What can you say about Jim Gavin the coach who I have met on a few occasions when he visited New York with the team, you never get used to would yea, and what a gentleman he is, good on yea Jim do it again one more time. We are talking history here and it was made with class so from all of us here at The Irish Examiner, congratulations boys.
I am so happy that I went to the Ancient Order of Hibernians Nassau County Feis and Festival that was held last Sunday at Nickerson Beach Park on Lido Beach, Long Island. The event lasted from 9am to 6pm and I was told that they had a record turnout.
The Feis was brilliant with more than 40 tents with performers in different categories of Irish step dancing. They also had competitions for the pipe bands and now that is what I loved. The Honoree was none other that Andrew Healy who was born in Brooklyn and has Irish heritage from County Cork. I knew there was something very good about him as he has that Cork connection, just kidding.
It was great to meet and greet some friends and organizers at the festival: Mike and Rosemarie Byrne, Betty McLoughlin, Donald Mahony, Dermot and Pat Kelly, Eileen Cronin, Anita Daly and her husband Jim, Tim Myles (the hardest working man in the place), Joe McDonald and Katie Gallagher; I could go forever as there were so many good people and volunteers all helping to make it a great success. I almost forgot the band that were performing. They were called Bangers and Mash and they were very good as well and are under the wings of Daly Agency Communications so that’s why she was there? Nah, she also lives in Long Beach and I am sure we will hear a lot of this band again.
Also at the event I got to meet Jack O’Brien the organizer of the Stand up for Life that I am so happy to let you know about and should be well supported. This Pro Life group will on hold a Respect Life Sunday on October 6, and is the largest such event on Long Island. It is organized it as part of the National Life Chain, that takes place in more than 1,550 cities across North America the same day. If you want any other information you can contact Jack O’Brien, Ancient Order of Hibernians NY State Board Pro Life Chairman and AOH Nassau County President at (516) 724-6821 or email info@ProLifeLI.org.
As you might know, we like to highlight festivals in Out&About because they keep our Irish heritage alive and it brings back a little bit of who we really are. It is just wonderful to see families coming out and supporting these Irish festivals and showing the young and young at heart who we truly are again. There is nobody like the Irish and people that want to be Irish and I do mean friends from all denominations like Tommy DeSantis and Jeff Cleary who thrive on been related to been Irish.
The Danbury Irish Festival is becoming one of the major events in upstate New York and let me tell you it is well worth a visit and, with the good weather forecast for this weekend why not make it one of your trips or put it on your bucket list for the future. Here is a bit of background on the festival and how it all started and how it has become one of the major Irish festivals in North America: Twenty-two years ago, Gerry Curran, who was the President of the Danbury Division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians at the time, had a dream—to bring an Irish Festival to Danbury in order to present and perpetuate Irish music and culture. Gerry convinced the President of the Ladies of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Sharon Higgins that this was a worthwhile project. Together, Gerry and Sharon shared their ideas with the men and women of the Danbury Ancient Order of Hibernians to support this idea and work together to establish an Irish Festival. Any profits would be used to build an Irish Cultural Center in Danbury.
Gerry’s dream became a reality in 1995 when the Greater Danbury Irish Festival made its debut in Rogers Park. The festival subsequently relocated to the Ives Center and continued there until 2011 when bad weather and financial difficulties caused it to downsize and be held for several years at the Lake Avenue Irish Cultural Center.
Beginning in 2018, the Irish Festival was moved to the beautiful grounds of the Portuguese Cultural Center in order to accommodate many bands, events and parking and not have to worry about Mother Nature’s wet and wild mood swings!
Here is some of the entertainment for this year’s festival that I know you will definitely enjoy. You have the great Cunningham Brothers who, believe me can play anything from jigs, reels, folk, jazz, rock, blues and so much more, Shillelagh Law that will also keep you on your feet and Tipperary Knights. Now what can I say about the last band? Only that they are brilliant and they play a lot of Dubliners, Wolfe Tones, Christy Moore and of course their own flavor of very good music.
You can get tickets now online at eventbrite.com, so get yours today! They will take cash or credit cards at the gate. A full weekend pass is $20. Friday, Sep. 20, 2019: 6 to 10 p.m. Admission: $5 per person Children 12 and under are free! Saturday, Sep. 21, 2019: 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. Admission: $10 per person Children 12 and under are free! Sunday, Sep. 24, 2019: 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Admission: $10 per person Children 12 and under are free!
For more information please email danburyirish@gmail.com, call (203) 501-7424 or visit danburyirishfestival.org.
See you all again next week when I am Out&About again.