What's Going On

Milwaukee Museum Hosts Irish, Scottish Dancers

Milwaukee, Wis.—Celebrate St. Patrick's Day a little early this year by sampling food and dance from the Emerald Isle and meeting St. Patrick, the Irish patron saint, during Irish American Celebration at the Milwaukee Public Museum, Sunday and Monday, March 2-3.

Irish dance will be performed in traditional regalia by the Glencastle Irish Dancers, a Milwaukee-based dance troupe, at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, March 2. Ceili dance workshops—noon, 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Sunday, March 2—will offer audiences the chance to try several basic Irish dance steps.

The Caledonia Dancers will perform Scottish dance 10:30 a.m. Monday, March 3. Reservations are required for Monday’s program—call (414) 278-2728.

Activities are 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, March 2; and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday, March 3, and are free with Museum admission. Admission: adults (18-59), $6.75; seniors (60+), $5.50; children (3-17), $4.50. Admission is free to Milwaukee County residents every Monday. For more information, call (414) 278-2702.

Other activities for the two-day celebration include:

• Meet St. Patrick and learn the story of how he drove the snakes out of Ireland. Local actor James Keane will portray St. Patrick. (11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, March 2)
• See a straw-weaving demonstration and make your own Celtic craft in hands-on activities. (11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, March 2)
• Taste soda bread—one of Ireland’s signature dishes—during bread-making demonstrations. (12:30, 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 2)
•  Peer inside the Irish Cottage in the "European Village" with Muriel Crowley of the Shamrock Club of Wisconsin. (10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday, March 3)
•  Hear Irish harp playing (10 a.m.) and traditional Irish storytelling (11:30 a.m.) on Monday, March 3.

Activities are coordinated in partnership with the Shamrock Club of Wisconsin.

Boyle to Read at Thurber House

Thurber House continues its 18th "Evenings with Authors" series with T.C. Boyle at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4, at the Canzani Center of the Columbus College of Art and Design.

Called "one of the most innovative and verbally exuberant writers of his generation" by The New York Times and "America's most imaginative contemporary novelist" by Newsweek magazine, Boyle has eight novels and six short story collections to his credit. He will read from his latest, Drop City, about a 1970s California commune that relocates to Alaska - the last frontier.

The novel has been described as a brilliant and vividly rendered tale of ordinary people in the throes of idealism, passion and sub-Artic temperatures. Boyle will take questions from the audience after the reading.

Boyle has won the Pen/Faulkner Award and the Prix Medicis Etranger, as well as three O. Henry awards for short fiction. His work regularly appears in magazines such as The New Yorker, Esquire and Playboy. He teaches creative writing at the University of Southern California and lives outside Santa Barbara with his wife and three children. 
 

WHAT:	"Evenings with Authors" reading featuring T.C. Boyle
WHEN:	7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 4, 2003
WHERE:	Southeast corner of Cleveland Avenue and East Gay Street
COST:	Tickets are $13 purchased ahead, $15 at the door, with a $2 discount for students and seniors. To  purchase tickets, call 614-464-1032 or visit www.thurberhouse.org
PARKING:	Free after 6 p.m. in the lots and at the meters around the Canzani Center

 Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Thurber House (author IJames Thurber's home during his college years) is a literary center, book store, and museum of Thurber materials. With the Thurber Center, an adjacent conference and classroom facility, Thurber House's programs include writing classes, author readings, Thurber celebrations, events for children, and gallery exhibitions.

Thurber House is supported by the Greater Columbus Arts Council, the Ohio Arts Council, and the Columbus Foundation.

'Gorm's Cup' at 'Fiestivale'

A Gorm's Cup concert benefiting the students and educational enrichment of Eisenhower International School, a Tulsa Public elementary school, is set for Friday, March 7. Doors open at 6 p.m. at The Greenwood Cultural Center, 322 N Greenwood, Tulsa, Okla. Adult Admission is $30 for "General" donation and for $45 a Patron."

Gorm's Cup is made up of Eric Ryan-Johnson fiddle, bouzouki and vocals; Rob Monhollonon didgeridoo and fiddle; Elise Monhollon, mountain dulcimer and vocals; and Josh Massad traditional percussion

For more info in Fiestivale, contact: Michelle Reid (MDmdm5@aol.com), 918.742.2604. 
For ticket info, contact Sharon Gould at 918.743.1536.

Minnesota
March 12 Curtis & Loretta— Cedar Cultural Cente, Minneapolis — 612-338-2674
March 15 — [St JOSEPH] — Kathy Mattea — Benedicta Arts 8 pm
March 16 — [OAK CENTER] — Curtis & Loretta Oak Ctr General Store — (2pm)
— 507-753-2080
March 17 —[MINNEAPOLIS] Boiled in Lead — 1st Avenue
March 21 — [ROCHESTER] Dervish — Mayo Civic Center — 507—285-8076
March 22 — [MINNEAPOLIS] —Dervish — Cedar Cultural Center —
612-338-2674

Illinois
March 6 — [BERWYN] — Danu —FitzGerald's — 708/788-2118
March 7 — [WESTERN SPRINGS] — Curtis & Loretta —Thomas Ford Mem.
Library — 708/246-0520
March 8 — [Joliet] — Curtis & Loretta —Universal Blend Coffeehouse —
815/436-7428
March 15 — [CHICAGO] —Lunasa— Old Town School — 773/728-6000
March 16 — [SPRINGFIELD] —Lunasa — Sangamon St. University PAC
March 21 — [PARK FOREST] — Cherish the Ladies — Freedom Hall N. Manilow
Theater — 708/747-0580

Iowa
March 7 — [CEDAR RAPIDS] — Danu —Mount Mercy College — 319/363-8213

Michigan
March 5 — [TAYLOR] — Gerard Smith — Little Dublin Sports Pub —
 313/278-5340
March 7 — Garnet Rogers McManigal's Pub/Manistee
March 8 — Garnet Rogers Union St. Station/Traverse City 231/941-1930
March 8 — Old Blind Dogs Hannah Community Ctr/E. Lansing Creole Gallery/Lansing
 517/487-9549
March 12 — [TAYLOR] — Gerard Smith — Little Dublin Sports Pub —
 313/278-5340
March 14-15 Gerard Smith Cowley's Irish Tavern/Farmington (w/The Jar)
 248/474-5941; Pierre Bensusan 1st United Meth./Ferndale 248/646-4030
March 16-17 Len Wallace Detroit Irish Amer. Club/Detroit
March 17 — [TAYLOR] — Gerard Smith — Little Dublin Sports Pub —
 313/278-5340
March 19 — [TAYLOR] — Gerard Smith — Little Dublin Sports Pub —
 313/278-5340
March 20 — Len Wallace Conor O'Neill's/Ann Arbor (w/The Diggers)
 March 21 — Garnet Rogers Kraftbrau Brewery/Kalamazoo 616/384-0288
March 21 — Gerard Smith Friendly Sons of St. Patrick/Warren 586/758-7602
March 22 — Phil Cooper & Marchgaret Nelson, ??/Marchquette (Phil w/Susan Urban)
 630/584-1262
March 26 — [TAYLOR] — Gerard Smith — Little Dublin Sports Pub —
 313/278-5340
March 27— Dervish Dennos Museum/Traverse City 231/995-1553
March 28 — Dervish Opera House/Cheboygan 231/627-5841
March 29 — Dervish Midland Ctr for the Arts/Midland 231/523-7649
March 29 — Gerard Smith Dick O'Dow's Irish Pub/Birmingham (w/The Bowzies)
 248/642-1135
March 29 — Len Wallace Dick O. Dow's Pub/Birmingham (w/Gerard Smith)

April 2 — [TAYLOR] — Gerard Smith — Little Dublin Sports Pub —313/278-5340
April 10 — [MarchSHALL]— Dougie MacLean - Marchshall Civic Ctr 
April 17 Garnet Rogers The Ark/Ann Arbor 734/761-1451 04/18 Gerard Smith
 Friendly Sons of St. Patrick/Warren 586/758-7602; Gerard Smith Dick O'Dow's Irish Pub/Birmingham (w/The Bowzies) 248/642-1135

 April 30 Gerard Smith Little Dublin Sports Pub/Taylor 313/278-5340

Cetlic Women International First Friday Lectures Begin March 7

Lectures for Celtic Women Interanational are held at the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, 2133 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee from 5:30- 7 pm on the "First Fridays." Admission is $5 per person.

Friday March 7: 
"A CELTIC WOMAN'S MISSION TO BOSNIA" wit h Jeanne McCue.

Jeanne McCue is a nurse, humanitarian, the first Irish Rose of the Shamrock Club, and the recent recipient of the 2003 Humanitarian Award from the Milwaukee Academy of Medicine. She has provided aid to refugee camps, orphanages and home hospices in Croatia and Bosnia. She will soon be making her 24th mission, carrying medical supplies, teddy bears, yarn, seeds and supplies, which she has collected by the ton since the beginning of the Balkan War in 1992. McCue works as a registered nurse at Froedert Hospital. Her story is riveting and inspirational, one you will not want to miss.

ADDITIONAL MARCH 7th: 
After the Jeanne McCue lecture, enjoy wine and cheese as you examine the new photographic exhibit at the ICHC called "From Clare to Here", a showing mounted by local photographer Mary June Hanrahan who will be present. People and Places in Co. Clare, Ireland.

Friday April 4: 
"A TAPESTRY OF SCOTTISH COSTUMES" with Meribeth Waldrop

Meribeth Waldrop is the founder of the Caledonian Scottish Dancers;
certified teacher of Scottish Dance; named Scot of the Year by the
Caledonian Society; Founders Award from St. Andrews Society of Wisconsin;
ex-bagpiper. Meribeth will review, explain and demonstrate various
costumes worn by Scottish dancers in the local scene. She works at the
International Institute of Wisconsin, and chairs the Highland Games Dance
competitions.

Friday May 2:
"THE WILD IRISH GIRLS: 19th CENTURY IRISH WOMEN NOVELISTS: with Nancy Walczyk

Dr. Walczyk is associate director of the UWM Center for Celtic Studies; senior lecturer in English; specializes in literature in theIrish language, and distance education in Celtic Studies.
She will discuss these writers: Maria Edgeworth, Sydney Ownson (Lady Morgan) and Somerville & Ross. Nancy was one of the very first presenters in the First Friday Lecture Series in 1997, telling about "Erin's Daughters in America". She is a long-time coordinator for the Irish Fest Cultural area, and in her spare time, an accomplished harpist.

An Evening of Comedy and Entertainment with Bill Cullen

The Irish American Heritage Center is sponsoring an Irish Evening of Comedy and Entertainment with Bill Cullen and Friends at 8 p.m., Saturday, March 8. The Center is located at 4626 N. Knox Avenue in Chicago.

Bill Cullen is the author of It's a Long Way from Penny Apples, a best-seller in Ireland now being released in the United States. It is the heart-warming, humorous autobiography of one of the richest self-made men in Ireland. Cullen was one of 14 children born to parents who struggled to survive and give their children a better life. 

At the age of 6, Culen sold fruit, flowers and newspaperson the streets of Dublin. He finished school at 13 to sell full-time, then eventually went on to set up his own business, the Fairlane Motor Company, which became the largest Ford dealership in Ireland.

He will be joined on stage by Liam O'Connor on accordion, a tap dancing Coleen Dubh and The Happy Fiddler for a delightful evening of music, dance and stories. Copies of It's a Long Way from Penny Apples will be available for signing by the author.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, please call 773-282-7035.

Shanty Songs for St. Pat's

The Shanty Sing Out for Monday, March 10, features Irish sea songs for St. Patrick's Day. The free show begins at 7 p.m., hosted by folksinger David HB Drake and Pier Wisconsin/ Tallship Denis Sullivan

"Sea Shanty Sing-Out" will be held at Pier Wisconsin (formerly The
Wisconsin Lake Schooner Center) 500 N Harbor Drive (at the corner of East Michigan Ave at the lake). Call 414-276-7700 or 414-702-6053 for information or visit www.davidhbdrake.com

St. Patrick's Day at the Irish American Heritage Center

Join the fun at the Irish American Heritage Center on St. Patrick's Day — Monday, March 17. The Irish American Heritage Center is located at 4626 N. Knox Avenue in Chicago.

There will be Mass in the auditorium at noon. The Fifth Province Pub opens at 12:30 p.m., with live music, Irish dancers and pipers until 11 p.m. Sean O'Donnell, The Shannon Rovers, Th.unty Kerry, Ireland - Tim O'Shea and Gerard Culhane will provide the music .

Corned beef sandwiches will be available for $5, along with a cash bar and beer specials. There is also a $5 cover charge.

For more information, call 773-282-7035, or go to IAHC website at irishamhc.com.

Sociologist Higgins to Talk at St. Thomas

 Dr. Gareth Higgins, a sociologist, scholar and peace activist from Belfast, Northern Ireland, will give a free, public lecture, "Good Beards, Bad Beards: Questions From the Northern Ireland Peace Process
for the War on Terror," at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 19, in the auditorium of the John R. Roach Center for the Liberal Arts at the University of St. Thomas in St Paul.

Higgins is a founder of a Northern Ireland peace initiative, Zero:28, that promotes grassroots participation and cross-community political dialogue. Its name refers to the telephone area code for Northern Ireland — 028 — which represents, according to the group, "one thing that everyone there has in common." Zero:28 hosts workshops, discussion groups, conferences and social and cultural events.

Higgins, who has a doctorate. in sociology from Queen's University Belfast, is co-author with John D. Brewer of Anti-Catholicism in Northern Ireland 1600-1998: The Mote and the Beam (Palgrave Macmillan, 1999). The book examines the socio-economic and political processes that have led to theology's use in defining social stratification in that country.

He also directs a research project that is examining and proposing strategies to deal positively with sectarianism and difference in the Church of Ireland, the Irish branch of the Anglican Church. At Trinity College Dublin he teaches a course on conflict and peace in Northern Ireland at the Irish School of Ecumenics, an academic institute that offers programs in ecumenical studies, international peace studies, reconciliation studies, and conflict and dispute resolution studies, among others.

During Higgins' visit to St. Thomas, he also will speak at the March 18 induction banquet for the Alpha Kappa Delta sociology honor society, give guest lectures in a variety of classes and speak at a dinner hosted by the St. Thomas School of Law.

Higgins' visit is sponsored by the university's Sociology Department, School of Law, Center for Irish Studies, Catholic Studies program, International Education Center, Theology Department, Political Science Department and Alpha Kappa Delta. It is supported by a Distinguished Visitor Grant.

For further information, contact Dr. Lee Smithey in the Sociology Department, (651) 962-5697. 

Irish Rovers on the Road

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, The Boys of Belfast: A Collection Of Irish Favorites is a compilation of some of The Irish Rovers best traditional and contemporary Irish folk songs.

This CD is a companion to Varese Sarabande Records recently issued release The Irish Rovers Collection, (which features their classic hits). The Boys of Belfast: A Collection Of Irish Favorites spotlights more traditional Irish songs mixed with topical songs and lively dance numbers as well as light-hearted courting songs performed only the way The Irish Rovers can.

The Irish Rovers are rapidly approaching their 40th Anniversary as internationally popular musical icons. Their long list of credits includes more than two-dozen albums, as well as their own award-winning variety program on Canadian television.

2003 Tour Schedule

March 6 — Macomb Centre, Macomb, Mich.
March 7 - Port Huron, Mo.
March 8 — Governors State University, University Park, Ill.
March 9 — Prairie Centre, Schaumberg, Ill.
March 14 — American Music Theatre, Lancaster, Pa.
March 15 — Union County Arts Centre, Rahway, N.J.
March 16 — Paramount Theatre Rutland, Vt.
March 17 — Turning Stone Casino, Verona, N.Y.
March 20 — Cal State, Sacramento, Cal.
March 21 — Lancaster Perf. Arts Centre, Lancaster, Cal.
March 22 — Torrance Perf. Arts Centre, Torrance, Cal.
March 28 — Columbia Theatre, Longview, Wash.
March 29 — Admiral Theatre, Bremerton, Wash.

Malachy McCourt to Speak at Thurber Center, March 24

Thurber House is proud to present best-selling author and actor Malachy McCourt in a special book-reading and breakfast at 8 a.m. Monday, March 24, at Thurber Center, 91 Jefferson Ave., Columbus, Ohio.

McCourt will read from his latest book Voices of Ireland: Classic Writings of a Rich and Rare Land, a collection of enduring works by Ireland's best writers, including Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde and James Joyce, while event-goers enjoy a breakfast of traditional Irish treats. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased by calling 614-464-1032 or by visiting www.thurberhouse.org. Reservations must be made by Thursday, March 20.

The breakfast is the second piece of a two-part collaboration between Thurber House and the Columbus Metropolitan Library's Friends of the Library. McCourt will discuss Voices of Ireland at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 23 in the Talla 1 Room of the Dublin Recreation Center, 5600 Post Road. Seating is limited for the free March 23 reading; to make reservations, call 614-645-2930.

McCourt was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Limerick, Ireland. He returned to the U.S. in 1952, working as a longshoreman, dishwasher and laborer before becoming a radio show host, actor and author. McCourt's books include the bestselling A Monk Swimming: a Memoir and Danny Boy: the Beloved Irish Ballad. His play A Couple of Blaguards, which he co-wrote with brother Frank McCourt, has been produced across the United States, in Australia and in the United Kingdom.

As an actor, McCourt has appeared in plays such as The Hostage and Inherit the Wind and in television shows such as Oz, the Tonight Show with Jack Paar and Merv Griffin and the soap opera One Life To Live. On screen, he can be seen in movies such as She's The One, The Devil's Own and Reversal of Fortune.

WHO: Malachy McCourt
WHAT: Book-reading and breakfast
WHEN: Monday, March 24, 2003 at 8 a.m.
WHERE: Thurber Center, 91 Jefferson Ave.
COST: Tickets are $12, including breakfast, and can be purchased by calling 614- 464-1032 or by visiting www.thurberhouse.org. Reservations must be made by Thursday, March 20. 
PARKING: Meters along Jefferson Avenue

Thurber House is supported by the Greater Columbus Arts Council, the Ohio Arts Council, and the Columbus Foundation.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Thurber House (James Thurber's home during his college years) is a literary center, book store, and museum of Thurber materials. With the Thurber Center, an adjacent contemporary conference and classroom facility, Thurber House's programs include writing classes, author readings, Thurber celebrations, events for children, and gallery exhibitions.
 

Drama Critics' Award-Winning McKay Play to Sheboygan

Winner of the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play, Sea Marks by Gardner McKay comes to Sheboygan in a LIVE! series event at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 28,. This performance is a production of Milwaukee's Sunset Playhouse and was voted one of Milwaukee's top ten most compelling theatre pieces by The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. To purchase tickets, call the Arts Center at 920-458-6144.

Sea Marks is the touching story of Colm, a fisherman living on a remote Irish island who has fallen in love with Timothea. From Liverpool, Timothea spoke briefly with Colm at a wedding on the island; shortly thereafter, Colm initiates what soon develops into a lively correspondence and a bittersweet romance. Directed by Michael Duncan, the esteemed producing director of Sunset Playhouse, and featuring David Ferrie and Mary B. Kababik, "Sea Marks is an engrossing story*[it] glides on the lyrical prose we have come to expect from the Irish*Dramatist McKay seduces us just as Colm captivates Timothea. He writes with Celtic honey" (Damien Jaques, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).

Tickets are $11 for the public, $9 for JMKAC members and students through age 21. Call the Arts Center at 920-458-6144 to purchase tickets to this award-winning production. As always, the Arts Center's Carriage House Café is open before all performances, serving refreshments, lunch, and dinner.

Milwaukee's much-loved Celtic band, Ceol Cairde, returns to JMKAC for a Friday, May 2, LIVE! series performance, beginning at 7:30 p.m. With an explosion of traditional Irish music on fiddle, tin whistle, mandolin, hammered dulcimer, and bodhran and joined by Irish step dancers, the band provides toe-tapping rhythms for authentic Irish jigs, reels, slip jigs, and hornpipes of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

John Michael Kohler Arts Cente is a 35-year-old, nationally acclaimed visual and performing arts complex in downtown Sheboygan, JMKAC is devoted to innovative explorations in contemporary American art. Its exhibitions focus on a wide range of art forms, with particular emphasis on sculpture, photography, crafts, new genres, installation art, ongoing folk traditions, and the work of self-taught artists.

The performing arts emphasize dance, music, and theatre performances from around the world.  Programming also includes a renowned Arts/Industry residency program, classes andspecial events. With the completion of its expansion, the new 100,000-square-foot Arts Center comprises ten galleries, an intimate theatre, a flexible interdisciplinary performance space, studio-classrooms, meeting spaces, Flying Colors shop, and Carriage House Café.

The Arts Center also has two adjunct sites: Artspace, an exhibition space and shop in the Shops at Woodlake in Kohler Village, and Artspace II, a shop at the new Eisner Museum of Advertising and Design on the corner of North Water and Chicago Streets in the Historic Third Ward district of Milwaukee. Call 920-458-6144 for additional information, or visit the Arts Center's website, www.jmkac.org.
 

Keelaghan Peforms in Madison, March 29

Canadian Folksinger/songwriter James Keelaghan comes to Madison, Wis., for a performance at 7 p.m., Saturday, March 29 at the First Unitarian Church, 900 University Bay Dr. The concert is sponsored by the Madison Folk Music Society. Tickets are $13 in advance and $15 on the day of the show.