Tonight and tomorrow night, Friday, July 10, 2009 and Saturday, July 11, 2009, Tullamore are playing their brand of traditional Irish and Scottish music at O’Malley’s Irish Pub in Weston, Missouri.

As Saturday is “2nd Saturday” you’ll also have a load of shops in Weston staying open late, and at O’Malley’s a free outdoor concert on the Courtyard Stage - which Weston Irish Fest fans will be familiar with - so you can start outside watching The Blue Voodoo Band and then move inside to one of the best pubs you’ll ever see, and listen to come Irish music.

I posted it on the 4th of July because Dog-Dog is an American dog, which this year in Ireland we spent walking in green fields as we reminisced about how we missed the day in the States, the times when we got to see a 5-gallon container of gas blown up on the Trolley Track Trail, a cooler on wheels blown up by a quarter-stick of dynamite on 79th street, and when we leapt repeatedly out of the way of bottle rockets fired at us and ran to the security of our small house that didn’t shake too much from the M84s going off behind it.

No stunt workers were used in the making of the video.

Doors open at 5pm for this 9th Annual Celtic Benefit, a benefit as always for Children’s Mercy Hospital.

Entertainment for the 2009 event includes:

  • Bob Reeder
  • Flannigan’s Right Hook
  • Ellis Island
  • Pipes and Drums of Ararat Shrine
  • Rob Gavin

More details will be posted closer to the event, but put the date in your calendar for now.

Last year, from the Annual Celtic Benefit, along with the Wellies Race in Weston, booths at festivals, and donations, the Harp & Shamrock Club raised almost $12,000 for the Hearing Aid Fund of Children’s Mercy Hospital. Kids are waiting for hearing aids and you can help them on Friday night, November 6, 2009.

The next H&S Club meeting is Friday, July 17, 2009 at The Office in Gladstone, Missouri at 8pm.

As it’s a Saturday, and the 1st Saturday of the month, that means there will be no traditional Irish session at the cafe in July. Eddie says he’ll see you at the next trad session in August.

What?
We’re talking Irish dancing, and when we say feis, we’re talking Irish.

Deadlines
Registration closes when the cap is met or on August 1st 2009, whichever comes first. Deadline for all Changes and Additions is August 15, 2009.

Dates & Times
2009 sees the 5th Annual Kansas City Feis and it takes place on Saturday September 5th, 2009 with competitions starting promptly at 8:30am. The evening before, on Friday, September 4th 2009, the Music Competitions take place at 8pm.

Venue
The Kansas City Feis takes place at the Westin Crown Center Hotel at One Pershing Road in KC, MO.

In Mel’s words, introducing some lyrics she wrote:

When the Kansas City Irish Fest ran a “My Irish History” contest, I knew it was likely to draw lots of earnest stories about discovering long lost roots. So I decided a little smart ass was in order. When I tell people that I listen primarily to Irish and Scottish music, half the time the first question they ask is whether I have Irish or Scottish ancestry. Why is that relevant to enjoying the music?

And then in lyrical form you get treated to Mel’s Irish History, or at least her search for it. Here’s the chorus - but you need to read the whole song:

I must be Irish, the music it calls me
the flute and the fiddle, the uillean pipes’ drone
the tweat of the whistle, the beat of the bodhran
they all set me to tappin’ my toes

Solas and Grada, the Fuchsia Band, Lunasa
music just keeps me wanting more
Dick Darby tread softly in the Highlands of Holland
and the sound of Creggs Pipes, it will carry you home.

See Also:
   • 2008 Kansas City Irish Festival
   • Ireland by JJS in KCK
   • Grá Geal Mo Chroí by Chuck Denton

A familiar Irish name to Kansas City, thanks to his lesser known older brother Eddie, Delahunt has been a DJ of many an event in the Irish world of KC including the annual Irish Halloween Pooka Party run for the benefit of the Good Samaritan Project.

Available for parties, weddings, graduations, first communions, etc. DJ Irishman has all the gear, including disco lights, ready and set to let the music play!

A thumping, loveable, hug of a man, Colm was the Irish barman at Harling’s on Main for 10 years, and has also held court at other Irish establishments in town. He was the great Irish barman in this Kansas City story of mine, and comes recommended by me.

Anyone can contact Colm now at (913) 548-6765 or go to djirishman.com

I’ve been on Ireland’s east coast - and for those of you who think Ireland only has a west, you can see some pictures of it I’ve been posting (with amazing patience) on Bicyclistic.

More pictures of Ireland will follow, and updates to Irish KC will resume, once I return to Dublin and its super duper internet highway later today.

Of course you’d know all this if you followed me on Twitter

The 2009 Coors Light Midwest Gaelic Classic begins at noon in Swope Park at the Wizards’ Training Facility by 63rd & Lewis, and continues until 6:30pm.

Admission is FREE.

One of Ireland’s national games regularly played in front of crowds of 80,000 in its home country, Gaelic Football is a non-stop action-packed sport which to new eyes looks something like a mixture of soccer, basketball, and rugby. A round ball is caught and kicked and punched by 15-player teams trying to score pints (over the bar) and goals (under the bar).

Teams from the cities of Little Rock, Arkansas and Minnesota’s Twin Cities are joining 2 teams from the host city in a schedule of 4 games:

Match #1: Noon - KCGAC-Green vs Twin Cities GFC(Minn/StPaul)
Match #2: 1:30pm - Little Rock GAA vs KCGAC-Navy

Consolation Match 3:15pm - Loser match #1 vs Loser match #2

Championship 4:45pm - Winner match #1 vs Winner match #2

There’ll be food and vendors, and stuff for the kids, and whatever the heat the games will be played - if it’s too hot for you then you can cool yourself down in the sprinkler.

It’s a great opportunity to learn about your Irish heritage - an ancient Irish sport - and to support Irish culture in Kansas City.

The KCGAC is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to good sportsmanship and furthering Gaelic Games in Kansas City

This event is posted on the Kansas City Irish events calendar.

Oct 10: Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo
Oct 11: Portland, OR Roseland Theatre
Oct 13: San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre
Oct 14: San Francisco, CA Regency Center at The Grand
Oct 17: Los Angeles, CA Club Nokia LA
Oct 19: San Diego, CA House of Blues
Oct 21: Tempe, AZ Marquee Theatre
Oct 23: Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
Oct 25: Kansas City, MO The Midland Theatre
Oct 28: Austin, TX Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre
Oct 29: Houston, TX House of Blues
Oct 30: Dallas, TX House of Blues

When news of this USA tour broke on twitter, it was The Pogues‘ appearance in Denver which I noticed causing the biggest buzz.

See Also The Pogues in Kansas City

The course is comprised of 4 sessions, each 2 hours long, on Mondays in July where you’ll get Irish language instruction and practice.

Classes are scheduled for 6–8 pm, July 6, 13, 20 and 27, 2009, and if the interest is strong enough will be repeated in August (though on Tuesdays).

Note on Gaelic/Gaeilge: “Irish” is what people in Ireland call Gaelic when they’re speaking in English. Gaeilge is what people in Ireland call Irish when they’re speaking in Irish. If you know what I mean.

What will you learn? Your name and phone number; How to count to 12 (because in Irish it’s unlucky to count to 13); the Days of the Week; Colours; Popular Phrases, and Basic Pronounciation so Irish words won’t look so scary any more.

In other wordy the course is intended as a course that is lighter, and more fun, than the main IMCC Irish language classes, yet complements them.

Fees: $80 for adults 20 and older; $60 for ages 12 – 19.

Contact the IMCC to sign up or for more information.

The regular 10-week courses in Beginner Irish (A & B) and Conversational Irish, will resume in September.

Irish Events
When my arm doesn’t hurt so much I’ll add these classes to the Kansas City Irish events calendar, and maybe even return it to its former glory.

Since 1996 the “IPPY” Awards have recognized the best indie-published books of the year in 65 categories. See the website of Independent Publisher.

We’ve talked about the Irish Wilderness before on IrishKC - do check out the comments in there too; they’re more valuable than the post itself.

Because, in between Finland and Australia, she’s been in Ireland.

It starts on on the flight; takes in a personal rediscovery about Catholic faith - so there’s plenty of churches; explains an unusual lodging arrangement; describes a “true Irish experience” - even if it is made just for tourists looking for it; maintains much warmth and appreciation for Dublin - though I’d take issue with there not being “anything about this city that modern architects or designers would consider beautiful”, and I feel obliged to point out that there is no animal blood in White Pudding (unlike Black Pudding); a very green time in Wicklow - in the mountains and on the coast; and all in all sums it up as “a good crack” (that, and I hate to be pedantic but, should actually just be “good crack” - think of it like saying “good fun”; you wouldn’t say “It was a good fun” )

There’s some nice photos in there as well as a perspective you don’t get from too many tourists.

You should be aware that the comments on TKC are dominated by anonymous comments and what you can expect from such courageous people. Or maybe you shouldn’t be aware of that - especially if you’re one of the anonymous commenters.

Have at it.

Big news this.

The Pogues are so big and so influential on so much of the Irish music that you hear in Kansas City and the Midwest that I’ve written about them loads of times - so there’s really no need for me to do it again (see below for previous pieces), or to use it as an excuse to trot out some tired Shane MacGowan jokes.

The Pogues, like Count John Mc Cormack, Van Morrison, and The Dubliners, before them, gave us a genre of Irish music that has been imitated in every city with a sniff of Irishness about it. A curse in other words. Except for the existence of the original.

There are no negatives. Go.

Just Some of the Earlier Posts on The Pogues:
   • Blogue Mahone: Best Irish Music Blog Ever
   • The Pogues, They Started Radio Stations
   • The 27th Greatest Song Never To Reach Number One
   • Shane MacGowan & Christy Moore Sing Spancil Hill
   • Mike Webber Reviews The Pogues
   • December 25th: Shane MacGowan’s Birthday
   • Dirty Old Town by The Pogues
   • Shane MacGowan on Kirsty MacColl
   • How Do You Pronounce “Pogues”

Tickets
Tickets go on sale this Friday, June 26, 2009 at 10am to the general public, though TicketMaster are doing their internet presale on Thursday from 10am to 10pm. The official Pogues site is advertising tickets for all venues on this tour going on presale at 3pm tomorrow, Tuesday, to their internet community

Tickets start at $45 for what’s classed as an all ages show. As this could be history you might want to bring somebody young. Or somebody old come to think of it.

Coors Light Live Concert Series
This gig in The Pogues Fall Shows, 2009 - NW X W X SW Tour (see what they did there?) is presented as a Coors Light Live Concert Series show.

Irish Events Calendar
This event is posted on the Kansas City Irish events calendar - and of course it’s over on the far right sidebar of every single page on IrishKC because it’s considered to be among the events that are Irish Highlights in KC.

Pogues USA Tour
Dates are now posted for the fall 2009 USA Tour by The Pogues