NEW YORK IRISH CENTER NEWSLETTER
  718-482-0909 - 1040 JACKSON AVE QUEENS - NYIRISH.ORG
SUMMER 2010
Just One Stop From Grand Central on the #7 Train!
Dear Friend:
Welcome to our latest update. We hope you are enjoying your summer, and that you are taking some time to relax.   Read on to find out just some of the things we've been up to lately , and learn about upcoming events once autumn arrives.  Perhaps you, or your child, would like to enroll in one of our regular activities in September - please review our schedule here.  Looking forward to seeing you here at the Center in the months ahead.  

Yours,
Paul Finnegan
Executive Director.

RECENT HAPPENINGS
This past weekend (August 14-15) we hosted an exhibition of fine art and photography:Emerging Artists of NYC , where quality works by numerous local artists were on display.
ArdNaG-Cast In June we welcomed back Ardnaglass On The Air for another rousing weekend of comedy. Written by Jimmy Kerr and directed by Geraldine Hughes, the success of Ardnaglass at the New York Irish Center has propelled it into the upcoming First Irish Theatre Festival. Congratulations to the wonderful cast, crew and producers of Ardnaglass!

The New York Irish Center's Fifth Annual Dinner Dance, held at Terrace On The Park in Queens on Friday night May 21st was a great party and an unqualified success, attended by 800 Center supporters and raising significant funding for the Center's mission.  Our thanks to the Honorees, Maurice Regan and Mark Fox,  and to the Dinner Dance Committee for making Friday May 21st a night to remember.>>MORE<<

 

We've put together a short video of what the New York Irish Center is all about. You can view it on our website homepage or directly on YouTube.  Take a look - you'll enjoy it!

 


What else has been going on? In June, we had a joint reading with authors Colin Broderick and Black 47's Larry Kirwan .  In May, we had a presentation of Belfast mural art by Gerard Mochara Kelly.  Also that month, we had the pleasure of renowned Gaelic scholar Art Hughes, while in April Prof. Joe Lee of NYU's School of Irish Studies gave a thought-provoking lecture on the iconic De Valera.
SOME UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTIVITES
What's Next? When?
Our classes in Irish dancing, language, and music get started again!>Learn More.<
September


One of Ireland's most distinctive and truly unique singer songwriters, we are proud to present for one night only, Luka Bloom.  As part of his 2010 Fall U.S.Tour, Luka will grace our stage on Tuesday the 5th, and no doubt provide us with a memorable night's entertainment. For more information, samples of his music and reviews of his recent performances visit Luka Bloom's website.


Acclaimed singer/songwriter Ashley Davis will be with us on the evening of Friday the 22nd.  Raised on the plains of Kansas, she is a musician whose songs are as much a product of the natural beauty found in her childhood environment, as they are the bluegrass, folk and classic country sounds that surrounded her in her youth. Through her many travels and experiences, a MA from the University of Limerick in Traditional Irish Music, Ashley has grown into a true artist, whose influences live in ancient Celtic lore, and American folk music

If you missed the June event at Holy Trinity in Manhattan, you'll have another chance to come celebrate Fr. Colm Campbell's Golden Jubilee as a priest, at the Center on the 3rd.

The Cill Cais Players will be here on the 24th to perform two one-act plays: In the Shadow of the Glen by Synge, and Peggy O'Reilly's Purse by Seamus Burke.

October
We welcome the return of Aisling Arts to the Center, with their new play Wake; written by Pulitzer Prize nominee Bryn Mannion.  "From Ireland to Newfoundland, from New Bedford to New York, WAKE follows three generations of an Irish American family as the children try to excavate their parents’ stories and come to a truer sense of their family’s history."  The play's run will start on October 28th and continue through Mid-November November
 I'll Live Til I Die: From Ireland, a retrospective of the famous Irish performer Delia Murphy on the 3rd.
December

 Stay tuned to our website for further details of these events and others in the months ahead.

COMMUNITY PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Niall O'Leary - School of Irish Dance.
The first in a series of brief articles, where we highlight one of our many committed partners in our mission of helping our community connect to Irish culture and Irish heritage in New York.
Each Monday afternoon, the staff and volunteers at the New York Irish Center get to work rolling out a special vinyl floor in our Main Hall.  It is in preparation for four hours of Irish Dancing classes later that  evening, ranging from beginner lessons for very young children at 6pm, to seasoned athletic Feis competitors in the later classes at 8pm.  Since qualifying as an Irish dance instructor in Dublin in 1994, Niall has been at the forefront of spreading the great traditions of Irish dancing all over the world.  He is also a talented trad musician, and is no stranger to the accordion, keyboards and spoons.  And on top of everything else, he maintains a practice as an architect, and is currently serving as president of the Irish Business Organization of New York! Learn all about Niall and the classes he offers on his website.      
ABOUT THE NEW YORK IRISH CENTER
With its typically Irish Céad Míle Fáile (one hundred thousand welcomes) the New York Irish Center is a home to all who wish to connect to the Irish and Irish American community in the New York Tri-State area.  Located in a beautiful East River waterfront neighborhood, just one stop on the subway from Grand Central, right at the exit of the Midtown tunnel in Queens, the Center offers a wide range of cultural program for all ages, among them Irish language, dance and music classes, céilís (Irish dances), and a Wednesday Senior Lunch and Social Club, to name just a few activities.  You can review the current schedule here. The Center also serves as a regular meeting place for many Irish organizations in the region, making it a focal point for the community. The New York Irish Center is an initiative of the Irish immigrant and Irish American communities of New York. It is a tremendous example of 'giving back' and sharing, the very spirit that has made the New York Irish strong for generations.

boardGraphic
SPREAD THE WORD

If you know of anyone that you think should be receiving news and updates from the New York Irish Center, please forward this email to them, advising them
to click on this link to sign up.
 

 You're getting this email because you have subscribed to receive regular updates from, or you are an affiliate of, the New York Irish Center