Page 36
www.celtic-connection.com
DECEMBER 2011/JANUARY 2012
SEATTLE IRISH NEWS
GUESTS at Irish Night at the Knights: (L-R) [back] Pat Coyne, Eoin O'Leary, Niall O'Leary, Pat Lowe; [front] Tommy Jordan, Sara Lowe.
SARAH OWENS and Susanna and Paul Reynolds at Irish Night at the Knights.
MARKTORMEY, Pat Conlon, Meagan Tormey and Maria Lyons at Irish Night at the Knights.
AOIFE Gallagher and "Donegal John" O'Callaghan at Irish Night at the Knights.
IRISH SENIORS - Over 140 people attended Seattle's Irish Seniors' Christmas luncheon, organized by Irish Immigrant Support, which was held on December 3, at F X McRory's in downtown Seattle.
A visit by Daidi na Nollag (Father Christmas) was organized by Danny Quinn and, Irish music and singing was provided by The Emerald Bards (Bruce Cosacchi and Bill Barnes). There was great food and great company along with some wonderful door prizes.
A very enjoyable afternoon made for a wonderful start to the Christmas season. To participate in these quarterly luncheons, call (425) 290-7839, orvisitwww.lrishSeattle.com.
YULETIDE CONCERTS - The
Boulding Celtic family ensemble Magical Strings bring their 33rd annual Celtic Yuletide concerts through December 22 to eight different locations around the Pacific Northwest from Portland to Spokane to Seattle.
Magical Strings will be joined by the Raney Irish Dancers and the Tara Academy of Irish Dance, vocalist Colleen Raney, and Irish fiddler extraordinaire Dale Russ, providing wonderful Celtic holiday music, singing, dancing, caroling and storytelling. For all the details, visit www.magicalstrings.com.
SCHOLARSHIP - The Seattle Center Festal Volunteer Scholarship sponsored by Wells Fargo provides a $2,500 scholarship to an outstanding student who has performed exceptional volunteer service for a cultural community.
Applicants must be a 16-24 year old high school senior or enrolled in a two or four-year college or university, or a trade or technical school. You must register your intent to apply and provide contact information by December 15, 2011. More info at www.irishclub.org.
MOTHER'S CHRISTMAS - The
2012 Nollaig na mBan (or Mother's Christmas) dinner will be January 8 at 6 PM at Mick Kelly's Irish Pub and Restaurant, 435 SW 152nd Street, Burien. For details and reservations ($30 pp), contact (425) 745-1263.
JANUARY CONCERTS - Great Western Community Concert Association organizes Community Concert Series in south Sound communities, including concerts featuring Celtic bands Molly's Revenge and The Town Pants (from Vancouver, B.C.), on January 7 at 7 PM at the Auburn Performing Arts Center and January 8 at 2 PM at the Highline Performing Arts Center in Burien. Visit www.greatwestern concerts.org for details.
LECTURE SERIES - The University of Washington Alumni Association's 2012 History Lecture Series has an overall title of 'Revenge and Reconciliation in Modern Ireland'.
The lectures start on January 17 with Maimed at the Start? The Origins of Unrest in Modern Ireland'; on January 24, 'A Terrible Beauty: Physical Sacrifice and Irish Nationhood'; and on January 31,
DAIDI NA NOLLAG, organized by David McCourt and his helper Jane Sepede at Seattle's Irish children's Christmas party.
ONE of Daidi na Nollag's Junior Reindeer at Seattle's Irish children's Christmas party.
MARCUS Murphy at the Irish seniors' Christmas luncheon with Daidi na Nollag.
Peace Versus Forgiveness in Northern Ireland Today'. For additional information, email info@irishclub.org.
KNIGHTS NIGHT-A great crowd of about 250 people attended this year's Irish Night at the Knights dinner, dance and auction which raised over $30,000 for the Food bank at Seattle's St. Mary's Church.
In these tough economic times, St. Mary's Food Bank has been serving an average of 2,000 clients weekly and the money raised was really needed to help keep the Food Bank running. Kudos to John O'Malley and his crew for another great job organizing this now annual event.
2011 IRISHMAN - Jack Geary, proprietor of two of Seattle's finest Irish establishments, the Owl 'n Thistle Pub and the Galway Arms, was presented with the 2011 Irishman of the Year Award at the Irish Night at the Knights dinner and dance.
Jack has been involved in the Seattle area's Irish community since he arrived here from Boston in the early 1990s.
A Galwayman, Jack is a good friend of Ireland's new president Michael D. Higgins since the days they studied together at University College Galway and they most recently met in Galway last summer.
A former chair of the Seattle Gaels, Jack is also a noted musician and is still the lead singer for the Owl 'n Thistle Band. Congratulations to a great gentleman on a well-deserved honor.
2012 IRISH FESTIVAL-The Center House at Seattle Center will be closed for renovation in early 2012 which means thatthe 2012 Irish Festival will be held in the Seattle Center's Exhibition Hall on Mercer St at 3rd Avenue (between McCaw Hall and the Intiman Theatre and across from the Mercer Street parking garage).
SWITCHING ROLES - Fidelma McGinn, Executive Director of Seattle's Artist Trust, will resign in January after six years at the helm, and move to a new position at The Seattle Foundation as vice president of Philanthropic Services
From Leixlip, Co. Kildare, McGinn has contributed to much of Artist Trust's success in recent years, leading an expansion of professional development services for artists of all disciplines.
In 2011 alone, Artist Trust awarded a grand total of $284,000 to 85 artists through its five grant programs. McGinn is also a founder of Seattle's Irish Reels Film Festival (www.irishreels.org).
MISCELLANEOUS
• The next Irish Book Club meeting is January 10 at 7pm in Magnolia. Contact (206) 367-1713 for more details.
• The eleventh Friday Harbor Irish Music Week is March 5-9, 2012, in Roche Harbor. Register for classes in fiddle, flute, concertina, guitar, button accordion, tenor banjo and tin whistle at www.fridayharborirish.com.
• Irish artist, Dr. Caroline Madden, will be the visiting artist in the hotshop at the Museum of Glass, Tacoma next year, from ApriM 8-20, followed by an exhibition of Irish glass, "Engaging with Glass," from April 21 to May 27 at the Traver Gallery, Tacoma.
• The Mercer 2011 Quality of Living survey ranks Dublin as the world's 26th best city to live, a higher ranking than any U.S. city, including Seattle which was ranked in 48th place. Vancouver was ranked in fifth place.
•An estimated 400 Irish people work at the headquarters of Microsoft in Redmond.
• For the latest information on Irish or Celtic events in the Seattle area, visitwww.hoilands.com.