Egan comes from a family of nine, from a mother who loved books and a father with the Irish gift of finding joy in small things. He is the author of eight books, his most recent being The Immortal Irishman, about Thomas Francis Meagher, a leader of the 1848 Young Irelander Rebellion who was sentenced to penal servitude in Australia, who escaped to America and led the renowned Irish Brigade in the US Civil War. The Immortal Irishman was a New York Times bestseller. Egan’s book on Edward Curtis, Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher, won the Carnegie Award for best nonfiction, and his account of the Dust Bowl, The Worst Hard Time, won the 2006 National Book Award. A lifelong journalist, Mr. Egan now writes for The New York Times where he shared a 2001 Pulitzer Prize with other reporters. Egan is very proud of his Irish heritage, and is descended on his mother’s side from the Galway Lynches, one of the famous 14 Tribes of Galway. In accepting the role of Parade Grand Marshal, Tim said he would be “honored, humbled and grateful to accept this role, a chance to put my IrishAmerican pride to good use.”
Mary Charles, a proud native of Aughavas, Co. Leitrim, has been a Washington State resident since 1951 when she became a nursing student at St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing in Tacoma. After working as an RN at St Joseph Hospital, in 1964 she obtained an MSN degree at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. She returned to Tacoma and was active in the Mental Health Community for many years. In 1970, she moved to Seattle and worked as nursing manager at the UW Hospital Psychiatric Service. Since 1975 Mary has lived and worked in various Snohomish County Mental Health and Social Services before retirement in 1996. She is the widow of Larry Wright and has three step-children: Bradley, Susan (Wood) and Clayton Wright. Mary is also very active in St. Thomas More Parish, Lynnwood, and in the local Irish community. She has been a Board Member of Irish Immigrant Support for over ten years and during that time has also annually sewed the Sashes for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Grand Marshals. This year, Mary is being recognized for her contributions to the Irish community by being asked to make her own Sash!
irish week poster
Marking 150 years since the 1867 Fenian Rising
2017 marks the Sesquicentennial of the Fenian Rising against British rule in Ireland in 1867. The rebellion was organized by the Irish Republican Brotherhood (a/k/a the Fenians) with support from the Irish in the United States. However, the rebellion was poorly organized, with wide scale infiltration of the movement by informers, and it never quite got off the ground. Even though it failed, the Fenian Rising stirred a spark. It was the same Irish Republican Brotherhood that, exactly forty years later, led the armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week 1916.
AFTERMATH OF THE 1867 FENIAN RISING
When the Rising collapsed, most of the leaders were arrested and sentenced to death, although the death sentences were all commuted and none were executed. But 62 Fenians were sentenced to penal servitude for life in Australia and others were exiled to other countries outside Ireland. As the years passed, many of the exiled prisoners were pardoned but a small group of “hard core” Fenians, considered the most seditious, remained locked up in Fremantle Prison in Australia, the most remote and notorious jail in the British Empire. In 1875, Fenians in the US devised a plan to rescue the prisoners. They collected thousands of dollars and secretly bought a three-masted whaling ship called the Catalpa for $5,500, employed 22 sailors to man her, and purchased 210 barrels of sperm whale oil to put in her hold. The Catalpa sailed to Western Australia in the guise of a perfectly legitimate trading venture, dropped anchor out from the Australian coastline in international waters, and waited.
A Fenian secret agent had earlier arrived in Fremantle posing as an American millionaire and on Sunday, April 15, 1876, he got a message to the Fenian prisoners to make their escape the next day. The following morning, Easter Monday, six prisoners bluffed their way onto work gangs that allowed them to escape undetected to where the Fenian secret agent waited for them with horse-drawn carriages. Making a 20 mile dash down the coastline, the prisoners got on a row-boat sent by the Catalpa to pick them up. By this time, the alarm had been sounded and the police were in hot pursuit. After 48 (!) hours of rowing on the open seas, the prisoners just barely managed to make it safely onboard the Catalpa before a British frigate caught up with them. The frigate fired across Catalpa’s bow demanding “Heave to,” but the ship’s captain refused, declaring “If you fire on me, I warn you that you are firing on the American flag.” Unwilling to risk an international incident, the British ship permitted the Catalpa to sail away. When the Catalpa arrived in New York, thousands met the ship at the docks and there was a Fenian parade up Broadway. The sailors and prisoners were hailed as heroes, and news of the Fremantle Six prison break quickly spread around the world. The legendary escape emboldened the Irish Republican Brotherhood for decades afterwards and helped turn the tide of history in favor of Irish independence
THOMAS FRANCIS MEAGHER (1823-1867)
Tim Egan’s The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero, is about Irish patriot Thomas Francis Meagher. For his involvement in the 1848 Young Irelanders’ Rebellion in Ireland, Meagher was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered, but his sentence was commuted to exile for life in Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania), Australia where he was sent in 1849. In 1852, he escaped to the USA where he became a captain in the “Fighting 69th”, New York State Militia’s Irish regiment. When the US Civil War started in 1861, Meagher was involved with the 69th at the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861, the first major land battle of the war. After the defeat at Bull Run, President Abraham Lincoln gave Meagher permission to form the Union Army’s Irish Brigade composed of five Irish regiments from New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, including the 69th New York regiment. Meagher led the brigade as Brigadier General until it was decimated at the Battle of Fredericksburg in December, 1862. After the Civil War, Meagher was appointed acting Governor of Montana Territory and served until his death by drowning in 1867. Montana became a state in 1889 and a statue of Meagher on horseback today stands in front of the Montana state capital in Helena.
Poster Artist
Layout and Graphics for the Irish Week Poster were done by Michelle Pertl, a Kirkland based freelance designer. Doing work she enjoys, in this case for the Irish Festival, she wanted to honor her friend Valerie Nishimura, who died in 2015. Valerie, along with her husband Mike Nagan, organized Celtic Arts NW and the Comerford School of Irish Dance for many years. Michelle’s son, Miles, previously danced with the Comerford School but now dances professionally with PNB.
THE IRISH HERITAGE CLUB NEEDS YOU!
Even if you cannot be as actively involved as you would like, your membership shows your support for this Irish Festival and for all the others Irish events that we organize throughout the year. Please show your support by being a member in good standing. For Irish Heritage Club Membership Information, visit our website at IrishClub.org, email Membership@IrishClub.org, or call 253-237-2811
A green flag with 32 gold stars representing Ireland’s 32 counties which was carried by the Fenians in 1867
2017 IRISH FESTIVAL Main
Stage Schedule
Saturday, March 11
TOPS K-8 Middle School Band -Irish National Anthem
St. Patrick’s Day Parade Closing Ceremony (2:15 - 2:45) No Programming
Susan Burker, Dan Carollo, Brendan Vance, Eliot Grasso, and Friends (12:05 pm - 1:45 pm)
Tara Academy- Irish Dancers (1:45 - 2:15)
Grafton Street- Irish Dancers (2:45 - 3:15)
Children’s Contest: Most Irish Looking Face (3:15 - 3:30)
Slieveloughane Irish Dance - Irish Dancers (3:30 - 4:00)
Emmet McElhinney, “That Irish Guy”, Irish Folk Music (4:00 pm - 6:00 pm)
Sunday, March 12
CarrigalineTraditional Irish Musicians (10:00 am - 12:30 pm)
Balefire - Irish Dancers (12:30 - 1:00)
Fire & Ice Irish Dancers (1:00 - 1:45)
Children’s Contest: Smilingest Irish Eyes (1:45 - 2:00)
Eliot Grasso Traditional Irish Music (2:00 - 3:00)
Comerford Irish Dancers (3:00 - 3:45)
Tara Academy Irish Dancers (3:45 - 5:00)
Northwest Passage Irish Music (5:00 - 5:45)
Drawing for a vacation in Ireland (5:45 - 6:00)
All times on schedule are approximated
LOFT LOBBY • SATURDAY & SUNDAY
FEATURED EXHIBIT DOUG PLUMMER
IRISH PHOTOGRAPHY
I have a signature photograph from Ireland, a grouping of rocks, glacial erratics, on the furrowed limestone plain of the Burren. After nearly every trip to Ireland, the same set of rocks turns up on my contact sheets. This is not intentional. A gravitational pull exists between this particular group of rocks and me. It is not as though there aren’t thousands upon thousands of like-looking rocks in North Clare. Yet I return to these same three rocks, always by accident. The western edge of Ireland has captured me like no other place on earth. I approach the landscape and the culture with an investigative curiosity, and a deeply felt connection that defies explanation. Maybe it is the stories, unknown to me, the outsider, that have been attached to the land and carry a force that affects my gaze. It is certainly the look of that inimitable landscape, shaped by thousands of years of human habitation to the point where architecture has melded into geology. Whatever the source, the resulting photographs are my attempt to extract meaning from the encounter.
Doug Plummer has been a Seattle-based professional photographer for over 30 years. In the 1970’s he was a fine art landscape photographer with several one-man and group shows to his credit. Since the mid-1980’s he has done work for corporate and advertising clients, and for magazines such as Discover, Bon Appetit, Smithsonian and Sunset. He is working on a documentary film of music and dance building community in a rural Oregon town. He is active in the music and contra dance community, he plays piano for contra dances, and he has published The Contradance Calendar for the past 6 years. He is on the board of the Country Dance and Song Society, a national arts advocacy and support organization for participatory dance, music and song.
Hello,
I’m Fionnuala O’Sullivan and I’m a real estate broker.
Dublin bred, Seattle based.
IRISH SODA BREAD COOKING
Join Annamarie Kirkpatrick and Mary Shriane at a Soda Bread Cooking demonstration during the Irish Festival on March 11 and 12, from 2-3 pm both Saturday & Sunday on the Upper Level Armory at the Seattle Center. They will be whipping up delicious soda bread, with a live demonstration, and samples from the award winning soda bread contest. They will also demonstrate how to make other traditional Irish food, including potato pancakes, Christmas or Wedding Cake (sometimes called Irish Whiskey Cake), how the Irish cook turnips, parsley, carrots, etc. The demo will include a little history and legend, especially the history of Irish Soda Bread, a demo on the Irish way of blending raw ingredients, measuring, sifting and adding liquids. And we hope you’ll be able to sample some precooked breads. There will also be time for a discussion of recipes and time to share.
ANTIQUE IRISH POSTCARDS & BARTLETT ENGRAVINGS
John and Alice Cooper and their granddaughter Keely Cooper grace the Irish Festival again with their exhibition of thousands of antique Irish postcards, plus 48 original reproductions of Bartlett’s Views of Ireland dating from the 1840s, just a few years before the Great Potato Famine. The Coopers’ collection provide an interesting glimpse into the social history, cultural history and material culture of Ireland, especially in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the “Golden Age of Postcards”.
UPPER LEVEL WORKSHOPS
LOFT ACTIVITIES
SATURDAY, 1 pm: “Basic Irish Genealogy”
Lecturer: Jean Roth, Irish Interest Section, Seattle Genealogical Society
Get some idea of the background of your Irish ancestors’ family history. We’ll look at some of the basic guides to research and major new resources that have recently become available to help you in your search.
SATURDAY, 3:00 pm: The Immortal Irishman, Reading and Book-signing
Lecturer: Timothy Egan, author of the New York Times bestseller
Tim Egan will read from The Immortal Irishman, his book about Thomas Francis Meagher. Meagher was a leader of the 1848 Young Irelander Rebellion in Ireland who was sentenced to penal servitude in Australia. He escaped to America and led the renowned Irish Brigade in the US Civil War. Meagher was acting Governor of Montana, appointed by President Lincoln, when he died 150 years ago this year.
Spend St. Patrick’s Day On Top o’ the Hill!
Join us at Sully’s Lounge, located in the heart of historic Queen Anne. A great neighborhood spot with a touch of Irish charm.
Thursday, March 17: We will be opening at 12pm on the Big Day.
Our back deck will be open, covered, and heated!
The only Irish bar in Seattle that doesn’t charge cover on St. Paddy’s Day!
283-3900 www.SullysLounge.com
SATURDAY, 4:00 pm: Learning the Irish Language
Lecturer: Liam Boyle
Irish (Gaeilge) was the predominant language of the Irish people for most of their recorded history. In the latter part of the 19th century, there was a dramatic decrease in the number of speakers, beginning after the Great Famine of 1845–52 (when Ireland lost 20–25% of its population either to emigration or death). It is the national and first official language of the Republic of Ireland, and is also among the official languages of the European Union. Learn some basic words and phrases and pronunciations in Irish.
SUNDAY, 1 pm: “Basic
Irish Genealogy”
Lecturer: Jean Roth, Irish Interest Section, Seattle Genealogical Society
Get some idea of the background of your Irish ancestors’ family history. We’ll look at some of the basic guides to research and major new resources that have recently become available to help you in your search.
SUNDAY, 1 pm: “Political Pressures on Irish Music”
Lecturer: Eliot Grasso, Internationally-acclaimed Uilleann Piper
It is not always clear whether political pressure results in a net gain or net loss for cultural expression. This educational talk will survey key moments in Irish political and musical history in order to show audiences how politics shapes musical performance and transmission
LOFT Suite 2
SATURDAY
&
SUNDAY,
Noon – 5:00 pm: “Irish Reels Film Festival”
Among the films being screened is TIDES: A History of lives and dreams lost and found (some broken) (40mins). Through dreamlike sequences and archive material made by ordinary Irish people in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s in Derry and Inishowen (Donegal) – TIDES invites us to discover its story through the voice of the river Foyle.
TIDES: A History of lives and dreams lost and found (some broken) (40mins) screens Sunday at 4:00pm
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, MARCH 11 & 12
PERFORMER HIGHLIGHTS
Internationally-acclaimed performer-scholar, Eliot Grasso (PhD), teaches, performs, and records Irish traditional music on the uilleann pipes. He is a researcher and teacher in the fields of musicology and ethnomusicology. Brandon Vance is one of the foremost exponents of Scottish fiddling in North America. In 1999, he became the youngest to win the National Open Scottish Fiddling Championship. Vance has performed and taught internationally, serving as a guest lecturer at the University of Limerick’s Irish World Academy, as well as guest artist for the 50th Anniversary of the Armagh Piper’s Club at the William Kennedy Piping Festival. On fiddle, Susan McCroskey Burke performs regionally with many bands, and her debut CD, “Journey Home,” embraces both Scots and Irish traditions. (susanburkemusic.com). Dan Carollo, performs internationally and was steeped in Irish music during his recent years there. He recorded ‘Miles from Dublin” and “Communion of Saints,” which reflect his spirited and reflective voice. (celtograss.com). Together, they weave a spell of Irish stories and places, with verve and fire.
Emerald Bards
Always live and energetic, our toe-tapping music adds zest and excitement to any party, dance, festival, convention, or any event where a good time is on the menu.
“The Emerald Bards” Bruce and Bill Phone: (206) 931-4077 Email: phonebb@aol.com
DeLOREAN AUTO DISPLAY
Outside the Armory, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, 1–4 pm
The futuristic-looking Irish-made DeLorean DMC-12 sports car that was made famous in the 1985 movie ‘Back to the Future’ will again be on display outside the Armory at the Seattle Center. 9,200 DeLoreans were manufactured in Belfast in 1981 before the company went bankrupt. Pacific Northwest DeLorean Club members are a community of enthusiasts dedicated to preserving the DeLorean heritage by bringing the community together for social events and to exchange technical expertise. Visit pndc.org for details.
Happy Hour
MONDAY
FRIDAY
Susan Burke, Dan Carollo, Brandon Vance, Eliot Grasso, and friends
irish festival performer highlights
Carrigaline
Bob, Andrew, Kieran & Sara
Traditional Irish music from multi instrumentalists who are steeped in the tradition from west Kerry to Galway. Sara McDermott learned her Irish fiddle music at University of Limerick and Galway. Bob Howell is a teacher of percussion and specializes in Irish bodhrán. Andrew Anderson is a vocalist who sings in Irish as well as English. He plays an array of stringed instruments including the harp, cittern and banjo. Kieran O’Mahony, who is a native of Carrigaline, a picturesque village in County Cork, plays Uilleann pipes and whistles.
Emmet “That Irish Guy” Mc Elhinney
Pre-Sale Bracelet Includes your choice of a t-shirt or collector’s pin
Born into a musical family in Omagh, Co. Tyrone in 1974, “That Irish Guy” has been steeped in folk music from a very early age. His great uncle, Tommy Makem, of Makem and Clancy brothers fame, was a huge influence on his chosen path into folk music. It was in his thirties he decided to emigrate to America and here he found a niche market for authentic Irish folk songs. He recorded his album “Live on the Row” at the infamous O’Connors pub in Phoenix, AZ. Needing a change of scenery he moved his family to the pacific northwest and settled in Lacey, just outside of Olympia. His songwriting influences range from his Uncle Tommy Makem to American folk luminaries such as Guy Clark, John Prine and Townes Van Zandt whose songs he regularly includes in his set list.
Geoffrey Castle
“Seattle honors Ireland” has been a theme of renowned violinist and producer Geoffrey Castle for the past 12 years since the inception of his first “St. Patrick’s Celebration” in 2005. This year, Castle is releasing his 12th Album “Celtic Night”, scheduled for release on St. Patrick’s Day. For the Friends of St. Patrick Dinner on March 12, Castle is bringing the band and a vocalist plus the dancers of the Seattle Irish Dance Company. For more information and tickets, visit www.FOSP.org.
irish festival performer highlights
Northwest Passage
Internationallyacclaimed performer-scholar, Eliot Grasso (PhD), teaches, performs, and records Irish traditional music on the uilleann pipes. He is also a researcher and teacher in the fields of musicology and ethnomusicology. He has been performing throughout North America and Europe for two decades, and critics have described his playing as “remarkably compact and precise, tastefully embellished with a restrained creativity and inventiveness,” in that it demonstrates a “superb technical ability” through “a startling depth, consistency, and clarity of tone.” He is considered to be “one of the finest uilleann pipers in the history of Irish music in America” and one of the foremost Irish musicians in North America.
Northwest Passage was formed earlier this year and the band members are excited to bring their rousing songs and energetic tunes to stages in Seattle and beyond. The trio features Colin Lindsay’s fiddle playing, Cameron Stahl on flute, and Alex Sturbaum on guitar and lead vocals. Colin learned to play in the smooth, expressive NY-Sligo fiddle style during his childhood in New York, where he was a student of master fiddler Brian Conway. Alex, a devotee of traditional music since his early years in Cincinnati, OH, has a propulsive style on the guitar and a talent for writing songs. Cameron draws inspiration from flutists like Packie Duignan, and is a proud local, having grown up on Bainbridge Island.
Irish festival 2017
SALES DEPARTMENT:
Sales Manager - Tammy Greenaway
Ad Representative - Matt Wilemski & Kibby Brackman
ART DEPARTMENT
Art Director - Mark Falconer
Designer - Jacqie Callahan
Eliot Grasso
childrens activities
LOFT LEVEL (above the main stage)
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, Noon to 5:00 pm
Among the new games for children are giant versions of Connect 4, giant versions of Jenga, a Monster Head game, Ring Toss, and Tic Tac Toe, all games designed by the professionals at National Event Pros (nationaleventpros.com) to entertain and educate the young at heart.
SATURDAY, MARCH 11, 3:30 pm: “Most Irish-looking Face” Contest
SUNDAY, MARCH 12, 1:45 pm: “Smilingest Irish Eyes” Contest
All children 12 & Under are invited to participate onstage in these fun contests - just be at the Main Stage when the contest is announced. What determines who has the “Most Irishlooking Face” or the “Smilingest Irish Eyes”? As the song says, the winners are those kids with eyes that “twinkle as bright as can be” and smiles that would “steal your heart away,” and not necessarily the kids with fair skin, freckles, red hair, green eyes, etc.
Among the prizes are tickets to the Seattle Children’s Theatre production of Into the West, recommended for ages 9 & up, which runs through March 19 at the theatre on the corner of 2nd and Thomas. Visit www.sct.org or call 206-4413322 for more details. 2017 IHC Members get a discount – visit the IHC booth for details.
ireland b&b vacation raffle
Some lucky person will leave the Irish Festival owning a coupon for a vacation for two in Ireland. A week’s stay for two people (one room, dates to be mutually agreed, etc.) at the Blooming Wildflower Cottage B&B located on the shores of Dingle Bay in Co. Kerry, close to Killarney and other areas where much of the latest Star Wars film was shot. This Seaside traditional stone cottage is a cosy, quiet, safe retreat in downtown Dingle, two streets away from gourmet restaurants, traditional pubs, craft shops, art galleries, harbor tours, etc. The Seattle-born owner of this lovely B&B has previously hosted folks like Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and Washington Governor Christine Gregoire. More details at www. wildflower-cottage.com. The special drawing is on the Festival’s main stage at 5:30 pm, Sunday, March 12, and you do not have to be present to win. But you must visit the Irish Heritage Club Booth to have your name entered in the drawing! Ádh mór - Good luck!!
upcoming irish events and avtivities in 2017
May 29th
Memorial Day Mass at St. Patrick Cemetery
June 25th
Irish Day at the Races
July 8th - 9th
Skagit Valley Highland Games
July 16th
Irish Community Picnic
July 25th
Irish Night at the Mariners
For specific information on any event, email IrishWeek@IrishClub.org or visit irishweek.org
other irish week events
A month-long celebration of everything Irish in Seattle
Friday, MArch 10th
Seattle Galway Sister City Association Business Breakfast
7:30 am at Washington Athletic Club (1325 6th Ave in Seattle)
Join Galway Mayor Noel Larkin and other dignitaries to celebrate 31 years of a formal Sister City relationship between Seattle and Galway, Ireland. Advance reservations are required – for tickets and more information, contact Galway @ irishclub.org.
Mayor’s Irish Week Proclamation Luncheon
Noon at FX McRory’s
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and other dignitaries will issue City, County and State proclamations of Irish Week 2017 at this Noon luncheon at F X McRory’s. Among the special guests will be the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Grand Marshal, the Honorary Grand Marshal, the Mayor of Seattle’s Sister City of Galway, Ireland, and other dignitaries. This is also our annual St. Patrick’s Day Irish Seniors Luncheon for Irish Seniors and their spouses or significant others who are invited to join our dignitaries from Ireland. Advance reservations are required – for tickets and more information, visit EVENTBRITE.com, contact Jane at 206-361-1713 or JaneS @ irishclub.org
Landing of St. Patrick
at 6pm on South Lake Union
St. Patrick was originally brought to Ireland by Irish pirates around 400 AD. Over 1600 years later, the Pirates of the Emerald Isle will deliver St. Patrick back to the Emerald City, dropping him off at South Lake Union (near MOHAI) at 6 pm Friday evening, March 10. No admission fee and kids are welcome. Climb on board at F X McRroy’s at 5 pm for the trip to South Lake Union. After welcoming St. Patrick, we’ll ride back to McRory’s by 6:30 pm for the Green Stripe Laying. For more information, call 206-548-9859 or email IrishWeek @ irishclub.org.
Saturday, MArch 4th
Irish Soda Bread Contest
From 2 – 3 pm at T S McHugh’s Restaurant 1st & Mercer, Seattle. Contest Admission is free and Judging starts at 2 PM. Entries should be delivered to the restaurant between 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM and contest winners will be announced at 3 PM. Enjoy Irish music and stepdancing. For all the details, visit www.IrishWeek.org or email SodaBread @ irishclub.org.
Friday, MArch 10th (continued)
Green Stripe Laying on 4th Ave
7 pm
This is a mini-Parade to mark the route of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade down the center of 4th Ave, starting from Jefferson St at 7 pm. A large crowd participates by riding the flat-bed Truck and children are welcome. There is no charge to participate and all are welcome! Climb on board the F X McRory’s at 6:30 pm for the trip to 4th & Jefferson. For more information, call 206-548-9859 or email IrishWeek @ irishclub.org.
other irish week events
A month-long celebration of everything Irish in Seattle
saturday, MArch 11th
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Events Located on Page 4 (2017 St. Patrick’s Day Parade Section)
Matt Talbot Dinner
6 pm at FX McRory’s
This is a fund-raiser for the Matt Talbot Center, Seattle’s downtown program for the homeless which operates 50 units of clean and sober transitional housing in addition to treatment programs for the addicted, homeless and mentally ill, and a home for homeless women. The dinner is held annually at F X McRory’s Restaurant near Centurylink Field. For more information on the programs of Seattle’s Matt Talbot Center, visit www.mtcenter.org. For more information or to make a reservation, contact 206-256-9865
Irish Network Seattle Party
Starting at 7:30 pm at the Cornish College of the Arts @ Denny Triangle (1000 Lenora St), a “Love, Seattle” – St Patrick’s Day Party with musical entertainment provided by KEXP DJ Darek Mazzone!!! Hosted by Irish Network Seattle for all communities. For tickets and more details, visit IrishNetworkSeattle.org.
Sunday MArch 12th
St. Patrick’s Day Dash
8:30 am
Note the new start time and new route for this nearly four-mile run that starts from T S McHugh’s near the Space Needle! Seattle’s largest single-distance run/walk, jog or crawl where the winners cross the finish before the last person starts. The Dash covers nearly 4 miles of city streets with a 10,000+ person ribbon of green. For more information and to register, visit stpatsdash.com.
Friends of St. Patrick Banquet
KofC Hall, 5 -10 pm
A Black-tie Optional dinner and dance at the Knights of Columbus Banquet Hall, 722 E Union, Seattle, this is the 77th Annual Dinner of the Society of the Friends of St. Patrick in Seattle. The Friends have been an institution in Seattle since formed in 1941 as the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. For tickets ($125 pp) and more information, visit EventBrite, or contact 425-582-2688 or Friends @ irishclub.org.
Friday, March 17
St Patrick’s Day Mass for Peace
12 Noon, St. Patrick’s Church, 2702 Broadway E (just off Roanoke), Seattle. For information, call 425-5822688 or email Mass@irishclub.org.
saturday MArch 25th
Irish Genealogy Workshop
All Day at Luther Memorial Church
A full day of Irish Genealogical Research classes conducted by regional specialists STEVEN W. MORRISON, and JEAN A. ROTH. Steven Morrison is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, and Jean Roth is a former Director of Education for the Seattle Genealogical Society and is leader of the Society’s Irish Interest Group. A detailed workshop schedule can be found at www.IrishWeek.org.
sunday MArch 26th
Seattle Gaels Field Day
At Magnuson Park, noon - 3 pm
The annual Open Field Day is at Magnuson Park from Noon to 3pm for all to try their hand at any of the games of Hurling, Gaelic Football or Camogie. For more information, visit www.SeattleGaels.com.
March 11-18, 2017 1916 Post Alley kellsirish.com/ seattle
seattle area Irish Directory
IRISH DANCING
BALEFIRE
IRISH DANCERS, Contact 206-707-3895 or BalefireDancers@hotmail.com
COMERFORD SCHOOL OF IRISH DANCE, Contact 206-851-2101 or CelticArtsNW@hotmail.com.
FIRE & ICE IRISH DANCERS, Contact 253-874-1533 or FireandIceIrishDance@mac.com
GRAFTON STREET ACADEMY OF IRISH DANCING, Contact 425-361-1541 or GraftonStreetDance@hotmail. com.
MOMENTUM
MUSIC & DANCE ACADEMY, Contact 206-5922590 or Irish-Dancer@ comcast.net.
SHORELINE PARKS IRISH DANCE CLB
Contact veronicasummer@hotmail. com
SLIEVELOUGHANE SCHOOL, Contact 206-714-9112 or SRSIrishDance.com
TARA ACADEMY OF IRISH DANCING, Contact 206-286-6619 or TaraAcademy@hotmail.com.
THE AMERICAN DANCE INSTITUTE, Contact 206-783-0755
ADULT IRISH DANCING SET DANCING: Kathleen O’Grady Graham or Michael Graham, 206-592-2590, Irish-Dancer@comcast.net
SET DANCING:
Jim Belcher, 425-402-8363, in Bothell, SetDancer@aol.com;
SEAN-NÓS OLD STYLE
Sean-nós Seattle, Alicia Guinn, SeannosSeattle@gmail.com.
IRISH LANGUAGE CLASSES
In Seattle, Liam Boyle, 206-542-3781 or lboyle292@gmail.com.
IRISH / CELTIC MUSICIANS
For a listing of Musicians and weekly Traditional Irish Music Sessions, check the Irish Heritage Club website at irishclub.org/irishdirectory/.
COMMUNITY
CHAPLAIN
Fr. John Madigan, a native of Co. Limerick, is the officially appointed Chaplain to the Irish Immigrant Community of Seattle, available to serve all faiths and none when accidents, unexpected illnesses or deaths ➤
occur, and also to help celebrate life events. Contact Fr. John at atsean47@gmail.com, or call 425778-3122.
HONORARY CONSUL OF IRELAND
Contact John Keane, Honorary Consul of Ireland, 7511 210th St SW, #1, Edmonds, WA 98026, Tel: 425-582-2688, Email: jkeane@ irishconsulseattle.com, website irishconsulseattle.com.
For a Seattle area Irish Directory, visit IrishClub. org/irish-directory/.
