Est. 1966
Harp Strings
The Official Newsletter of the Harp & Shamrock Society of Texas Volume 44
April - May 2010
Issue 4
It Was A Great Day For The Irish! Two Parades In One Day!
The O’Brien clan leads the way!
Bill O’Brien, Elissa O’Brien, Sue Weller and Erin OBrien carry the parade banner to lead the parade. They were all smiles as they passed the crowds in front of the Alamo on a perfect spring day.
The Memorial Services Detachment (MSD) Friday Squad Color Guard The members shown here from left to right: Rifle Guard Robert Harmon, United States Flag - Mike Hoffman, Texas Flag Santiago Tello, MSD Flag - Bob Doyle, Rifle Guard - Gene Kuwik
The weather gods smiled down upon the Irish in Texas. We started our day with the sun shining and a light breeze blowing. Thanks to Joe Duarte, Orlando Cisneros and their team of parade marshals the staging area ran smoothly. The parade judges led by Kevin and Gina Peak selected the outstanding and enthusiastic participants in this years parade. The grand stand was host to many of our guests and VIPs thanks to George and Regina Tracy. The incomparable Bill Merriman performed as Master of Ceremonies with the indispensable help of Mary Jo Quinn. Darryl and Melinda Britten with their team of volunteers organized a terrific post parade reception. Thanks to Mae Kelly we were back on the River with an awesome parade. Thanks to Ked Mullins and his family for decorating our parade vehicles. And thanks to the folks who donated their vehicles. A special thanks to all the volunteers who came out this year to help make our events so successful. Thank you! Carolyn Dowd with Alice, Emily, Mark your calendar: Nominating Meeting Friday, May 21, 2010 (page 3) Shannon and Paul Hunter are the www.harpandshamrock.org
rear guard of the parade.
HARP & SHAMROCK
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Arneson River Theatre March 13, 2010
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Est. 1966
HARP AND SHAMROCK SOCIETY OF TEXAS, INC P.O.Box 15306 San Antonio, TX 78212
PRESIDENT Joan Moody 210-656-2666 VICE PRESIDENT Terence Peak 210-829-3920 2nd VICE PRESIDENT Kevin P. Dowd 210-845-4424 TREASURER Patricia Lopez 210-778-4416 SECRETARY Dana Goodman 20-219-7356 CHAPLAIN Fr. McNamara 210-635-8539 BOARD of DIRECTORS George Tracy 210-493-0818 Victor Villegas 830-885-2096 Bill Merriman 210-259-3482 Shirley Donohue 210-344-9057 Melissa Schulz 210-445-2777 Melinda Britten 210-699-8632 Carolyn Dowd 210-896-1598 Darryl Britten 210-215-9952 Diana Jordan 210-872-7092 Bob Burke 210-534-6648 Elissa O’Brien 210-348-6877 Steve Mattick 210-212-7800 IRISHMAN OF THE YEAR Richard Donovan - 2010 Editor in Chief Kevin Patrick Dowd
210-845-4424
The Best Staff: Joan Moody Terry Peak John McCarthy Pat Peak Eileen Faught Carolyn Dowd Taz Stanfill Mariee Pilkington Melissa Schulz ©2010 Dowd Ranch Publishing
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These are the crowds we like to see. Not an empty seat in the house. Standing room only! So the Irish can still draw a crowd in San Antonio.
Your Gaelic lesson: Bíonn dhá insint ar scéal agus dhá leagan déag ar amhrán There are two sides to every story & (at least) twelve versions of every song.
From the Laptop of Your Editor
To all our travelers heading home to Ireland watch out for that ash cloud. As of this writing it is still closing down certain areas of Europe. Summertime is here. That means festivals and small town parades and fairs. Would you like the Society to be in your hometown shindig? Let us know. There are more than enough phone numbers to the left to choose. I’d like to ask for your prayers for a healthy recovery for member Martin Bowles. He is a good Sligo man and he and his wife Josie could use the positive energy. I’d like to take this time to send prayers and thoughts to all our members struggling for deliverance from whatever storm they may be facing in their lives right now. Amen and thanks. Nominations time is here. Then elections and our Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day. Do you have any suggestions, critiques, questions, answers, anything? Please come to our general membership meetings these next two months and speak up. This means you! Kevin Patrick Dowd shamrockeditor@aol.com www.harpandshamrock.org
Hello All,
From your President
The St. Patrick’s Day events are over for another year and we received a few new members from the Highland Games and Celtic Music Festival. Upcoming events are the nominations and elections general meetings to be held in May and June. We need to develop a cadre of the membership that we can count on to help out with community wide events and anyone interested in this can e-mail me at jlizm@aol.com or phone at 656-2666. If members would like to serve on the board please contact Mary Jo Quinn at 496-1778 and leave a message as the nominations committee will soon be meeting. I would also like to thank all those who participated in the March events. Please join your fellow society members for the upcoming events in May and June. Board members remember that there is no meeting in July. There will probably be a Halfway meeting coming up soon for that event which is held in September. Help is needed for that so contact me or any board member and volunteer. The society operates efficiently where its members help out.
Nominating Meeting
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Friday, May 21,2010 This is your chance to be a part of the action. The annual elections for the officers and board is coming in June and the nomination meeting is your chace to meet the candidates and maybe even step up and become one. We are always looking for new ideas and the actions to go with them. Help your society be all that it can be. (Maybe I should have been a recruiter !-)
We had some crowds along the river!
Joan Moody
Brother Dave Concannon looks grand as he accompanies President Joan Moody and her grand-niece Kiara Hays in a horse-drawn carriage. Ed note: This issue would not have been possible with out my photographers. Special thanks goes to Paul Hunter, Sean Habina, Carolyn Dowd and the Express News. www.harpandshamrock.org
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St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2010!
Richard & Sandra Donovan ride high behind Margaret Burke with Eileen Faught driving.
The All Services Color Guard.
Pat Peak rides in style in a beautiful Rolls Royce.
SA Firefighters Pipe and Drum Brigade.
Helena Ryan, left, did a great job as our master of ceremonies and kept the crowd at the Arneson River Theatre entertained between acts.
We had good coverage in the San Antonio Express News. And it was an all Harp member barge.
If you were watching the Fox News First on Friday, March 12, you’d have been entertained by the Irish dance schools. Shaun Stevens, far left, is the meteorologist and can usually be found reporting out in the community. Paseo del Rio picked Shaun for the grand marshal of the river parade. Summer McKenna, right, kicks up her heals in the morning sun.
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San Antonio, Texas
Inishfree dancers in front of the Alamo. Bill Merriman and Richard Donovan.
Central Catholic Button Band on the river. McTeggart dancers enjoy the river parade. The diehards who came out for the Shamrock shuffle run enjoyed themselves once the rain stopped.
The Kelly Irish Singers.
When Irish Eyes are Smiling... You know they’re up to something! Is there any question why we do this? Shannon Hunter on the left and Emily Hunter on the right seem to know why!
If you stayed downtown into the evening you would have seen the Inishfree School of Irish Dancing on one of the Luminaria stages.
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The Ring Of The Piper’s Tune
Book Reviews Favorite Food at Home:
By Austin Augustine Dwyer
Some books can really grab you and make you fall into the story. You become part of the lives of the characters and care about what is going to happen next and you wish the story won’t end. This is one of those books. I was interested before the first chapter with the illustrations; first a Map of Dublin in 1916, and then two photos one of the General Post Office and McIntees Public House. To most Irish Americans the GPO has become a shrine. Much like our very own Alamo. But that is only where this story begins. Once I started reading I became captivated. You are introduced to characters you can’t help but fall in love with. Our star-crossed heroine Kathleen is one of them and her parents Mick and Annie Barrett. Mr. Dwyer takes on a true multigenerational Irish story. He is also an artist and here he has drawn word paintings that will fill your head. It is a movie in your mind that Hollywood could only dream of making. The story travels over many years and many miles and is so involved I feel it could only be shown over many hours. I’m reminded of the classic mini-series like “Captains and Kings” (1976), or “Rich Man, Poor Man” (1976), or “Thorn Birds” (1983). Only then do I feel this story would get the proper treatment. Until that future date I’ll just have to recommend “The Ring of the Piper’s Tune” to all my friends and family. A book like this only comes around once in a long while. Don’t pass it up.
Delicious Comfort Food from Ireland’s Most Famous Chef
By Rachel Allen
If you are looking for an Irish cookbook this is not it. But if you are looking for some easy to make family friendly meals this is the book for you. There is a recipe for colcannon, and it doesn’t look too hard. I think the first chapter title says it all “Easy Family Food.” Here is your chance to get back into the kitchen, which is the only place to be, and have fun experimenting. The book is a thick paperback and should last through years of kitchen duty. There are great pictures throughout of the finished product as well as Rachel and friends and family. She might not be well known here yet but with cook friendly recipes like this she should take America by storm. This book is filled with easy-to-follow recipes. Rachel is Ireland’s most famous chef. Favorite Food at Home draws on international influences as well as some classic Irish fare. Rachel Allen studied at the worldfamous Ballymaloe Cookery School and she is the author of six other cookbooks. She is extremely popular on RTE and BBC cooking programs. She lives in County Cork on the organic farm at Ballymaloe with her husband Isaac and their three children. 224 pages. Paperback. ISBN: 978-0061809279 www.rachelallen.co.uk/
584 pages. Paperback. ISBN: 978-1440174803 www.austindwyer.com
The Honorable Susan Reed District Attorney of Bexar County, and long time member, steps off sharply for the grand day for the Irish in San Antonio.
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Mary Ann, Anton and Elizabeth Hajek did a great job of decorating their jeep for the parade.
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More St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2010!
Melissa Schulz Cusack Award winner driven by Derrick Cossey.
Terry Peak Cusack Award winner driven by Paul Cantu and accompanied by his faithful companion Murphy.
The Ancient Order of Hibernians.
The Irish Cultural Society.
The San Antonio Pipes and Drums.
St. James the Apostle Mustangs.
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The Harp & Shamrock Society of Texas Newsletter Editor P.O. Box 15306 San Antonio, TX 78212
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Mark Your Calendar May
Thanks To Our Sponsors
21 Friday, 7 p.m.
Nominating/General Membership Meeting Lion & Rose Pub, 5148 Broadway 31 Monday, Memorial Day
June
17 Thursday Member Mixer Olmos Bharmacy 10-19, KLRN Blazing Gavels Volunteer opportunity 11-13 Fri-Sun, 39th Texas Folklife Festival
26 Saturday, 7 p.m.
Election/General Membership Meeting
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