Yearly Archives: 2016

1916 Easter Rising Centennial Commemoration Event Series

Join us for this sixth annual event honoring the life histories of participants in the Irish Oral History Archive of the San Francisco Bay Area, a project of Irish-American Crossroads.

As part of our series commemorating the 1916 Easter Rising, this afternoon gathering will highlight the individual stories of oral history archive participants with a specific focus on their family stories related to the 1916 Easter Rising. Participants in this event currently include Esther O’Hara and Brian Whitty. (Other participants to be confirmed.) Bring the whole family to this wonderful event!

A special thanks to the Irish Government’s Emigrant Support Programme for its generous and ongoing support of the Irish Oral History Archive of the San Francisco Bay Area.

1916 Easter Rising Centennial Commemoration Event Series

You are cordially invited to the next Crossroads Salon, a forum for writers and artists who have Irish or Irish-American heritages or are interested in exploring Irish-American themes, as well as for readers and viewers who want to participate in this exploration.

As part of our series commemorating the 1916 Easter Rising, this meeting of the Crossroads Salon will focus on the theme of “freedom.” Participants are invited to bring original work or the work of others (poetry, prose, visual or performance art) inspired by a reflection on this theme. Please limit material to 8-10 minutes of reading or presentation.

This relaxed and convivial event will be held in an exquisite private home in the St. Francis Wood neighborhood of San Francisco. Guests will enjoy sweeping, beautiful views of the city in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. All are welcome!

We host 4 to 6 Salons during the year. To receive announcements about future Crossroads Salons, please sign up for our email newsletters at irishamericancrossroads.org or call 707-235-9858

1916 Easter Rising Centennial Commemoration Event Series

Irish-American Crossroads is proud to present Sinéad McCoole. Irish historian, author, broadcaster, scriptwriter, and exhibition curator. As a curator, she has originated and collaborated on a number of important exhibitions on Irish history and Irish art both in Ireland and the US. Her areas of expertise include The Rising, the War of Independence, and Civil War, with an emphasis on the role of women. Sinéad is currently the Curatorial Advisor to Ireland’s 2016 Centenary Programme.

As an author, McCoole has published No Ordinary Women: Activists in the Revolutionary Years 1900-1923 and Hazel: a Life of Lady Lavery, as well as Easter Widows: 7 Women who Lived in the Shadow of the Easter Rising. She is currently director of the Jackie Clarke collection.

A special thanks to the Irish Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs for their support of the 1916 Easter Rising Centennial Commemoration Event Series.

Irish-American Crossroads is pleased to co-sponsor this event with Mechanics’ Institute and Humanities West.

Top photo by Fran Veale. Photo of families by Lensmen.

Don’t miss these other co-sponsored events:

Mechanics’ Institute Library Events

Wednesday, March 2 , 6:00 pm, The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became An American Hero , a new book about Thomas Francis Meagher by National Book Award winning author Timothy Egan . Irish-American Crossroads Festival Donors, Humanities West Donors, Irish Literary & Historical Society Members and Mechanics’ Institute Members FREE; Public $15 

Thursday, April 28, 7:00 pm, Voices of the Easter Rising 1916: A Theatrical Evening of Irish Poetry, Stories and Song expresses the passions of poets, protesters and activists in the quest for independence. See milibrary.org for details.

Humanities West Events

Friday, May 6-7, The Celts: History, Culture, Legend – a two-day symposium featuring history, art, music and literature about Celtic history beginning with pre-Roman Europe and including such topics as the Celtic language and culture, medieval Celtic storytelling, and contemporary Irish literature. For more information: www.humanitieswest.net.

1916 Easter Rising Centennial Commemoration Event Series

We proudly present Irish poet, Elaine Feeney, in her West Coast premiere. Feeney is part of a new movement of political poetry in Ireland and has been called “the freshest, most engaging and certainly the most provocative poet to come out of Ireland in the last decade.” (Fionnuala Flanagan)

Feeney was born in Galway and has lived much of her life in Athenry. Feeney has published three collections of poetry: Indiscipline (2007, Maverick Press), Where’s Katie? (2010, Salmon) and The Radio was Gospel (2014, Salmon). Her writing has been published widely in literary magazines, journals and anthologies and has been translated into many languages. Her next collection, Rise, is forthcoming.

Refreshments will be served. A thanks to John Campbell’s Irish Bakery and Kerrygold for their generous support.

A special thanks to the Irish Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs for their support of the 1916 Easter Rising Centennial Commemoration Event Series.

1916 Easter Rising Centennial Commemoration Event Series

This event is dedicated to revealing the impact of the 1916 Easter Rising on the lives of leaders in our local Irish community. Participants will reflect upon how Easter 1916 impacts their understanding of Irish history, their own identities and their roles in the community.

Featured participants include local community leaders: Gerald Boyle, Grand Marshall of the 2016 San Francisco St. Patrick’s Day Parade and President of the Knights of the Red Branch, Jo Coffey, President of the Irish Cultural Centre of California and Facilitator of the Irish Marvels Past and Present Group, Diarmuid Philpott, and Ciarán Scally, President of Irish Northern Aid.

A special thanks to the Irish Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs for their support of the 1916 Easter Rising Centennial Commemoration Event Series.

Virtuoso Traditional Irish Fiddler

Kevin Burke is an Irish fiddler maestro whose most recent award is the 2016 Gradam Ceoil (Traditional Music Awards). Burke, considered the most influential Irish traditional musician to emerge in the past 30 years, has been hailed as a “virtuosic and powerful” performer by the New York Times.

He is a giant among players, audiences and critics worldwide. His impossibly silky, lyrical playing has been a focal point of the great Celtic revival, from his own classic solo recordings to membership in legendary bands like The Bothy Band, Patrick Street and Celtic Fiddle Festival.

Please join us for a rare, acoustic, solo performance by one of the greatest Irish fiddlers of all time.

Golden State Warriors Tickets & San Francisco Giants Tickets: Come hear Kevin and bid in a silent auction on donated tickets to a Golden State Warriors basketball game (courtesy of the Golden State Warriors), SF Giants Tickets “Irish Night” on April 25th, and other items! All proceeds benefit Irish-American Crossroads.

Listen and hear why Kevin Burke is considered one of the greatest Irish fiddlers of all time.

1916 Easter Rising Centennial Commemoration Event Series

On Sunday, April 24th, 1916, seven Irishmen declared Ireland to be an independent state, free from centuries of British rule. The “Easter Uprising” is a hallowed event in Irish-American history, revered as a moment when the Irish diaspora played its part in ridding Ireland of colonial rule. In San Francisco’s Mission District, Irish and Irish-Americans met in houses, meeting halls, churches and places of business, in order to envision and fund the rebellion. Join San Francisco writer, Elizabeth Creely, on a walking tour of the Mission District’s revolutionary Irish past. Tour distance is about 2 miles. It will conclude at St. Peter’s Church, 1200 Florida Street, San Francisco. Please wear comfortable walking shoes.

RSVP to info@irishamericancrossroads.org or call 415/810-3774.

Irish-American Crossroads is pleased to co-sponsor this event with Shaping San Francisco.

A special thanks to the Irish Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs for their support of the 1916 Easter Rising Centennial Commemoration Event Series.

“The Lost Celt is the best kind of adventure story, full of taut suspense, riveting action, and, most importantly, humor and heart. Not to be missed!”—Katherine Applegate, Winner of the 2013 Newbery

Primed by their love of video war games pitching Romans against Celts, Mikey and Kyler are convinced that they’ve seen a real live Celtic warrior in the VA. Has the Celt been transported to the present as part of a secret defense project? In tracking him down, the boys solve the biggest mystery of their lives.

Drawing on the tales of Irish warrior hero Cuchulain, The Lost Celt was 60% funded by a group of Desert Storm Veterans. 20% of the net profits will go to veterans’ charities. When A. E. Conran was Mikey’s age, she had a tin of tiny Roman and Celtic warriors, which she never finished painting, and a desire to time travel, which remains with her still. In addition to writing middle grade novels, A. E. Conran works as a freelance editor, as well as a children’s book consultant, book talker, and children’s book club facilitator for Book Passage.

Irish-American Crossroads is pleased to co-sponsor this event with Book Passage.

Irish-American Crossroads is pleased to once again present author and educator, Margaret Cooley, as she teaches this popular facilitated workshop on the research and composition of family histories.

Sometimes all we have left of our ancestors is a photograph, a marriage record or a Mass card. Margaret will give a talk and teach a workshop on how she began without any records, stories or photographs and found enough information to recreate a family story and write a book, The McQueeneys: From Ireland to America.

Participants will receive a genealogy search form to fill out and return no later than one week before the workshop. Margaret will bring the results of the search to the workshop. Participants may also bring a family photograph or record. Margaret will assist them in using vital records and photographs to begin to tell their family stories and make their own books.

Participants may also purchase, The McQueeneys: From Ireland to America for $10.

“I know of nobody better than Eddie Stack to write this book.” —Martin Hayes

“Personal, Poignant, Powerful.”  —Sherry Perkins, Louisiana Writers’ Society

An area rich in folklore, traditional arts and history, Doolin is on The Wild Atlantic Way between the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, Ireland. Eddie Stack’s book is a unique work about the place, its people and their culture. This collection of essays and conversations features local tradition-bearers who were renowned for their music, songs, dance and storytelling.

Doolin is illustrated with photographs, music, songs, maps and journal excerpts. It is an essential work for anyone interested in Irish traditional music, song, dance storytelling and local history.

Eddie Stack grew up in a bilingual household in West Clare and played music and collected tunes, folklore, songs and stories from Doolin tradition-bearers. He is the author of four collections of short stories, a novel and three novellas and teaches Celtic Studies at UC Berkeley, California.

Published in the U.S. in January, 2016, Doolin is now available at www.eddiestack.com