Harp Strings Keeping Irish history and culture alive in South Texas for 50 years! Volume 51 Issue 1
The Official Newsletter of the Harp & Shamrock Society
Fall 2017
The Halfway Cook-Off Continues to Grow!
The weather was spot on perfect for the 10th Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day Hooley and Cook-off. Once again the afternoon got started with the US and Irish National anthems sung by our very own Kelly Singers, led by the great Tom Ewing. It is just the start to one of our best homegrown social events. For the past eight years our incoming Board of Directors have been sworn in and witnessed by all in attendance. Since we added the Board induction ceremony to the Halfway it really has made it more of a celebration and the perfect beginning of another great year. This year Judge Kevin O’Connell, a long time supporter and proud Irishman, swore in the Board (pictured above). The 2017 Texas Rose of Tralee, Lydian Lawler Lopez, was our honored guest and also won one of the Kerrygold prizes. We had a great selection of Irish stew and Irish soda bread to judge. Thank you to all the participating contestants for their delicious food, without you there would be no cook-off. We also served Irish bangers and Shepherds Pie thanks to the generous support and donations from Waxy O’Connor’s Irish Pub and Irish bangers from the Lion and Rose Restaurant and Pub. Thank you to our new sponsor Kerrygold who provided prizes for our scholarship raffle, and Irish cheese and butter to be served with the Soda bread. The butter and cheese are from the grass fed cows of the emerald isle! Typical of an Irish gathering, no one went home hungry! Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make the 10th Halfway Hooley and cook-off the most successful to date. Congratulations to the winners: Darryl Britten - Champion Official judging Irish Stew (top left with Chairman Dana Goodman), Second place was tied with Joan Moody and Sinead Thackaberry (top right). Peoples Choice Irish Stew winner- Kevin Dowd (see page 2), and Peoples choice Irish Soda Bread winner Lila Meehan (top middle, with dad Brian and sister Molly Meehan). Good cooks run in the Meehan family, mom Liz won soda bread 4 years ago.
Benefactors, Life and New Members keep the Harp strong!
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Benefactors:
PRESIDENT Melinda Britten VICE PRESIDENT Elissa O’Brien 2nd VICE PRESIDENT Sean Habina
TREASURER Linda Grosse SECRETARY Dana Goodman CHAPLAIN Rev. Rose Ann Felty IRISHMAN OF THE YEAR Carolyn Dowd 2017 BOARD of DIRECTORS Wendy Lyons Casey Donnelly James McCann Diana Jordan James Gorman Elizabeth Hajek Carolyn Dowd Darryl Britten Joan Moody Erin O’Brien Eileen Faught John Smith Bill Merriman Melissa Schulz Kevin P. Dowd Editor in Chief Kevin Patrick Dowd
shamrockeditor@gmail.com
The World’s Best Staff:
Chris A. Hayes Eileen Faught Mariee Pilkington John McCarthy Pat Peak Erin Binkley Carolyn Dowd
Newsletter Editor P.O. Box 15306 San Antonio, TX 78212 ©2017 Dowd Ranch Publishing
Thank you!
Richard & Janice Duggan Heather Hart Stephen Hight Robert M. Meade Deirdre Murphy Honorary - Douglass McDonald
Life Members: Allene Biediger
Margaret M. Burke Joan Daunt Shirley Donohue Sandra Donovan Nancy & Dan Flack Judge Sarah Garrahan Wanda Hughes
New members: Lori Alcorta
John Alvey Dieter Belletz Patty & Phil Byrd Paul M. Cooke, Sr. Donna Marie Doulton Rev. Rose Ann Felty David & Maike Foegelle
Mae B. Kelly Carolyn Marshall Lucille Mitrane Rosa Molloy Marilyn Preddy Doris U. Register Jane White Judge Marcia Weiner Christina Leonard Courtney Maroney Victoria McGrady Mary Mulhearn Abigail Power Robert Roetzel Bob Sweeney & Marilen Yaksic Michael Thornton
A tremendous thanks goes to Elissa O’Brien for getting and keeping the membership roster modernized and constantly up to date! Elissa and Erin O’Brien are our membership committee and work hard to get those renewal notices out and make sure new members are welcomed. If you know a friend, neighbor or co-worker who might be interested please let them know about us.
Happy Veterans Day!
As we approach Veterans day I want to take this space to thank all the veterans and members who make a big impact on the Harp, now and throughout the years. Three veterans started this organization and the strength of veterans has helped keep it going all these fifty years. Army: Michele Gorman, James Gorman, Sean Hipp, Bob Sweeney, Ray Dustin Marine Corps: Robert Lyons, Darius McLaughlin, Jr. Navy: Ryan Stone, Erin Perez, Michael O’Grady, Suzanne Lyons-Ellaraas, Brenda Tobey Air Force: Bob Meade, Terry Peak, Wayne Faught, Chris Hayes, George Tracey, David Patrick, Billy Keen, Sean Habina, Joe Rogers, Sue & Bob Brannon Dana Goodman Presenting me And last but not least: with the Peoples Choice Irish Stew! Coast Guard- Kevin Patrick Dowd www.harpandshamrock.org
From The President A Big Year Coming
I am thrilled to be your president for this coming year. I felt it was time that I step up and lead this very special organization. I have been a member since 1985 and have watched the ebb and flow of our society in its membership and its mission. Once we were all about the two grand parades, the river parade and the well-covered St. Patrick’s Day street parade. Alas, the street parade became impossible to fund and we are no longer able to present this parade to the public. Once we had a presence at the Texas Folklife Festival and had great fun presenting our lively Irish culture through food (boxty or Irish pancakes, Irish stew and soda bread), and lively musical performances by local, folk bands. For many years we ran our own festival in La Villita. We ran it ourselves and for many years the festival helped pay for our parades, charitable contributions, and scholarships. Now as we continue into our fifty-first year, we still continue to promote our Irish culture to the community, state, and beyond. We have the only St. Patrick’s Day river parade in Texas. We sponsor an Irish music festival on the Arneson River Theater, and present a new children’s exhibit called “Passport to Ireland.” We continue to lay a wreath at the Alamo every March 17, honoring the 35 heroes who died there who were of Irish descent. The Kelly Irish singers help present the wonderful music of Ireland and perform at various venues. We continue to present scholarships for both academic pursuits and cultural (dance, music, Irish language). We sponsor a run, a golf tournament, a Hooley, happy hours and dinners. We participate in the various Celtic Festivals in our surrounding area such as Helotes and Kerr County. We support other Irish organizations like sports and dance. This year may well be our biggest yet. We are part of the Tricentennial celebration of San Antonio and are one of several featured non-profits. Our month is of course March. We remain a remarkably vibrant and growing organization. Our mission is to promote Irish culture and Irish history in the development of Texas as a state. I guess our focus has shifted from mainly parades to our place in history. The facts remain; the Irish and Texas are inextricably bound. If we do it right, no one will be surprised at the overwhelming presence of the Irish in San Antonio and South Texas. Melinda Britten
www.harpandshamrock.org
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10th Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day!
This issue would not have been possible without the great photography from one of our newest members David Foegelle. Thanks so much! Also a special thanks to Laura Domyancic and Joshua Hunt for bringing the SAGAC t-shirt cannon out of retirement! It was a great way to thank the crowd and keep everyone entertained! Thanks to all the cooks who did the hard work and all the volunteers who kept the day running smooth. See you all next year! www.harpandshamrock.org
Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day Golf Outing!
Thanks to all the golfers and sponsors who came out to support the Irish!
www.harpandshamrock.org
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In Memorium Paul David Aschbacher August 9, 1930 - October 6, 2017
Paul David Aschbacher Sr., passed away on October 6, 2017, at the age of 87. He was preceded in death by his sweet bride of 60 years, Joanie McIntyre Aschbacher; parents, Eugene and Minnie Woitaske Aschbacher; brothers Eugene Jr., George, Carl and sister Frances Lewis. He is survived by his three children: Becky (Aschbacher) and her husband John Wells; his sons, Paul D. Aschbacher Jr. and his wife, Carolyn (Rodriguez); and Jeffery J. Aschbacher and his wife, Corina (Muela) and sister-in-law Margie J. McIntyre. A harder working couple would be hard to find when
I remember Paul and his late wife Joanie and all the hard work they put in for the Harp and Shamrock at the early Folklife years. Paul attended St. Peter Prince of the Apostle Parochial School and Central Catholic High School. During the Korean conflict, he served with the Headquarters of the 95th Medical Group of the Fourth Army and later the Seventh Army in Germany. He was past board member of Beethoven Mannenchor, Past President of the San Antonio Liederkranz, and Past President and Director of the Harp & Shamrock Society of Texas. Patricia Peak remembers that Paul and Joanie were very active during the Folklife years. Pat recalls some of Paul’s favorite sayings. “Have some wine, it’s good for the spine.” And “We sell no wine before its time.” More information on Paul and a Guestbook is at: www.porterloring.com
Harp History
Tales From the Pitch and Beyond By Chris A. Hayes
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FASHIONISTA
IRISH EYES AND VIDEOTAPE
Harp and Shamrock member Erin O’Brien is launching her online publication this year called 71 Magazine. She says it will focus on fashion: both vintage and contemporary. And special attention will be given to the unique styles of lesser-known, independent designers. The magazine will also include articles dedicated to the arts. Erin has spent many months getting 71 Magazine up and running. Some of the things she has had to do is complete a lot of legal paperwork as well as assemble a good staff. One of her new hires happens to be her long-time boyfriend Mike Brannon who is in charge of advertising. But arguably the most important thing needed for this venture was the magazine’s name itself. Erin says “71” is a lucky number and it kept popping up in one-way or another between herself and others. Erin is a San Antonio native and the daughter of H&S members Bill and Elissa O’Brien. She graduated from Winston Churchill High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from UIW. Erin then obtained a Master of Arts degree in communication from UTSA. She is currently working on a master of business administration at Our Lady of the Lake University. In addition to 71 Magazine, Erin also teaches public speaking at Texas A&M University-San Antonio and Northwest Vista College. Website is: my71mag.com, and follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Harp and Shamrock member and SAGAC player Jimmy O’Halligan is from Houston, Texas. He moved to San Antonio circa 2006 for a career opportunity and married Alamo City native Amber Massengale. She is a painter with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. Jimmy and Amber are the proud parents of Gavin Breandán and Saoirse Autumn Wednesday. Gavin’s middle name was inspired by Irish poet Brendan Behan and “Saoirse” (seer-shuh) is Irish for “freedom.” Work-wise, Jimmy films and directs short promotional videos for corporations and for city and county governments. School-wise, Jimmy is taking online classes to earn a bachelor’s degree in arts and science. Fun-wise, Jimmy is a member of the Ancient order of Hibernians in addition to H&S and the SAGAC. Jimmy won the H&S Irish stew competition a few years back and also says he enjoys participating in the H&S St. Patrick’s Day river parade. He has played Gaelic football with the SAGAC since it’s founding in 2011 and says his favorite positions are corner back and halfback. Jimmy also participated in the GAA Finals in Seattle in 2016. He says the friends he has made in H&S and the SAGAC helped him with housing accommodations when he and his family vacationed in Ireland recently.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Harp and Shamrock member and SAGAC player Christopher A. Hayes was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His parents are Earl and Margaret and his twin sister is Stacy. His maternal aunt is long-time H&S member Joan Moody. Chris was brought to San Antonio when he was three years old. He attended Holy Spirit Catholic School (elementary), Winston Churchill High School and San Antonio College. He joined the U.S. Air Force when he was 21 and served during the first Gulf War as a “maintenance scheduling specialist.” As the name implies, he scheduled maintenance on aircraft. He was stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany and then Travis AFB in northern California. After receiving an honorable discharge, Chris moved to Los Angeles and worked as a model (briefly) and
was a full-time student: first at Santa Monica College and then Cal State Long Beach. He earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism with a concentration in art. He then worked as an elementary school teacher for nearly four years. Chris returned to San Antonio in 2002 and has worked on and off in the restaurant business. He joined the SAGAC’s Gaelic football team in 2014 and likes playing the forward position. Chris says his favorite experience with the team was going to GAA Finals in Seattle because he likes travelling, seeing new places and meeting new people. In addition to the many countries he visited while living in Europe, Chris has also travelled to Israel, Egypt, Peru, Jamaica, Canada and Hawaii. And the next place on his wish list is IRELAND!!!
Consul General in San Antonio!
P.O. Box 15306 San Antonio, TX 78212
“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” George Bernard Shaw
www.harpandshamrock.org / Twitter: @harpshamrocktx / Facebook / Instagram: harpshamrocktx
Thanks to Our Sponsors
Nov 9 Board Meeting 11 Saturday, @Noon, Veterans Parade Staging Position: D7 Ave E & McCullough 17 Friday, @ 7:00 pm, Harp Memorial Service St. Joseph Society Hall 420 E. Cesar Chavez
dec 2 Saturday, 6:30 pm Harp Christmas Party The Barn Door Restaurant 8400 N New Braunfels Ave 9 Board Meeting 23 Saturday, H.E.B. Feast of Sharing Volunteer oppourtunity! Please check the calendar on our web site for the latest Texas/Irish happenings! ©2017 Dowd Ranch Publishing
The McCombs Foundation All of our Amazing Members & Volunteers!