FROM COUNTY ROSCOMMON IN IRELAND TO NORTHPHILADELPHIA By Joanne Ennis and Eileen Troxell Saint Malachy Parish in North Philadelphia is celebrating its 160th jubilee. The first parishioners of Saint Malachy were part of the great migration from Ireland in the 1850s. They fled famine and tyranny to find a new life in America. They labored...
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It’s the remarkable longevity of this band that stands out for these five guys. That, and the infectious excitement generated by frontman Luke Jardel (acoustic guitar), who makes it seem oh so natural as he draws the audience in to arguably the best Irish/Folk/Rock & Roll fusion show Philadelphia has to offer. Drummer Ed...
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By Jamie O’Brien Marie-Therese McCartin — Another April Day (MTM Records MTMCD001) I wasn’t sure what to make of this instrumental album when it first arrived. I’ll be honest, the first listening did not grab me and as a result, Another April Day kind of slipped to the bottom of the pile. But regular...
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By Monsignor Francis A. Carbine On April 13, 2011, Robert F. McGovern entered eternal life. Alleluia! On this date, Bob encountered the “great cloud of witnesses”—servants of God “approved because of their faith.” In an interview a few years ago, Bob stated : “Every place you go, you are visited by a...
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Reviewed by Roslyn Blyn-LaDrew So, who needs a closet when skeletons are part of your cast of characters? No matter if they’re somewhat, errm, not exactly disembodied, but let’s say, disarticulated. Isn’t that a sign of our times anyway? As part of the Philadelphia Irish Theater Festival, the Lantern Theater has dished up a...
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By Sabina Clarke When Fiach MacConghail was appointed artistic director of Ireland’s National Theatre six years ago this month, the future of the Abbey Theatre, founded in 1904 by William Butler Yeats and Lady Augusta Gregory, was in question, “At that time,” says MacConghail, “we were five million dollars in debt and morale was...
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By Kerry O’Connor You probably know it well. Tir na Nog, a 6,500 square-foot Irish bar right across the street from Love Park in Philadelphia has been around since 2002. With seating for 320, the popular watering hole can handle large crowds and still be divided up to accommodate smaller parties. It’s named after the Irish mythical...
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Exhibition in Philadelphia at Commodore Barry Club By Sabina Clarke A solo exhibition of 16 original portraits in charcoal and on colored paper, by portrait artist Megan Lawlor is on display now through December 31st, 2011 at the Commodore Barry Club, 6815 Emlen Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Admission to the exhibit is free and...
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Where will you be this Halloween? If the run-of-the-mill ooohing and aaahing over your friends’ store-bought polyester costumes has you bored, you might try “Terror Behind the Walls” at Eastern State Penitentiary (2027 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia). Now in its 19th year, this event is one of the most highly regarded haunted-house attractions in the...
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By Sabina Clarke Strolling through the spectacular exhibition The Quiet Men, now at Villanova University through October 6th, with artist Brian Whelan, the exhibition’s co-curator and driving force, who, for years, toyed with the concept of a major contemporary London Irish visual art exhibition exploring the experience of 20th century Irish immigrants to Britain—we...
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