Black 47 Concet Dates 

For more information, go to schedule at www.black47.com

May 1 Fairfield College, Fairfield, CT
May 7 Beachcomber Quincy. MA 797 Quincy Shore Drive 617-479-8989
May 8 Celebration of Celts Chatham, NY Columbia County Fairgrounds, Route 66 518-851-9670
May 14`Funky Ceili Weekend, Nevele Grande, Ellenville, NY 800-647-6000
May 15 Funky Ceili Weekend, Nevele Grande, Ellenville, NY 800-647-6000
May 28 Blackthorn Resort East Durham, NY 348 Sunside Rd 518-634-2541
May 29 Irish Festival East Durham, NY Route 145 800-434-FEST
May 29 Blackthorn Resort East Durham, NY 348 Sunside Rd 12 AM
May 30 Gaelic Park Irish Festival, Oak Lawn, Chicago, IL
May 31 Gaelic Park Irish Festival, Oak, Lawn, Chicago, IL
June/July American Fleadh
July 15 Irish Festival Port Jefferson, NY Route 112 631-331-3235
July 16 Moonlit Nights Festival, Mont Clair, NJ 973-746-8311
July 17 Ocean Mist, RI
July 24 Glastonbury Irish Festival, Glastonbury, CT. 860-643-2597

Center for Celtic Studies Celbrates Summer’s Eve Events in Milwaukee

Thugamar fein an Samhradh linn! May was a time of great celebration to welcome the summer. Girls rose early to bathe in the May morning dew, which was held to have curative and beauty properties. Young people danced through bonfires. This was the start of the summer farming jobs. Cattle were turned out to pasture, and from now on would be milked outside. Sheep were moved to higher ground, labourers would be hired and land rented. May Day is a Celtic quarter day.
We’re celebrating Maytime with a number of very special cultural events and we hope you’ll join us for some or all of them. All are free and open to the public.

Tuesday, April 20 ~ Noted artist Brian Kennedy from Belfast will give an illustrated lecture on contemporary Irish art at the Irish Cultural Heritage Center (ICHC) at 7 p.m. This is one of many talks given through the ICHC’s distinguished lecture series.

Wednesday, April 21 ~ Come join us to celebrate the launching of two wonderful new Irish books by local authors: CCS’s very own Ruth Schwertfeger and Irish American Post editor Marty Hintz. Belfast-born Ruth Schwertfeger recalls her girlhood in The Wee Wild One: Stories of Belfast and Beyond. Ruth will read from and sign copies of her book just published by the University of Wisconsin Press. Marty will sign copies of his book Irish Milwaukee (Arcadia Press) The event takes place at 3:00 pm at the Golda Meir Library 4th floor.

Friday, May 7 ~ The occupant of this year's Liddy Chair will be Mike Begnal a noted and exciting young poet currently writing in both Irish and English. His poetry and criticism have been published
in numerous journals such as Poetry Ireland Review, Translation Ireland, Poetry Wales, Poetry Scotland, Poetry Cornwall, The Blue Canary, Comhar, and numerous others. His first collection, The Lakes of Coma, was published by Six Gallery Press (Ohio) in 2003. 
The Liddy chair ,which honors Milwaukee's resident Irish poet and U.W.M professor, James Liddy, is sponsored by I.C.H.C. cultural arts committee, U.W.M. center for Celtic studies and an anonymous donor. The reading takes place in parlour A, Friday May 7, following the Celtic women lecture and is free and open to thepublic.

Tuesday, May 11 ~ Musician, historian and Irish radio producer Peter Browne will give a musical lecture on the origins, history and styles of pipe playing, from European bagpipes to Irish Uillean pipes. He will also discuss and demonstrate the manufacture and playing of the pipes. This will be held at the ICHC at 7 p.m.

Friday, May 14 ~ Ceiliuradh Teastais! Come help us honor our 2004 certificate recipients. Reception 6:30pm. Introduction 7 p.m. A Concert with the legendary folk singer/songwriter Andy Irvine at 7:30 p.m. One of the great godfathers of the Celtic folk movement Andy has been an influential member of such bands as Planxty, The Bothy Band and Patrick Street. We’re delighted he can join us on one of his rare visits to Wisconsin. The event takes place at the Hefter center (3271 N. Lake Dr.). This event is free and open to the public. (Scholarship donations accepted but not required) 
For further information on the above events, call John Gleeson at 414-229-2608

Fitchburg Days Celebrate Ireland, May 21-23 
The residents of Fitchburg, Wis., bring a little Irish flavor to the ordinary hometown festival with their annual Fitchburg Days. Dane County’s only Irish festival begins on Friday night with a grand fireworks display followed by the music of Competition, featuring Little Vito. Wake up Saturday with the Prairie Run—a 10K run, 5K run or two-mile walk. Then the green really starts flowing during the Irish festival. In the cultural tent, festivalgoers can learn a little Irish language, calligraphy and archaeology and even learn to play the harp. 
To prepare for the afternoon’s live entertainment, join in on the ceili, where you’ll learn traditional Irish dances. Then be ready to party Irish-style with Navan—a group that sings a cappella in Gaelic languages—Bohola, The Kissers and finally The Saw Doctors, straight from Ireland. Also, vendors are on hand selling Irish goods. During the whole weekend, enjoy the carnival, food and children’s activities. McKee Farms Park, Fitchburg. 
For more information, call (608) 274-6529 or visit www.fitchburgdays.com. 

Shamrock Club of Wisconsin calendar roundup:

Milwaukee:
May 1 — Leahy's Luck — House of Guinness — 9:30 pm
May 2 — Barry Dodd — County Clare — 5 pm
May 2 — John Renbourn and Jacqui Sheehy - shank Hall — 8 pm
May 3 — Irish Genealogical Society of Wisconsin Monthly Meeting — Shorewood Library — 7 pm — free
May 3 — Emerald Society Monthly meeting — 7:30 pm — Derry's Pub
May 4 — Elegant Gypsies — The Pub in Oconomowoc — 8 pm
May 4 — Mary Higgins Clark — Pfister Hotel Grand Ballroom — 11 am — Proceeds to Friends of Milwaukee Public Library
May 4 — Irish Fest General Meeting — 7 pm — Irish Fest Center
May 5 — Trinity Irish Dance — Wilson Performing Arts Center — 8 pm
May 6 — Shamrock Club monthly meeting and yearly elections — Elections at 6 pm — meeting at 7 pm — ICHC — Poet James Liddy
May 6 — Barry Dodd, Denise Hogan and Kim Seigel — County Clare — 10 pm
May 7 — Frogwater — Milwaukee Ale House — 5:30 pm
May 7 — Sean McRactagen — Irish Cottage — 8 pm
May 7 — Reilly — House of Guinness — 9:30 pm
May 8 — Sigmund Snopek and Angel Breath — House of Guinness — 9:30 pm
May 7 — ICHC Noted Speakers Program — Liddy Chair Lecture — Mike Begnal — ICHC — 7 pm
May 7 — Reilly — House of Guinness - 9:30 pm
May 7 — O'Shytte's — Bremen Cafe — 9 pm
May 7 — Celtic Women Monthly Lecture — Wisconsin Highland Games — Speaker: Connie Young of Clan Young — ICHC — 5:30 pm
May 7 — ICHC First Friday Ceili — RiRa — 7:30 pm
May 8 — Not Too Serious — The Pub in Oconomowoc — 8 pm
May 8 — McTavish — Bremen Cafe — 9pm

Wisconsin:
May 1-2 — [LAKE RENDEVOUS] — Three Pints Gone — Bloody Lake Rendezvous
May 1 — [GREEN BAY] — Poor Man's Labour — St Brendan's — 10 pm
May 2 — [DARLINGTON] — Layfayette County Shamrock Club — location to be announced May 6 — [NEENAH] — John Nicholson and Lil' Rev — Cranky Pat's — 9 pm
May 7 — [LA CROSSE] — The Kissers — Nighthawk's Tap — 10 pm
May 7-8 — [MIDDLETON] — A Village Fable — 7:30 pm, Middleton High School Performing Arts Center — $5 — 608-836-7683. — MHS students will perform this play at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Scotland, in August
May 8 — [MADISON] — Celia Farran — Electric Earth Café, 546 W. Washington Ave — 8 pm — (608) 255-2310
May 8 — [ALGOMA] — DAvid HB Drake — Schooner Songbag — Kewaunee Historical Society — 1 pm
May 8 — [EAU CLAIRE] — The Kissers — Stones Throw — 9:30 pm
May 10 — [MADISON] — The Kissers — Come celebrate the first Monday night at the High Noon as The Kissers pay tribute to owner Cathy Dethmers who gave them a weekly gig at the old O'Cayz Corral 9 pm
May 13 — [NEENAH] — Sheamus Fitzpatrick and the McNally Boys — Cranky Pat's — 8 pm
May 15 — [AMHERST JUNCTION] — David Francey — Rising Mill
May 14 — [DUBUQUE] — Pogue Mahone — The Busted Lift — 9 pm
May 15 — [GREEN BAY] — Blarney — St Brendan's — 10 pm
May 16 — [BARABOO] — South Central Shamrock Club Membership Meeting with elections
May 16 — [KAUKAUNA] — 22nd Annual Nature's Images Art Fair — 1000 Islands Environmental Center — Irish music, artists — 10 am-4 pm — 1000 Beaulieu Ct. — 920-766-4733 — E-mail: thousandisland@new.rr.com
May 18-23 — [GREEN BAY] — Riverdance — Weidner Center
May 18 — [JANESVILLE] — Rock County Shamrock Club Regular Membership Meeting — 7 pm — Janesville Senior Center
May 21-23 — [SISTER BAY] — Heartwood, Karen Ashbrook and Paul Oorts — Dulcimer workshops — Celtic Cafe in Door County Wisconsin — Contact Theresa Evans at ptevans@dcwis.com