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www.celtic-connection.com
FEBRUARY 2011
PARTY AT A REAL CASTLE FOR
ST. PATRICK'S DAY!
FIVE (5) LIVE DANCE PERFORMANCES THROUGHOUT THE DAY
AUTHENTIC IRISH FARE
THE BEST PARTY & BEST PATIO AROUND....
PH:604-544-5020 319 GOVERNORS COURT NEW WESTMINSTER www.dublincastle.ca
Ceili's Irish Pub
VANCOUVER'S  LARGEST  IRISH PUB
THURSDAY
MARCH 17th, 2011
SUNDAY k
.MARCH 20m, 2011
LIVE MUSIC IRISH
igAG PIPER
open 11am daily
Dublin Castle: Creamy Pints Now Being Served at Former B.C. Pen
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
NEW WESTMINSTER -Dublin Castle in New Westminster has just been opened for the past five months.
A very impressive and stately manor, the building was formerly the B.C. Penitentiary guard house which was closed in the Eighties.
While the exterior looks like a castle, the interior is warm and inviting with a wonderful view of the Fraser River -very conducive to spending a relaxing afternoon. There is also a beautiful patio, which affords an even better view of the mighty Fraser.
The Dublin Castle would be awesome for a wedding reception - the castle is historic and the view is spectacular. For that matter, it would be a great location for an anniversary, a birthday, or any other special occasion.
I recently stopped in to speak with owner Fred Bilawey, who has just a ton of hospitality background, to ask him about future plans for the Dublin Castle.
"My background actually starts in restaurants and night clubs in Edmonton, Alberta. I worked with the Triple 5 Corporation, the group that opened West Edmonton Mall.
"At the age of 21,1 was running a 1,200 person nightclub and a 300 person hotel and I did that for a few years before moving to Vancouver for Expo '86. I opened the Unicorn Irish Pub at Expo, which was a huge success.
"We were serving 8,000 people a day for five and a half months. It was a wonderful facility and the Unicorn stayed open for six more years after Expo in the Plaza of Nations and I stayed on as general manager. The last year that I was there in 1991, we did just four million in sales."
Reminiscing about Expo '86, Fred laughed and said, "The Irish Rovers played at the Unicorn Pub and I spent many, many nights elbow-to-elbow with them at the Unicorn, both before and after Expo. It was great fun."
Continuing with his extensive hospitality experience he said, "After the Unicorn closed, I was hired by The Elephant and Castle Group and I redid six Elephant and Castles. Total renovations - menus and promotion development, banquet facilities in locations all over Western Canada and Toronto.
"I had that contract for two years, and then I opened my own consulting company as food and beverage director at Hastings Park.
"I opened up a few other facilities and moved to Tas Vegas in 1996 where I worked with Caesar's Place and opened up the Moulin Rouge Hotel and Casino.
"I got into the Dublin Castle, when I spotted an advertisement on the internet, came and had a look at the location and facility. I couldn't believe that the building actually looked like a castle.
"We took an interior that was actually yellow and baby blue and turned it into an Irish pub.
"We added a wonderful bar, high definition plasma televisions, developed a menu, renovated the kitchen, and have
'ft
DUBLIN CASTLE owners Chaya Katrensky and Fred Bilawey.
met with great success here in New Westminster."
There are approximately 6,000 homes based between McBride and East Columbia, and there is really nobody else in the immediate area catering to the residents according to Fred.
"A lot of our customers are people who walk to the Castle and with the new drinking and driving laws, it's really a blessing in disguise for us."
To accommodate the number of people looking to book banquets and weddings,
the Dublin Castle is planning to expand. Plans are already underway for the expected huge St. Patrick's celebrations at Dublin Castle.
Fred Bilawey is once again back running an Irish pub and there can be no doubt, that with his exceptional hospitality expertise it will be a roaring success.
Dublin Castle is located at 319 Governors Court, New Westminster, B.C. For more information, call (604) 544-5020 or see:
www.dublincastle.ca.
Winter Harp: A true awakening of the spirit of the season
By MAURA DeFREITAS
VANCOUVER - One of the winter highlights in Vancouver is the annual Winter Harp candlelight celebration at St. Andrews Wesley Church.
What a magnificent concert - from sumptuous medieval costumes of rich brocade and velvet, to soothing harp music in an exquisite setting with wonderful acoustics. Held just days before the winter solstice, the concert is truly an awakening of the Christmas spirit.
It was a full-house when I attended Winter Harp on December 18, and once again I was captivated by the beauty and magic of the performance.
Organized by harpist Tori Pappajohn, who was honoured this year with the Bernie Tegge Cultural Award for her contributions to the arts, Winter Harp presents some of the city's most gifted musicians and singers.
The program featured such seasonal favourites such as God Rest Ye and What Child is This? Other special additions included some beautiful long lost carols such as Down in Yon Forest.
Pappajohn says the question that haunts her each year when choosing the Winter Harp program is which carols to include.
"I'm not talking about songs such as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, but the profound songs - songs relating to the mystery of the child, the star, the manger.
"If you delve into the literature, you will find hundreds of such songs dating back to the Twelfth Century. However, most of us in North America have never heard of them."
Each year, Winter Harp seeks out these songs that might otherwise never be heard says Pappajohn. "Melodies lost, forgotten, no longer sung, but beautiful beyond words. Tike the child, they are born again before us at this special time of year."
I must say that Winter Harp is truly a special celebration each year. My husband and I were both particularly moved by the rendition of Ave Maria which resonated long after we left the hallowed halls of St. Andrews Wesley.
Watch for Winter Harp again next December.
OFFICIAL PRE-PARADE BREAKFAST
SUN, MARCH 20th • 9-11AM
Featuring THE COLIN GRANT BAND
SUN, MARCH 20th • 4PM
Irish Pub €L Restaurant
670 smithe st | 604.697.9199
WWW.CEILIS.COM