43_1 by Harp and Shamrock Society of Texas

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Harp Strings

The Official Newsletter of the Harp & Shamrock Society of Texas Volume 43

October - November 2008

Welcome Your New Board

Issue 1

The installation of new officers and board members took place at La Foccata. Front row: Shirley Donohue, Judge Marcia Weiner,

Tish Villegas, new president Joan Moody, new board members Melinda Britten, Melissa Shultz, and Carolyn Dowd. Back row: Anton Hajek, Steve Mattick, secretary Eileen Faught, Darryl Britten, 1st vice-president Terry Peak, birthday boy Victor Villegas, treasurer Wayne Faught, and 2nd vice-president and editor-in-chief Kevin Dowd. Board members not pictured: Fr. McNamara our new chaplain, Mary Jo Quinn, George Tracy, Patrick Clarke, Bill Merriman, Diana Jordan and Bob Burke.

2nd Annual Halfway To Saint Patrick’s Day! It was a grand day for an Irish Hooley.

Part of our 2nd Annual Halfway to St. Patrick’s weekend was hosted at Casbeers at the Church. An afternoon of Irish music, dance, food, and fun. The San Antonio Pipes and Drums got the party started performing outside on the steps of the church. Creating that rare yet unmistak-

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Inishfree School of Irish Dancing

www.harpandshamrock.org

St. Gregory School Irish Dancers

HARP & SHAMROCK

Calling All Members...

October

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Est. 1966

HARP AND SHAMROCK SOCIETY OF TEXAS, INC P.O.Box 15306 San Antonio, TX 78212

PRESIDENT Joan Moody 656-2666 VICE PRESIDENT Terence Peak 829-3920 2nd VICE PRESIDENT Kevin P. Dowd 845-4424 TREASURER Wayne C. Faught 699-1362 SECRETARY Eileen Faught 699-1362 CHAPLAIN Fr. McNamara 635-8539 BOARD of DIRECTORS Marcia Weiner 342-7963 Mary Jo Quinn 4961778 Tish Villegas 830-885-2096 George Tracy 493-0818 Victor Villegas 830-885-2096 Bill Merriman 259-3482 Shirley Donohue 344-9057 Melissa Schulz 445-2777 Melinda Britten 699-8632 Carolyn Dowd 896-1598 Darryl Britten 215-9952 Patrick Clarke 257-0462 Diana Jordan 872-7092 Bob Burke 534-6648 Steve Mattick 212-7800 IRISHMAN OF THE YEAR Robert Slattery- 2008 Editor in Chief Kevin Patrick Dowd 210-845-4424 Staff: Terry Peak Joan Moody Pat Peak Eileen Faught Carolyn Dowd John McCarthy Taz Stanfill Mariee Pilkington “A word has never been written or uttered which should not be published.” Barney Rosset Publisher

19- Wine Tasting Fund Raiser @ the home of: Darryl & Melinda Britten 3303 Litchfield, SA, TX 25- Founders Day-Main Plaza

November

11- Veteran’s Day Parade, 1 p.m. @ Ave E & 3rd Street 13- Board Meeting @ Casbeers at the Church 20-Memorial Service, 7 p.m. @ St. Fracisco Di Paola Reception follows @ 201 Piazza Italia

December

5- An Irish Christmas Party, 6 p.m. @ San Francisco Steak House 11- Board Meeting @ Casbeers at the Church 20- Feast of Sharing 20- Traditional Irish Christmas Ceili, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. @the Radius Cafe Keeping It Green...Renew, Recycle, Reuse!

Your Gaelic lesson:

Cuir síoda ar ghabhar agus is gabhar i gcónaí é. Put silk on a goat and it is still a goat. (This seemed perfect for this political season)

From the Laptop  of Your Editor Our second Halfway to Saint Patrick’s Day celebration is in the book

and it is growing. The weather could not have been better for our Hooley at Casbeers at the Church. Now the planning is underway for our March events. We are shooting for a bigger and better street parade. Time to grow our event. The city will be doing the luminaria again so we’ll be the kickoff to another great day. We are always looking for our members to march and hope you will come out and participate. If you missed the Installation Party then you missed the chance to meet Róisín Mulligan the 2008 Texas Rose of Tralee. She represented our state at the international Rose competition this past August. You can view her story and the video at: http://www.rte.ie/rose/rose_profiles/texas.html. Thanks for being part of the fastest growing Irish group in south Texas.

Kevin Patrick Dowd

shamrockeditor@aol.com www.harpandshamrock.org

From your President

There are many events that will be coming up over

the course of the remainder of the year. The International accordion festival will be held at La Villita October 11 and 12 and they will have a special program on the Celtic influence of the music of the Basque region of Spain. November 20th is our memorial service and there will be something very special going on for that. I do hope that all will make an attempt to come and honor those who went before us. The joint Christmas party with the Irish Cultural Society is scheduled for December 5 at San Francisco Steak House and it is hoped that we will have a special visitor at it. Planning for the events of St. Patrick’s Day 2009 is underway and any suggestions will be deeply appreciated. Looking forward to seeing you all at our various functions throughout the remainder of the year. Regards, Joan Moody

Halfway ...continued

able sound of the pipes in the air of the King William district. The St. Gregory School Irish Dancers and the Inishfree School of Irish Dancing performed for the enthusiastic crowd. Campbell and Wilson provided music and lots of humor throughout the afternoon. Thank you to Joan Moody and Judge Sarah Garrahan for their generous support for our Hooley. Thanks also to Taz Stanfill for providing many of the raffle prizes. A big thanks to the Celtic Cowboys Sports and Social club along with the Austin Rose of Tralee Andrea Scott for coming down from Austin to join us for the Hooley. Congratulations to the Celtic Cowboys on their win of the National Gaelic Football championship in Boston, bringing the championship to Texas for the first time. Also for the first time we added a charity to our golf scramble. The Healy-Murphy Center in San Antonio helps children and youth-in-crisis to continue their education in a non-traditional setting. Mother Margaret Mary Healy Murphy started this mission in 1888 to provide quality education to those who were ignored or neglected by society. Thanks to our vendors Bobby Jordan Custom Stonecutting with his wife Diana; A Celtic Dream with Margaret Moreno and Bernie Hough; the Irish Cultural Society; The Highland Games; and the Inishfree School of Irish Dancing. Thank you for coming out and being a part of the Harp and Shamrock Society Annual Irish Hooley. Hope to see you all at our 3rd Annual Irish Hooley next year. Carolyn Dowd

Our President and the editor get in a little Irish reading before the Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day Hooley kicks off. Joan Moody had her latest copy of the Irish Echo, the USA’s most widely read Irish-American newspaper.

An Irish Christmas Party

The Old San Francisco Steak House is open for busi-

ness. Located at 10223 Sahara, right off San Pedro, this San Antonio landmark never disappoints. Check your e-mails or snail-mail box soon for information about your food choices and other information. For now I can tell you that the party starts at 6 p.m. with dinner at It was fun for all ages at the Hooley as a young Irish-princess7 p.m. We will be collecting items for the Fisher House for-the-day corrals two young fellas. Gloria Walsh has hold of her in lieu of door prizes. Hope to see you all there. husband Bob Walsh and friend Bob Burke. www.harpandshamrock.org

Installation Dinner

A tradition continues! Outgoing president Anton Hajek hands over the wooden carved claddagh to newly elected predident Joan Moody.

Three of the new board are sworn in. Judge Marcia Weiner prepares Melissa Schulz, Carolyn Dowd and Melinda Britten.

Photo left: Outgoing Chaplain Fr. Flanagan is surrounded by two beauties. The Texas Rose of Tralee 2008 Róisín Mulligan and Elizabeth Hajek.

Photo right: Jackie Nelon, Joan Moody and Róisín Mulligan the Texas Rose.

Golfer extradinaire Bobby Jordan shows his kilt wearing style during the Halfway Golf scramble.

We couldn’t do the golf without our volunteers! Helen Tate, Eileen Faught, Joan Moody, Terry Peak, Bob Burke, Dana Goodman, and Diana Jordan.

Brigid and Michael Greenburg traveled from Dallas to be part of the All Harp team with Wayne Faught and that other guy.

Eileen Teves prepares to interview Diana Jordan and Kevin Dowd on the set of the Great Day Sunday show. A special thank you to the photographers who made this page possible. Sheila Carrola, Anastasia McKenna, Nancy Phelan, Carolyn Dowd , Terry Peak and Joanie of Proshots Photography.

Travis and Keneally Phelan help Diana Jordan and Kevin Dowd promote our Halfway golf and Hooley on the Great Day Sunday show.

www.harpandshamrock.org

2nd Annual Halfway To Saint Patrick’s Day! ��

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New friends from the Austin Celtic Cowboys Sports and Social Club came to visit our Hooley. Brendan O’Sullivan, Andrea Scott, the Austin Rose of Tralee and Pat Doab, president, join Kevin Dowd and Terry Peak at Casbeers. The San Antonio Pipes and Drums begin the day in grand style.

An Inishfree dancer.

Joan Moody helps present our check to Healy-Murphy Center’s Sr. Veronica and Yvette Bisagni with Diana Jordan and Wayne Faught on the steps of Casbeers at the Church.

The always entertaining and humorous Campbell and Wilson returned to entertain the crowd at Casbeers at the Church. I heard one of them ask the question to the right.

The Inishfree School of Irish Dancing dancers from top to bottom and left to right: Keneally Phelan, Travis Phelan, Noelle Kutz, Colleen Black, Maribel Dodd, Summer McKenna, Paige Alderink, Lauren Kutz, Courtney Alderink, Jacquelin Kutz, Mairead Brown, Halyna Kunasz, Athena Dodd, Molly Black.

“How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” We found out when the St. Gregory girls and boys took to the dance floor.

www.harpandshamrock.org

In Memoriam Richard J. Kinnally

Dorothy Kuhns

June 7, 1922 to September 25, 2008

August 27, 1915 to October 2, 2008

Richard J. Kinnally died on Thursday, September 26, 2008 at the age of 86. He and his identical twin brother, Howard G. Kinnally, Jr. were born on June 7, 1922 in Chicago, IL. He served in WWII and was honorably discharged from the Army. The St. Anthony Hotel employed Richard for 27 years over a 44-year period from 1943 to 1949 and from 1966 to 1987. Unprecedented in the Hospitality Industry, the St. Anthony Hotel named a suite after him and in 1989 held a reception to dedicate the opening of the Kinnally Suite. It is included with the George Washington Suite, the Abraham Lincoln Suite and the John Wayne Suite ~ he always liked to say, they have me in with the heavy hitters. He was Past President and Chaplain Emeritus of the San Antonio Exchange Club, a member of the Harp and Shamrock Society of Texas and a Lifetime Member of the Knights of Columbus, Mystic Rose Council, No. 268 in the Bronx, New York. His loving parents, Howard and Gertrude Kinnally, his twin brother, Howard G. Kinnally, Jr. and brother, Rev. Timothy J. Kinnally CSSR, precede Richard in death. He is survived by his brother, Robert D. Kinnally, Sr. and wife, Margaret; numerous nieces, nephews; and great grandnieces and nephews. He is buried at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery.

Dorothy (Dottie) Kuhns passed on to heaven on Thursday, October 2, 2008. A mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt and friend, born Dorothy Louise Nicely on August 27, 1915 in Pitcairn, PA. A resident of Plano since 1995, Dottie grew up in Greensburg, PA, lived in Ravenna, OH. for 41 years, and Universal City, TX. for 17 years. She was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Richard Garvin Kuhns. She is survived by daughters Genny Lynch (Joseph) of Port St. Lucie, FL and Pat Christiansen (Jon) of Plano; grandchildren Kathy Brachowski Kneten (Clint) of Jarrettsville, MD, Scott Christiansen (Maria) of Dallas, Mark Brachowski (Gabriela) of Marietta, GA, and Donna Christiansen Stanley (David) of Pittsburg, TX; great-grandchildren Lindsey and Courtney Kneton; Kelsie, Dayna, and Jessica Stanley; Elena and Lucas Christiansen; brother and sister-in-law Ret. Col. Harry B. Jr. & Mimi Nicely of San Antonio, TX; and brother-in-law Charles F. Kuhns (Ruby) of New Middletown, OH. Dottie was a member of Christ Church Plano, a member of the Order of Eastern Star since 1934, a Past Mother Advisor of the Order of Rainbow for Girls, and a proud member of The Harp and Shamrock Society of Texas. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, 2222 Welborn, Dallas, TX. 75219, Christ Church Plano/ Missions Ministry, or Helps International, 15301 Dallas Pkwy, Ste. 200, Addison, TX. 75001. In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality. - Proverbs 12:28

Review

By Kevin Patrick Dowd Book

All Souls

A Family Story from Southie By Michael Patrick MacDonald This memoir is a great read and powerful story. Growing up in the South Boston Old Colony project was as tough as it could get for an Irish kid. Michael Patrick MacDonald was caught up in the violence surrounding the bussing in the 1970s. This was also 6

the era of the whole Irish mafia and Whitey Bulger time. Our author was inspired to write after a rash of suicide attempts and 10 suicides in 1997 in Southie. His Catholic upbringing gives the framework to our story. An All Souls Day memorial is the beginning as well as the end for this tale of a communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s loss as well as the MacDonald familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own tragedy. It is like an Irish wake where the lost souls are mourned as well as celebrated. If you like a good passionate and moving story this book is for you.

www.harpandshamrock.org

Member News

Clare born Fr. William McNamara who now ministers in San Antonio Texas recently paid a visit to Galway to visit his old home. His late father Thomas was appointed Station Master in Galway in 1949 and served until his retirement in 1954. The McNamara family resided in the Station Master’s house in the railway station and Father Bill went to school in the Bish where he did his Leaving Certificate. On his father’s retirement the family moved to Thurles. Through his old friend, Ms Joan Moody of San Antonio, Fr. McNamara was introduced to Martin Quinn, former Mayor of Galway city, who works in Bus Eireann and he arranged for Fr. McNamara to visit the home where he resided during his family’s time in Galway.

Mixin’s –n- Meetin’s

An Update from the Social Committee

In the last newsletter, Kevin mentioned that we were trying to host mixers in different zip codes to accommodate as many members as possible. Melissa and I would like to request input from the members about what they want to share with the rest of the membership about their own neighborhoods. For example: would you enjoy a beef and blarney dinner at Little Red Barn (78210) or 18 holes at Cool Crest Miniature Golf with a trip up the street for a brew at Bunratty’s (78201), or a Thursday night visit to Olmos Bharmacy to hear Campbell & Wilson (78212) or dinner at Ernesto’s and singing at Dad’s Karaoke Bar (78230)? If you live outside the city, tell us if your town has a winery, antique stores or a really great restaurant that we need to visit. You can reach Melissa at eden81@hotmail.com or leave a message on my home phone at 210/699-0407.

Fr. McNamara (centre) with L. to R. Hubert Walsh of Iarnrod Eireann, Martin Quinn and Maurice Walsh of Bus Eireann and Jim Sheridan of Iarnrod Eireann taken at Ceannt Station. Special thanks to Martin Quinn for this note and picture.

We have all kinds of good ideas for mixers, but we want to hear from our members about places that are special to them. Thanks for your help! Taz Stanfill Pictures from the last mixer @ the Lone Star Cafe.

Mary Brogan’s Irish Cottage at 455 S. Main in Boerne is owned by one of our Harp & Shamrock Society members. Her name is Franki Surratt. If you haven’t been to visit her shop yet, it really is worth the trip to Boerne. She has a men’s section, women’s section, kitchen stuff, kid’s stuff, Irish jewelry and opening in September is the Texas Tartan Tea Room. Call Franki at 830/249-6818 for more information about her shop. http://www.marybrogansirishcottage.com/

Please come out and join us for our next mixer! www.harpandshamrock.org

The Harp & Shamrock Society of Texas Newsletter Editor P.O. Box 15306 San Antonio, TX 78212 www.harpandshamrock.org Email: Shamrockeditor@aol.com

Return and Address Corection Requested

Cultural

Educational

Civic

Patriotic

Social

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Mark Your Calendar

October

Thanks To Our Sponsors

19- Wine Tasting Fund Raiser 25- Founders Day @ Main Plaza

November

11- Veteran’s Day Parade, 1 p.m. @ Ave E & 3rd Street

20- Memorial Service, 7 p.m. @ St. Fracisco Di Paola

December

5- An Irish Christmas Party, 6 p.m. @ San Francisco Steak House

Check the website: www.harpandshamrock.org

Keeping It Green... Renew, Recycle, Reuse!