Out & About

Well, well, well, I was at a reception for New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn event to honor NYPD Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly at a celebration of Irish Heritage and Culture on Wednesday last  at the the Mutual of America Building on Park Avenue.

Speaker Quinn presented Commissioner Kelly with the Thomas Manton Irish Man of the Year Award for his commitment to keeping New York City the safest big city in America.

Kelly traces his Irish heritage to the West of Ireland in the counties of Roscommon and Longford.

Past recipients of the Thomas Manton Irish Man of the Year Award include US Senators Ted Kennedy and George Mitchell.

We at The Irish Examiner newspaper would also like to congratulate the NYPD Commissioner.

The Council also honored Mae O'Driscoll of the County Cork BP&P Association of New York and Nurse Regina Shane for her service at the World Trade Center site.

The FDNY Pipes and Drums performed at the event. The celebration of Irish Heritage and Culture was held as I said,  last Wednesday.

Now I have to tell you, there was a huge turn out for this (potentially) great evening, but one thing was missing; as you all know, the Irish like to celebrate a good Irish event with a glass of wine or a nice cold beer, but this event had no beer or wine, I must have a talk with the City Council Speaker about that.

On the night everyone in the Irish  community turned out for the dry party. To name a few: Noelle Clancy, Deirdre O'Hea, Paul Hurley, Loretta Brennan Gluckman, Lorraine Turner, Andy Cooney, Dan and Siobhan Dennehy, Aine Sheridan, Sean Cooney, Father Brian Jordan (the man was gasping), Deputy Commissioner Mike Shea, Ian McKeever of Shamrock Stables and a few hundred others who I would like to mention but it'd probably take up the whole paper.

Talking about Andy Cooney, he is back by popular demand for the 8th Annual Benefit Concert for the Sisters at Graymoor. God they must really like him... Anyhow, performing with Andy will be Ireland's top comedian George Casey, along with Deborah Brinson and the Darrah Carr Dancers. They'll all be performing at the Parmount Center for the Arts (Brown Street, Peekskill) on Sunday May 1, beginning at 2pm. Tickets are priced at only $25 each. For more information call (845) 230-8228.

Now here is a sad story in which a great friend of the Irish community is involved in, and that is Stephen Fitzgerald. Rice High School in Harlem, an all-boys Catholic prep school is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. According to Mr Fitzgerald, who's chairman of the board of directors, Rice needs donors to commit $5 million, spread over five years, to erase a $200,000 deficit and sustain the gap between the cost of educating a student ($10,000) and the tuition ($5,750).

Some of that money will be needed to renovate the school's proposed new home, an elementary school on 130th Street. If Rice cannot secure the $5 million, and enroll 60 boys in the incoming freshman class, by May 15, it will shut down. So any help at all you can provide will be more than appreciated. As I said, he's a very good friend in the community. You can contact him at (212) 369-4100 or email swf2441335@aol.com. I

f you tuned into WFUV last Sunday, you could hear singer Orla Fallon perform songs from her new CD, 'My Land' on the show 'Ceol Na nGael' or 'Music of the Irish' which was on at 3pm. 

Orla was joined by the band, Tin Cup Gypsy who is currently on tour with her.  Orla's tour is in full swing and you can go and see  her on April 9 at ther YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts (37 West Main Street, Bayshore) beginning at 8pm. For tickets call (631) 969-1101.

She can also be seen at the Tarrytown Music Hall (13 Main Street, Tarrytown) on April 10th at 7pm. For tickets call (914) 631-3390

Check it more on Orla at www.Orlafallon.com... Now that should keep Anita Daly happy as Anita represents a lot of Irish Entertainers who come over from Ireland on tour and here are some of them: The High Kings, Barleyjuice, Black 47, Orla Fallon, The Irish Tenors, George Murphy, Long Tall Deb & The Drifter Kings, Marie-Therese McCartin, Paddy Reilley's Music Bar and Cosmic Trigger Records featuring the Garrett Wall Band, Finbar Furey and the Furey Family and the Bible Code Sundays.

You can contact Anita at (212) 772-0852 or email  anitadaly@yahoo.com.

Here is another gig you might be interested in: Brendan Mulvihill and Brian Gaffney will be hosting a session on Monday April 4 at O'Connell's in Old Town, starting at 8pm. All are welcome to come play or listen. I hope to see you there.

Enda Keegan, one of Ireland's top singer/musicians now living in the US, was playing at Fitzpatrick's Hotel with a brand new show, doing more original music including some new songs.  Fitzpatrick's is located between 56th and 57th  Street and Lexington Ave.

I can see Enda becoming a big star in the future. He'll also be playing at Nevada Smiths on Saturday May 14.

I finally got to meet up with Des O'Brien at O'Casey's  (on 41st Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues) and the man was looking very prosperous. As you all know, this man is very busy with Langan's Broadway Irish Pub, O'Brien's Irish Pub and the new Pig'N'Whistle just off 7th Avenue all of which I do frequent often.

Now I hear on my way Out & About that a new location is on the way; that man never stops.

Times Square will be hosting another new Irish pub very soon I hear as Tommy Burke and Frank McCoal will be opening a new venue very soon. They also have Lillie's Irish Victorian Bar and Restaurant and Papillon Bistro (up on 54th Street off Madison Avenue).

I called into Tracks in Penn Station for a quiet pint last week... Well, that didn't happen as the place was packed. I did get to meet one of the owners, Bruce Caulfield who, let me tell you, is one of the nicest owners in the business and always very pleasant when you meet him.

Before I go, I just got some sad news that Clare Doran (nee Kelleher) from Milltown, and formerly New York, passed away peacefully on Saturday at St. Vincent's Private Hospital. She was the beloved wife of the late Eamonn and loving mother of Dermot and Edward; sadly missed by her loving sons, daughters-in-law Julie and Laura, grandson Dean, granddaughter Shauna, sister Maureen, extended family and friends.

She'll be moved on Tuesday evening to the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, Harold's Cross arriving at 5.30pm. The funeral will be held on Wednesday after 11 o'clock Mass.

See you all next week...