Out & About

We just heard the news that one of Ireland's great Tourism Ambassadors Marie Fullington is retiring after many years of  promoting Ireland in every corner  of the United States. We will all miss you Marie, and all of us here at The Irish Examiner newspaper hope that you enjoy your well-deserved retirement after a wonderful career promoting the island of Ireland.

Tommy Tiernan will return to New York City for two nights only at Comix Comedy Club on Friday September 17th and Saturday September 18th at 8pm and 10:30pm. 

Tickets are $22 in advance or $27 from on Monday September 13th.     

Tickets may be purchased at www.ComixNY.com, by calling the Comix Box Office on (212) 524-2500 or by visiting the Comix Box Office at the club which is located at 353 West 14th Street.

New York-based Irish actress Katherine O'Sullivan casts a spell in the US premiere of Dermot Bolger's haunting one-woman memory play 'The Holy Ground.'

Directed by Don Creedon, "The Holy Ground" runs from September 13th to September 25th at the Manhattan Theatre Source (177 MacDougal Street, in the West Village) as part of the 1st Irish 2010 Festival. 

First produced by the Gate Theatre in Dublin in 1990, it was originally paired with another Bolger play, 'In High Germany.'"

'The Holy Ground' which The Sunday Press of Ireland called "a tour de force... stream of consciousness theatre at its best" plays 14 times on the following dates: Monday to Saturday September 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th at 9pm; Sunday September 19th at 4pm and 9pm; Tuesday to Friday September 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th at 7pm, and Saturday September 25th at 2pm and 7pm. 

Tickets, which are $18 are available from TheaterMania.com, by phone at (212) 352-3101, or online at www.theatermania.com.  For more information visit www.1stirish.org.

Coordinated by the New York-based Origin Theatre Company, 1st Irish 2010 (the 3rd annual edition) runs from September 7th to October 4th, and features plays by 16 mostly contemporary, living Irish playwrights in venues across New York.  The festival concludes on Monday October 4th with an awards ceremony at which the festival's jury will honor the outstanding performances and productions, and a new Audience Choice Award for Best Play will be inaugurated.

On Friday September 10th, The Ancient Order of Hibernians - New York County Board and its related divisions in association with the Friends of the Fighting 69th and the United War Veterans Council are proud to present the World Theatrical Premier of the award winning feature documentary 'Chosin'.

In November and December of 1950, 15,000 US Marines crossed the 38th parallel in an attempt to drive back the Korean Army. They quickly ran into a force comprised of more than 120,000 Chinese soldiers and drove them 78 miles in -30 degree temperature to the Chosin Reservoir where they liberated 98,000 civilian refugees.

The Chosin Reservoir Campaign is taught to every single recruit at boot camp, along with Belleau Wood and Iwo Jima, as one of the seminal battles of the Marine Corps' proud history. 2010 marks the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War and the 60th anniversary of the battle of Chosin Reservoir. This film is a must see for anyone who wishes to garner a better understanding of the Forgotten War, the Korean Conflict.

The United War Veterans Council has dedicated Veterans Day 2010 to all those who served in the US military during the Korean War. They have expressed their pride in being selected to host the World Premier of this incredible film, winner of the 2010 GI Film Festival - Best Feature Documentary.

The film will be shown at the Village East Cinema (on 2nd Avenue at 12th Street) at 6:30pm on Friday September 10th. Immediately following the screening there will be a reception with the filmakers, CPT Brian Inglesius (USMC-ret) and CPT Anton Sattler (USMC-ret), as well as some Chosin Reservoir veterans in the General Duffy Room at the 69th Regiment Armory (25th Street and Lexington Avenue) featuring an open bar and buffet.

Seating is limited. For more information on this event and to view the film trailer please visit www.69thfriends.org. On this site you can also purchase tickets directly with prices starting at $10 for the film only and $40 for the film and the open bar/buffet reception.

Did you go and see Jimmy Smallhorne's 'Resurrection'? The two-hour epic featuring Jimmy's unique comedy and some outstanding musical guests is being staged in a new exciting venue at Punch/Wined Up (913 Broadway, between 20th and 21st Street), an upscale yet casual wine bar that features a 3,000 bottle - one hundred foot-wine wall along with their chef's signature pastas, pizzas, cheeses and charcuterie platters.

Hosts Matt and Patty McDonagh along with their partners Colm McGuckian and Tom Cames are very excited to have Jimmy perform on their new stage and reservations (which are strongly recommended) can be made by calling (212) 673-9333 from 10am to 10pm.

Go and see him as he is hilarious and he gets better all the time!

I almost forgot to tell you that I was at The Post House Restaurant on the Upper East Side for some dinner with Coffeeman Pete Scalley and who did we see sitting just a couple tables from us? Only actor Michael Douglas and his lovely actress  wife  Catherine Zeta Jones... now how about that? Only in New York!

Since I am on about the restaurant, The Post House can be found at 28 East 63rd Street ((212) 935-2888). I very much recommend a visit where General Manager Michael Doyle will welcome you with open arms. The menu is delicious; I should know I had a Filet Mignon... hmmm!

News has just come in that Liam Neeson is to host Shorts Night! as part of the 11th Annual Wee Craic. This is a one-night festival featuring the best of short films tied in with live music. The event is scheduled for September 17that the Tribeca Cinema Lounge (54 Varick Street).

Wee Craic brings the best of short films from local Irish filmmakers and short filmmakers from Ireland under one roof. They will also have live music performances immediately following the short films.

The shorts are selected from a few festivals such a the Galway Film Fleadh, Tribeca Film Festival and Sundance. The shorts films must be have some Irish theme, be shot by local Irish filmmakers, star some Irish actors or have beenshot in Ireland.

The music is focused on solo performances to make the event more intimate and bring film and music lovers under one roof.

In the past they've had such performers as Mundy, Laura Izibor, Mark Geary and Brendan O'Shea to name just a few. This year they have Colin Devlin (from the Devlins) headlining the music portion.

The after party and live music takes place from 8-11pm at the Tribeca Cinema Lounge. The open bar runs from 8-10pm and is sponsored by Stella Artois and Jameson Irish Whiskey.

For more information and details on the short films and music lineup contact Terence Mulligan on (917) 805-3100. Advance tickets can be bought from Ticketweb.com. To see the full lineup, visit www.thecraicfest.com

See you all next week.