MOHAWK VALLEY IRISH CULTURAL

Volume 16, Issue 3 EVENTS NEWSLETTER Mar 2019 Utica St. Patrick’s Day Parade Marks 195 Years

On Saturday, March 16th, downtown Utica will once again be the site of one of the Mohawk Valley’s most fun-filled family traditions: the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Presented by the Great American Irish Festival, the parade starts at 10 AM at Oneida Square and continues until reaching Columbia Street. Many spectators find the reviewing stand area in front of the Stanley Theatre a prime location to enjoy the parade, but the fact is there is not a bad viewing spot along the route. The parade -- the culmination of a full week of Irish-centered activities in honor of National Irish Month -- will be proudly led by this year’s Grand Marshal, John Sullivan.

The St. Patrick’s Day parade is one of Utica’s oldest and grandest celebrations, originated in 1824 by Utica’s first mayor and pre-eminent Irishman, John C. Devereux. Following a St. Patrick’s Day banquet he organized at Bagg’s Tavern, Devereux summoned his fellow diners outside, where he led the group in a one-street procession to celebrate their patron saint. Thus began the tradition of Utica’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, and of its being led by a worthy Grand Marshal. Beginning that year and continuing for every parade for the next 24 years until his death in 1848, Utica’s John Devereux could be seen leading “his” parade, “…wearing a green sash and sporting a genuine shamrock from the ‘ould sod’ in his button hole.”

After a few years of inactivity, the parade was revived in 1978 as a short parade down Varick St. It was moved to Genesee St. shortly after the “Cable Cares Club” began hosting the parade. In 2007 the Great American Irish Festival took over the reins and it now holds the distinction of being one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day parades in New York State.

In addition to the marching units, vehicles and floats, the parade also features a 1-mile fun run called the “Mad Mile,” which will take place just before the parade, and the annual Food Drive (see article below).

Parade Committee Chairman David Wood is pleased with the progress being made thus far, but still has openings for participants, and of course, more volunteers are always welcome. If your group or organization is still considering participating in the 2019 St. Patrick’s Day Parade, entry applications are due by Saturday, March 2nd. You can find the form by clicking this link, and scrolling down to the line that reads “Applications to participate…”

Stanley Theater to Host Grand Marshal Reception

Marking the ceremonial “passing of the Shillelagh” from the previous parade Grand Marshal to this year’s, the Grand Marshal’s Reception will be held on March 12th, 2019, on the stage at Utica’s majestic Stanley Theater. Last year’s Grand Marshal, Judy Weeks, will be on hand to do the honors, when – flanked by an assemblage of past Grand Marshals – she hands off the shillelagh to this year’s honoree, John Sullivan.

The reception, which runs from 6-9 PM, costs $20, which goes to defray the costs of the parade. Food and refreshments are included, and providing entertainment throughout the evening will be Craobh Dugan, Utica’s chapter of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann.

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Utica’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade Conducts Food Drive

“There is a story about a man who left this earth and was taken on a tour of the inner realms. He was shown a room where he saw a large group of hungry people trying to eat dinner, but because the spoons they were trying to eat with were longer than their arms, they remained frustrated. “This,” his guide told him, “is Hell.” “That's terrible!” exclaimed the man; “Please show me Heaven!” “Very well,” agreed the guide, and on they went. When they opened Heaven’s door, the man was perplexed to see what looked very much like the same scene: there was a group of people with spoons longer than their arms. As he looked more closely, however, he saw happy faces and full tummies, for there was one important difference: the people in Heaven had learned to feed each other.” -- Alan Cohen, “The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore”

For the 11th consecutive year, the Utica St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee is conducting the annual Parade Food Drive, as a way of giving back to the community, and in remembrance of one of the most horrific and defining periods in Irish history.

On March 16th, St. Patrick’s Day Parade attendees and marchers are asked to bring non-perishable food items to the parade, which will be collected and turned over to Mother Marianne’s West Side Kitchen at the St. Joseph- St. Patrick Parish Center. Named for Blessed Mother Marianne Cope, who grew up in West Utica and went on to devote the last 30 years of her life to the lepers of Hawaii’s Molokai, ultimately being canonized a Saint in October 2012, this program – also in its 11th year -- claims a unique tie to the local Irish community: It is located across the street from the nearly-completed Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley; the site of the original St. Patrick’s Church, which was built by a burgeoning Irish population who had come to America to escape the Great Hunger in the 1850s.

Co-chairing this cause, as she has every year since its inception in 2009, is Chris Hoke, who took the germ of an idea from then Parade Director Kevin Dowling and turned it into the extremely successful event it is today. To date, Chris, her tireless co-chair Bernie Adorino and their stalwart team of volunteers -- their friends and family, GAIF volunteers, family and employees of Adorino Construction, and Notre Dame Elementary students and parents -- have collected and donated nearly 11,000 food items and more than $11,000 to the West Side Kitchen!

This year Bernie and Chris want to make the drive the most successful yet, so start collecting up your non- perishable food items and on Parade day, fill up the familiar wheelbarrows and green money boxes, before or during the parade.

Many thanks go to Chris and Bernie for heading up this annual drive, to Adorino Construction for their continued support, to the inspired and inspiring schoolchildren, and to the many parade attendees and participants who have so selflessly “learned to feed each other” year after year.

Utica St. Patrick’s Day Parade Raffle Tickets On Sale!

Raffle tickets to help offset the cost of the 2019 St. Patrick’s Day Parade are now available. All tickets are $1, with chances to win seven great prizes: 1st: a party for 20 in the 1888 Tavern, FX Matt Brewing Company; 2nd: a $100 Certificate for The Tailor & The Cook Restaurant; 3rd: private catered dinner for 6 in your home by O’Connor’s “A Moveable Feast;” 4th: a $100 certificate to the Celtic Harp; 5th: two tickets to “Rael -- Genesis Tribute Band” show at the Stanley Theater; 6th: four weekend passes to the Great American Irish Festival, July 26-28, 2019, and 7th: Utica Comets Team Signed Jersey. For tickets, contact Mary Lou Manchester at [email protected], or track down any GAIF committee member. The drawing will be at 3 PM on March 24th at the Celtic Harp.

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Irish Cultural Center Update

It’s been a few months since we published the first of our monthly updates on the progress of the Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley…okay, it’s been twelve of those months. A lot has changed since March of 2018, a month marked by: a massive winter storm that hit the East Coast, Mark Zuckerberg being compelled to apologize for his business practices…wait, but… a major retail chain announced it was closing its doors… hmmm… the Kardashians made money doing nothing … uh… Okay, maybe life is a bad example. But one thing that has progressed in the last year is the Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley.

On Sunday, Feb 17th, local media personality and past St. Patrick’s Day Parade Grand Marshal Joe Kelly took his weekly “Joe Kelly Show” on the road, broadcasting from inside the nearly-completed Cultural Center. The show featured individual interviews with three of the more prominent figures responsible for the Center’s progress; GAIF President and counsel to the Cultural Center Peter Karl, then the man responsible for the building’s interior and exterior construction, John Sullivan (also this year’s Parade Grand Marshal), and finally, GAIF co-director, Jeff Ball. To see the interviews and get a virtual tour of the facility, check out the videos hosted on the CNY Homepage site: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

Standing on the hallowed ground that was once the site of Utica’s first Irish church, the 21,000 square foot Irish Cultural Center comprises a 285-seat event center capable of hosting dinners and receptions, a huge kitchen for handling the daily dinner menu as well as internal and external catered activities, parking for 130 vehicles, an Irish cultural museum, office spaces for local Irish organizations, and the pride of it all – an authentic Irish pub known as “The Five Points Public House.” And despite Kelly’s three guests seeing the building through vastly different lenses, each echoed the same sentiment: There simply is not an Irish pub this beautiful anywhere from New York to Buffalo.

The pub, which was designed and built in Ireland and shipped to the site in three containers, boasts a Whiskey Room/Library, a huge fireplace, a traditional Irish snug, a performance stage, and an attached outdoor dining/drinking area, with its own fireplace. The pub seats 102 throughout a large space that has been cleverly partitioned with beautiful wooden half walls and custom-designed “5 Points” frosted glass panels.

And now for the burning question: When will it open? Karl is optimistically looking at a late spring opening, but in the meantime, officials are looking at hosting some kind of event on St. Patrick’s Day. Whenever the opening is, two things are certain: 1. It will have been well worth the wait, and 2) …the Kardashians will still be making money for doing nothing.

Enter the Haggis is Back Again… and Again

For those of you who can’t wait until the Great American Irish Festival to see Toronto’s Enter the Haggis, you’re in luck… doubly in luck, actually. That’s right, Trevor, Brian, Mark, Craig and Bruce are coming “home” again, with a post-parade performance at the Marriott Downtown Syracuse on Mar 16th, and another show at Buffalo’s Iron Works on March 29th (if you do attend both, we’d recommend coming back home in between the shows, if only to shower). Tickets for the 7 PM show in Syracuse are $29.54, and can be purchased here; while the cover for the 9 PM show at Buffalo Iron Works (49 Illinois Street Buffalo) is $15.

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We Banjo 3 at Munson Williams

For all the innovation and invention that goes into modern music these days, it’s the inspiration derived from one’s roots that proves the most enduring. So credit Galway, Ireland’s We Banjo 3 for finding common ground between old world tradition and authentic Americana by plying their banjo, fiddle, guitar and mandolin in an innovation fusion of styles that they dub “Celtgrass.”

Variously described as “astonishing,” “the Gold Standard of Irish and American Roots music,” and “the Irish Punch Brothers,” it’s little wonder then that We Banjo 3 is literally taking both sides of the Atlantic by storm, carving a reputation as one of the world’s most imaginative ensembles.

Made up of two sets of siblings — brothers Enda Scahill (tenor banjo, vocals) and Fergal Scahill (fiddle, viola, dobro, percussion, guitar, mandolin, vocals) and brothers Martin Howley (tenor banjo, mandolin, vocals) and David Howley (lead vocals, guitar) – We Banjo 3 finds a natural symmetry as well as a cohesive chemistry that’s been imbued in the band ever since they were initially drawn to one another by their common creative interests.

And although they will be coming to the area to headline this summer’s Great American Irish Festival, there’s no need to wait that long to see the band, as they bring their rousing revelry and virtuosity to Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute’s Concerts in the Court, 7:30 PM on Saturday, March 23 in the Edward Wales Root Sculpture Court. Tickets for the performance are $26.50 for MWPAI members and $31.50 for the general public. For tickets, contact the Performing Arts ticket office at (315) 797-0055 or (800) 754-0797. Tickets are also available online at mwpai.org.

But Wait… There’s More!

You can also catch We Banjo 3 on Mar 20th at the Center for the Arts, Homer, NY (8 PM, $5-$25); on Mar 21st at Daryl’s House, Pawling NY (8 PM, $20-$30), and on Mar 22nd at The Egg in Albany (8 PM, $34).

Syracuse Irish Trad Fest Kicks Off 2019 Festival Season

Can’t wait until September to get your Syracuse Irish festival fix? Now there’s no need to wait, and no reason why you would want to. That’s right; snarling right back in the face of Syracuse’s winter weather, the 2019 Irish Trad Fest will be taking place from March 3-9th.

The festival – generally set for the first week of March – kicks off on Sunday, March 3 when Celtic Thunder’s Colm Keegan performs his “The History of Ireland in Music” at St. Patrick’s Church in Syracuse. Tickets for the 6 PM concert are $20, and are available here. Then on Tuesday, March 5, Ithaca’s Arise and Go will be on stage at the Blarney Stone in Syracuse for a free 7 PM show. Also giving a free concert that night will be House of Hamill, who will be returning to McCarthy’s Pub in Cazenovia for a 7 PM performance.

Scotland’s Heron Valley will be entertaining at a dinner concert at Kitty Hoynes at 7 PM on March 6 (tickets for just the show are $20, and are available here), while on March 8, area favorites The Moxie Strings will be giving a free performance at the Heritage Hill Brewhouse in Pompey, at 7 PM. Finally, wrapping up the 2019 Syracuse Trad Fest will be Ireland’s Folk Band of the year and winners of Irish Music Award’s Top Traditional Performance Show, the High Kings, who will be giving an 8 PM concert at the Palace Theater in Syracuse. Tickets for that show are $30, and are available here.

For more information on this year’s Trad Fest, please visit their website.

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Music of the Season There is so much going on this month, in order to keep the newsletter to a manageable heft, we’re going to bulletize some of the many events going on in the general area.

Irish Comedy Tour - Mar 1, Proctor’s Theater, 7:30 PM. The party atmosphere of a Dublin pub combines with a boisterous, belly-laugh-inducing trio for The Irish Comedy Tour, featuring irreverent comedians Mike McCarthy, Derek Richards, Damon Leibert and Derrick Keane. $35.

The Tossers - Mar 9, Putnam Place, 9 PM. The Tossers’ Irish drinking anthems and whiskey-drenched melodies will have you filling up your glass and dancing in the aisles. Opening the show will be 14 year old ventriloquist, Darci Lynne. Nah, only kidding; it’s actually Murderer’s Row. Tickets are $15.

Donnybrook Fair - Mar 14, The Egg, 7:30 PM and Mar 17, Caffè Lena, 7 PM. Back by popular demand following their summer reunion tour, Donnybrook Fair returns with a special St. Patrick’s Day show of originals and traditional Irish songs. Tickets are $29.50 at the Egg, and $12.50-$25 for the Caffè Lena show.

Lúnasa w/Natalie Merchant - Mar 15, Troy Music Hall, 8 PM. The band is internationally acknowledged as being the finest traditional Irish instrumental outfit of recent times. Singer/songwriter Natalie Merchant joins her friends in Lúnasa as a “special guest” for this performance. Tickets are $34.50 to $39.50.

The Town Pants - Mar 15, Smith Opera House, 8 PM. With decades worth of headlining Roots and Celtic festivals, The Town Pants’ own brand of Celtic roots rock spans six albums so far, backed up with a legendary live show that’s garnered them fans internationally from New York to Norway. General Admission tickets are $20 on the day of the show.

North Country Goes Green - Mar 15-17, State Office Building. Back for its 34th year, NCGG brings in The Willoughby Brothers, Searson, Gobshites and many other acts over three big days! Tickets are still only $6.

The Screaming Orphans – Mar 16, Proctor’s Theater, 2 PM. This all-sister band from Donegal combines their own original songs with a unique take on Traditional Irish music. Tickets are $35; $25 in advance.

Red Hot Chilli Pipers - Mar 17, Smith Opera House, 8 PM. This blazing 9-piece rock band consists of pipers, guitarists, keyboards and drummers, capable of making arena rock anthems sit comfortably alongside the great tunes from the glens and the mountains of Scotland. Tickets range from $28.50 to $38.50.

Grady Girls Little Folks Show – Mar 17, Caffè Lena, 1 PM. The Grady Girls (family band from Ithaca, NY) breathe new life into timeless Irish dance tunes for this family-friendly and free performance.

Celtic Woman – Mar 26, Palace Theater, 7:30 PM, and Mar 30, Rochester Auditorium, 7 PM. Multiplatinum Irish music sensation Celtic Woman makes two stops as part of their “Ancient Land” tour. Tickets for each show range from $42-$153.

Jim Malcom – Mar 29, Brae Loch, 7 PM. Scottish singer/songwriter Jim Malcolm gives a special performance to raise money for the CNY Scottish Games. The former lead singer with Old Blind Dogs, he has been described as “one of the finest singers in Scotland in any style.” Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

Tannahill Weavers - Mar 30, Old Songs, 7:30 PM. The most popular Scottish band of all time makes a very special stop in Voorheesville as part of the Old Songs concert series. Don’t miss this rare appearance! Tickets are $25 for adults, $12 for youth (age 13-18) and $5 for children 12 and under.

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Call of Caledonia – by Kari “McKendrick” Procopio

NYC Tartan Week

National Tartan Day is a US observance on April 6 each year. It commemorates the Scottish Declaration of Independence, from which the American Declaration of Independence was modelled on. It also recognizes achievements of Americans of Scottish descent.

March may be for celebrating all things Irish in America, but April is for the Scots as New York City goes plaid for Tartan Week April 3-8.

In 1998, the U.S. Senate declared April 6 to be “Tartan Day,” as a gesture of recognition for the many contributions made by Scottish Americans. One year later, the first parade took place as two pipe bands and a small enthusiastic group marched from the British Consulate to the U.N. Now twenty years later, the “week” (which has lasted anywhere from 7 to 21 days) includes hundreds of pipers and thousands of marchers and revelers.

This year, Saturday, April 6 is the date for the NYC Tartan Day Parade, of which Sir Billy Connolly is Grand Marshal. Connolly is an expert on Scottish Americans, tartans, and McDonald’s quarter pounders, but I’ll leave it at that. Past Grand Marshals include Sir Sean Connery, actor Graham McTavish, and musician KT Tunstall.

There are a number of events included in Tartan Week, from workshops and lectures to cocktail receptions and musical performances, but it wouldn’t be a Scottish affair if it didn’t go to comical lengths to keep the party going. There is a pre-parade brunch, the parade, the post parade party, and then the post parade after party.

Tartan Week wraps up 6:30 PM, Monday the 8th with American-Scottish Foundation’s Taste of Scotland with Words & Whisky, featuring Scotland’s National Chef and winner of BBC’s 2016 Master Chef. Ticket details can be found at americanscottishfoundation.org.

For more information about New York City Tartan Week, go to nyctartanweek.org (and to read that joke, google “Billy Connolly one-liners”).

Speak for Yourself – contributed by Tomás Maol O'Meallaigh (Tom Malley)

Ceacht a trí (Lesson 3)

Today’s lesson: “Let's eat!”

If you want to say… Say… Pronounced as… Are you hungry? An bhfuil ochras ort? un will uck-ras ur-it? Yes, I am [hungry] Tá ocras orm Taw uk-ross orr-um No, I am not [hungry] Níl ocras orm Neel uk-ross orr-um Do you want breakfast? An mhait leat bricfeasta? un wah lat brick-fas-ta? A cup of tea? Cupán tae? kuh-pawn tay? With sugar? Le siucra? leh shu-cra ? Milk? Bâinne? bawn-yuh? Is everything on the table? An bhfuil gach rud ar an mbord? un will gack rud err un mord? Put the plates on the table if you Cur na plátaí ar an mbord, le do thoil. cur nah plaw-tee err un mord, please. leh duh hull

Questions? Write me at [email protected]

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“Murder in an Irish Churchyard” -- Book Review by Mark Sisti

Much has changed since we first met Siobhan O’Sullivan in “Murder in an Irish Village.”

As we begin the third entry in Carlene O’Connor’s Irish Village Mystery series, “Murder in an Irish Courtyard,” Siobhan has just completed two years at Garda College and she’s eagerly awaiting her first day on the job. It’s been a year since her lad Macdara Flannery became a Detective Sergeant and moved to Dublin, and they haven’t spoken since. (Oh my stars, will they ever get back together?)

Of course, some things haven’t changed. She still worries about her role in raising her siblings. She still finds herself unable to follow the simplest rules. And she still attracts murder victims like sugar attracts flies.

The night before her first day on the job, she receives a visit from the parish priest, who heard a shot and discovered a dead man in the church graveyard. A dead man in a graveyard might not, by itself, be surprising, but this particular dead body is above ground and has a pretty distinctive hole in his head.

She knows she should go to the station and file a report, but Father Kearney prevails upon to her to examine the graveyard, and Siobhan rationalizes that with the snow just starting and evidence soon to be obscured, it’s important to have a first-hand observation.

This decision puts her in hot water on her first day on the job, and she’s assigned to investigate the theft of crotchety old George Dunne’s socks. To top things off, the detective sergeant they call in to run the murder case is (to the surprise of no one who watches Hallmark movies) Macdara Flannery.

Macdara makes sure Siobhan works with him on the murder case and they agree there will be no discussions of a personal nature. (But how can they ever get back together then?) The dead man, wealthy American Peter Mallon, had come to Ireland in search of family history and, according to a witness who overheard him, “to right a great wrong.”

Accompanying him on the trip is his third wife, his brother, his daughter and son, his nurse and a filmmaker documenting the trip. But this trip is not going in the family scrapbook as a bonding experience. His daughter is trying to get him declared incompetent, his son is gambling addict, and the nurse is – well, no one’s quite sure what the nurse is.

Siobhan’s unauthorized graveyard visit reveals that Mallon had died of a gunshot wound with his hand pointing at the grave of one John Mallon, which Siobhan (but no one else) finds significant. The relatives and other hangers-on each had a motive for murder, particularly so since Mallon had recently changed his will, and they want nothing better than to get back to the states.

The cast of characters all have secrets and they all have motives. The dysfunctional family, the filmmaker and locals all come together to provide humor, complications and plot twists. This book is more amusing than laugh-out-loud funny, but sometimes that’s all you want.

There are two mysteries intertwined in this story, a mystery from the past and one in the present – well, three, if you count the stolen wooly socks – and Siobhan realizes she can’t solve one without solving the other. There are plenty of red herrings, twists and clues to follow. And Siobhan and Macdara find themselves working well together, rekindling old feelings (Wow, who could have seen that coming?)

Well-chosen scenic details of the Ireland village provide an effective contrast to the murder scene and O’Connor skillfully uses dialect and Irish idiosyncratic phrases to further the sense of place.

It’s a clever, well-thought-out mystery, with enough motives and plausible suspects to keep you guessing until the end. All the mysteries tie together in a solution that actually makes sense (not always the case in this sort of mystery), including the one we all care most about – will Siobhan and Macdara get back together? (Oh, please, please, please.)

The characters are well-written (although I would hope all Americans overseas aren’t this obnoxious) and, while it’s fun following the Sullivan siblings as they grow, familiarity with the previous books in the series isn’t essential to enjoying this one.

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Calling All Sleuths!

Imagine our surprise when we emptied this month’s mailbag, and a letter actually came out!

We received a letter from Mr. Henry (Hank) Okraski – a member of St. Patrick’s School class of 1949 – who wrote “I live in Florida-been here since 1965 but am from Utica, NY and attended St. Patrick’s School. I have been watching the new Irish cultural center rise from the earth where my school once stood proudly, with anticipation for the opening…I have a photo of the Class of 1949 that I would love to send if the Center were interested in displaying.”

Of course we said yes, and so the population of the museum at the Irish Cultural Center begins. But Mr. Okraski also wondered if we – you – could help him track down any of his classmates. The photo, annotated with the names of these students, is attached at the end of this newsletter, so give it a look and see if any of the names are familiar to you. And in advance of a more formal call for artifacts, photos, documents, etc., that can be made part of the museum’s collection, if you have something you’d like to donate, feel free to contact any of us at the newsletter. The mailbag gets awfully lonely sometimes.

RANDOM RAMBLINGS

“Nuacht as Craobh Dugan” ---news from the Dugan Branch Chris Hoke writes: “Allyson Sklar has arranged for us to use a trailer to carry our musicians in the parade. We still need a truck or SUV with a trailer hitch to pull the musicians. PLEASE, PLEASE if you have or if you know anyone who has a truck or SUV with a hitch who would be willing to donate a few hours on Saturday March 16th in the parade--we would be forever grateful! Please check with your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc., to see if anyone is willing to help us out this year. Performances this month include Mar 2 - Brookdale Senior Center, Clinton, 2 PM; Mar 4 - Ladies AOH Meeting @ Seton Center, 7 PM; Mar 5 - Open Session at Nail Creek Pub, 7:30 PM; Mar 8 - Whitesboro HS International Fest, 9:30 AM; Mar 10 - Steve Kain’s ARC Home, 1 PM; Mar 12 - Grand Marshal Reception @ The Stanley Theater, 6 - 9 PM; Mar 16 - Utica Maennerchor St. Patrick’s Day Party, 1-4 PM; Mar 17 - 16 Stone Pub, Holland Patent, 3-6 PM; Mar 19 - Open Session @ Stockdale’s, 7:30 PM; Mar 21 - Preswick Glen, 7 PM; Mar 26 - UCP Tradewinds Program, Chadwicks, 6:30 PM; Mar 31 - Oneida Healthcare, Oneida, 2:30 PM.”

“Brave a Shave” In the Events Calendar that appears at the end of this newsletter, you’ll see on Sunday, March 31st, a rather cryptic reference to an event at Kitty Hoyne’s called “St. Baldrick’s Day Fundraiser.” No, it is not another St. Patrick’s Day party… it’s much more noble than that. What it is is one of hundreds of fundraisers organized by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, whose mission is “…to raise awareness and funds to Conquer Kids’ Cancer by shaving heads on St. Baldrick’s Day.” What started in 2000 as a friendly challenge between three Long Island men has grown into the world’s largest event for combatting childhood cancer. Since that first “dare,” St. Baldrick’s Day fundraisers around the world have raised over $258 million for the CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation and the CureSearch Children’s Oncology Group. With a record total of over $535,000 raised at last year’s event, Kitty Hoynes is now the second highest fundraising event in the country! Their goal this year is to raise $500,000 for childhood cancer research. To get involved in Kitty Hoyne’s fundraiser or for more information on this worthy cause, check out www.stbaldricks.org. If you can’t attend (or don’t want to get shaved), donations are welcomed.

Arise & Go Releases First Album Local musician Michael Roddy writes “We’re happy to report that our new album, Meeting Place, will be released next month and to celebrate we’ll be doing a Central New York tour leading up to St. Patrick’s Day!” Concert dates are listed in the calendar below, and further details can be found at www.ariseandgo.org/shows.

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Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the Oneida County History Center On March 16, 2019, the Oneida County History Center hosts their 4th annual Irish Tea Fundraiser, from 1-3 PM. The event will feature hot beverages, Irish fare, finger foods, desserts, door prizes, and more. Entertainment includes a presentation by Bob Sullivan on our Irish ancestors and the potato famine, plus traditional Irish songs performed by Clinton native and internationally touring performer Nick Abounader. Tickets are $18 per person or 2 for $30, and can be purchased at the History Center or by phone (315) 735-3642. All proceeds benefit the Oneida County History Center.

Irish Flag Raising at City Hall On Wednesday, March 13th at noon, what has become a revered tradition will continue, as the Irish Flag will be raised over Utica’s City Hall, while Friday, March 15th will find the new Grand Marshal, John Sullivan, painting a green stripe on Genesee Street in front of the Stanley at 10 AM.

Mass honoring Saint Patrick: Lest anyone forget the reason for this special and reverent Irish holiday, the John C. Devereux Chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Ladies AOH have arranged for a Mass honoring St. Patrick on March 15th at Saint Joseph-Saint Patrick’s Church, 702 Columbia St. in Utica. There will be Irish music beginning at 6:30, and the Mass proper begins at 7 PM. All are welcome.

Celtic Club Calendar Finally, here’s the Irish Musical and Cultural calendar for March:

Mar 1 Blarney Rebel Band Munson Williams Utica 5-8 PM Free Mar 1 Irish Comedy Tour Proctor’s Theater Schenectady 7:30 PM $35 Mar 2-3 Kevin McKrell The Parting Glass Saratoga Springs 8 PM Free Mar 3 The Mighty Craic Celtic Harp Utica 1-5 PM Free Mar 3 Colm Keegan (Syr Trad Fest) St. Patrick’s Church Syracuse 6 PM $20 Mar 3 Traditional Irish Session McCarthy's Irish Pub Cazenovia 4 PM Free Mar 5 Nail Creek Sessions Nail Creek Utica 7:30 PM Free Mar 5 House of Hamill (Syr Trad Fest) McCarthy's Irish Pub Cazenovia 7 PM Free Mar 5 Arise & Go (Syr Trad Fest) Blarney Stone Syracuse 7 PM Free Mar 6 Heron Valley (Syr Trad Fest) Kitty Hoynes Pub Syracuse 5:30 PM $20 Mar 7 Red Hot Chilli Pipers Smith Opera House Geneva 8 PM $28.50-$38.50 Mar 7 Arise & Go St. Margaret’s House New Hartford 5:30 PM $30 (reservations) Mar 8 Moxie Strings (Syr Trad Fest) Heritage Hill Brewhouse Pompey NY 7 PM Free Mar 9 The High Kings (Syr Trad Fest) Palace Theater Syracuse 7 PM $30 Mar 9 Traditional Irish Session Kitty Hoynes Pub Syracuse 2-5 PM Free Mar 9 Jim and Deirdre McCarthy Trinity Coffeehouse Camden 7 PM Donation Mar 9 Arise & Go Album Release Party Cherry Artspace Ithaca 7:30 PM $10 suggested Mar 9 The Tossers Putnam Place Saratoga Springs 9 PM $15 Mar 10 Blarney Rebel Band Woodland Hop Farm Marcy 2-5 PM Free Mar 10 Donal O’Shaughnessey Coleman’s Irish Pub Syracuse 4-7 PM Free Mar 10 Kevin McKrell/David McDonnell The Parting Glass Saratoga Springs 7 PM $10 Mar 12 Parade Grand Marshal Reception Stanley Theater Utica 6-9 PM $20 Mar 12 Arise & Go St. Joseph’s Church Lee Center 6:30 PM Free Mar 14 Donnybrook Fair The Egg Albany 7:30 PM $29.50 Mar 15 Lunasa w/ Natalie Merchant Troy Music Hall Troy 8 PM $34.50-$39.50 Mar 15 Town Pants Smith Opera House Geneva 8 PM $20 Mar 15 Arise & Go Trinity Church Seneca Falls 7 PM $10 suggested Mar 15 Hair of the Dog The Parting Glass Saratoga Springs 8 PM $15 Mar 15-17 North Country Goes Green State Office Building Watertown varies $6 Mar 16 Flyin’ Column Marriott Downtown Syracuse 1-5 PM Free

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Mar 16 Shakespeare in the Alley The Parting Glass Saratoga Springs 4 PM $5 Mar 16 An Irish Evening Kirkland Art Center Clinton NY 5-7:30 PM $20; $15 members Mar 16 Enter the Haggis Marriott Downtown Syracuse 7 PM $29.54 Mar 16 Kilashandra The Parting Glass Saratoga Springs 7 PM $5 Mar 16 Utica’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade Genesee St. Utica 10 AM Free Mar 16 Syracuse Irish Session Funk’n Waffles Syracuse 2-5 Free Mar 16 Blarney Rebel Parade Party Piggy Pat’s Washington Mills 1-4 PM Free Mar 16 Craobh Dugan Maennerchor Marcy 1-4 PM Free Mar 16 The Mighty Craic Palisades Hotel Rome, NY 3-6 PM Free Mar 16 Arise & Go MV Center for the Arts Little Falls 7 PM $12, $10 adv Mar 16 Screaming Orphans Proctor’s Theater Schenectady 2 PM $35 ($25 adv) Mar 16 Ryan Clan Yahnundasis New Hartford 2-6 PM $25; free after 5:30 PM Mar 16 Irish Tea Fundraiser Oneida Cty Hist Ctr Utica 1-3 PM $18 Mar 16 Irish Music Workshop Caffè Lena Saratoga Springs 1 PM $20 per instrument Mar 17 Grady Girls Little Folks Show Caffè Lena Saratoga Springs 1 PM Free Mar 17 The Mighty Craic Copper City Brewery Rome 2-4 PM Free Mar 17 Donnybrook Fair Caffè Lena Saratoga Springs 7 PM $25; $22 mbrs; $5 child Mar 17 Arise & Go Grace Church Cortland 3 PM Free Mar 17 Traditional Irish Session Irish Amer Ass’n Albany 2:30-6 PM Free Mar 17 Blarney Rebel Band Celtic Harp Utica 6 PM Free Mar 17 Mighty Ploughboys Daryl's House Pawling NY 7 PM $10 Mar 19 Traditional Irish Session Stockdale’s Oriskany 7:30 PM Free Mar 20 We Banjo 3 Center for the Arts Homer, NY 8 PM $5-$25 Mar 21 We Banjo 3 Daryl's House Pawling NY 8 PM $20-$30 Mar 22 We Banjo 3 The Egg Albany 8 PM $34 Mar 23 Traditional Irish Session Kitty Hoynes Pub Syracuse 2-5 PM Free Mar 23 We Banjo 3 Munson Williams Utica 7:30 PM $31.50; $26.50 mbrs Mar 24 Blarney Rebel Band Coleman’s Irish Pub Syracuse 4-7 PM Free Mar 24 Donal O’Shaughnessey Celtic Harp Utica 1-5 PM Free Mar 26 Celtic Woman Rochester Aud Rochester 7 PM $42-$153 Mar 29 Jim Malcolm Brae Loch Cazenovia 7 PM $25 ($20 in advance) Mar 29 Enter the Haggis Buffalo Iron Works Buffalo 9 PM $15 Mar 30 Blarney Rebel Band Back Nine Lee, NY 9 PM Free Mar 30 The Mighty Craic Rome Art & Comm Ctr Rome 2-4 PM Free Mar 30 Celtic Woman Palace Theater Albany 7:30 PM $42-$153 Mar 30 Tannahill Weavers Old Songs series Voorheesville, NY 7:30 PM $25; $12 youth, $5 child Mar 31 Blarney Rebel Band Celtic Harp Utica 1-5 PM Free Mar 31 St. Baldrick’s Day Kitty Hoynes Pub Syracuse 10:30 AM donations Mar 31 Flyin’ Column Coleman’s Irish Pub Syracuse 4-7 PM Free

If you have anything you want to share with us, feel free to send it to ([email protected] or [email protected]), and we’ll be happy to include it. As always, while we strive to make our newsletter the best Irish Cultural Events newsletter in the world, we sometimes make mistakes... however, if you point one out to me this hectic month, I am likely to take a blackthorn club to your pate. Have a fun, safe, sane and reverent St. Patrick’s Day! Oh, on March 10th, set your clock one hour bac... forw...different from what it is now. Or leave it as is.

Mohawk Valley Irish Cultural Events - 10

Mohawk Valley Irish Cultural Events - 11