Out & About

Donal Dennehy the owner of Mister Dennehy's  (63 Carmine Street in Greenwich Village) had a surprise 50th birthday party for his wife Lillian on Saturday night and from all accounts she was very surprised. Happy Birthday Lillian from all the staff at The Irish Examiner newspaper!

Hot off the press I heard that Christine Quinn the Speaker of the New York City Council might be attending the 'Failte 32' job networking event and the launch of the new 'Failte 32' website on Monday June 7th at O'Casey's (41st Street between Madison and 5th Avenues) at 7pm. We'll keep you posted as this will get a lot of attention from the national and international  press covering what can be done to help visa holders from Ireland who are seeking work for the summer and beyond.

My good friend Orla Kelleher sent in this announcement a little bit late for last week's paper, so I said I would put it in this week's Out & About as I am told it was a great success: The  Aisling Irish Community Center (990 McLean Ave in Yonkers; Tel: (914) 237-5121  Fax: (914) 237-1723; www.aislingcenter.org) had its 7th Annual Sponsored Walk/Fun Run in aid of the Aisling Irish Community Center and hosted by The Rambling House (4292 Katonah Ave., Bronx) last Sunday. Apparently they are still open for more donations whether you did run or not, so give them a call as this is a very worthy cause believe me! Good on you Orla.

I was told NBC Late Night Talk Show host Jimmy Fallon told a joke about 'Failte 32.' It was along the lines of: "So did you hear about the Irish pub here in New York that has donated its second floor to create a job center for Irish immigrants? Unfortunately no one made it past the bar on the first floor but it was a nice gesture!" Now you can see that it's getting their attention right?

The Irish Repertory Theater (132 West 22nd Street; (212) 727-2737) have done it again with another hit show, Sebastian Barry's  'White Woman Street' directed by Charlotte Moore that started running on May 7th and is scheduled to continue through June 27th.

The story takes place in Ohio back in 1916. Five outlaws led by Irish expatriate, Trooper O'Hara, converge on the town of White Woman Street. Haunted by dark memories of a long ago visit, O'Hara leads his rag-tag gang into the town - and into the brothel, wherein he must face his demons. Against a poetic narrative of Irish and American history, Sebastian Barry weaves a searing tale that evokes a time of change and personal displacement. Stories are told, songs are sung, wild boars are shot and eaten, and a train filled with gold is approaching fast... I am not going to tell you anymore so go and see it!

Don't forget that from Friday, May 21st to Sunday, May 23rd at the Donaghy Theatre at the Irish Arts Center (553 West 51st Street) you can catch 'A Terrible Beauty.'

This is a moving and engaging one-hour performance of literature and music, based on Peter Behrens' novel 'The Law of Dreams', winner of the 2006 Governor General's Literary Award for fiction, with music by Grammy Award-winning composer Paul Sullivan. 

Peter Behrens' novel tells the story of a young man's Homeric passage from innocence to experience during the Irish Famine of 1847.

In 'A Terrible Beauty', an actor brings to life scenes from the book, accompanied by emigrant ballads and songs inspired by the text, woven together with Behrens' narration, against the backdrop of striking visual imagery inspired by the famine.  Paul Sullivan has been featured with the Paul Winter Consort, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Boston Pops, as well as Benny Goodman and other jazz masters. His thirteen albums have sold over 300,000 copies worldwide. 

There are also special performances: On Friday night you can stay after the opening performance for an intimate conversation with Peter Quinn in conversation with author Peter Behrens. On Saturday night there'll be a reception featuring guest speaker Professor Joe Lee of Glucksman Ireland House NYU, Irish scholar and Famine historian, in the Irish Arts Center gallery following the evening's performance.

A few tickets still remain so you'll have to be quick.  Admission is $28; to buy tickets call (212) 868-4444. 

The Screaming Orphans are playing at Tir Na Nog (tirnanogirishpub.com; 8th Avenue and 33rd Street; (212) 630-0249) on Saturday May 22nd.

Before I finish off this column please do not forget to get your tickets for The Kruise for Kids: Project Children's 19th Annual Hudson River Dinner Dance and Concert Cruise. Now what more would you want with a full open bar, hot and cold buffet dinner and dessert, all for only $110. To buy tickets go to murphguide.com or call (212) 717-9955.

See you all next week!