Harp Strings “Keeping Irish history and culture alive in South Texas!”
Volume 51 Issue 2
The Official Newsletter of the Harp & Shamrock Society
Winter 2018
Over 50 Years of Harp History Continues
The rich assorted history of the Harp and Shamrock Society continues with more involvement in the community. Once again we had a great group out to march in the Veterans Parade in San Antonio, Texas. We’ve found it is really fun to be in parades all around the city. Fifty years ago Dr. Seán Burke became the first Harp & Shamrock Irishman of the Year, making local news which highlighted our fledgling Society and reinstated the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in San Antonio. Pictured above is Rose Gorman and below left with her sister Grace. Thanks mom & dad, Jimmy & Michelle Gorman! Below is our Irish veterans contingent. Thanks to Joe and Wendy, Frances and Linda, David, Carolyn, and guests for coming out for a great day. See you next year.
Thank You to Our Benefactors and Life Members
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Benefactors:
PRESIDENT Melinda Britten VICE PRESIDENT Elissa O’Brien 2nd VICE PRESIDENT Sean Habina
Lynne Hollon Richard & Janice Duggan Heather Hart Stephen Hight Robert M. Meade Deirdre Murphy David & Barb Patrick Joan Moody Each received a 2018 Fiesta Medal at the Awards dinner.
TREASURER Linda Grosse
New Life Members:
SECRETARY Dana Goodman
Matt and Debra Henderson
CHAPLAIN Rev. Rose Ann Felty IRISHMAN OF THE YEAR Kevin Patrick Dowd 2018 BOARD of DIRECTORS Mary Paparella Wendy Lyons 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 Editor in Chief Kevin Patrick Dowd
shamrockeditor@gmail.com
The World’s Best Staff:
Eileen Faught Mariee Pilkington John McCarthy Pat Peak Erin Binkley Carolyn Dowd
Newsletter Editor P.O. Box 15306 San Antonio, TX 78212 ©2018 Dowd Ranch Publishing
2018 Irishman of the Year! At the awards ceremony my wife Carolyn Dowd made a great slide show of my early years with the Harp. It was a much younger me making my way through those early days of the Harp. I rubbed elbows with the folks who were working hard to make this society survive into our next 50 years. Since I am a Dowd, I’ve become the keeper of the archives of the Society. Part of my job as editor is to start getting these brittle newspaper clippings and old photos digitized so in another 50 years who ever has this job will have an easier time compiling the book for the Harp and Shamrock’s 100th! Now for some history of the Irishman statue. Oliver Sheppard created the “The Death of Cuchulain,” in 1912. It wasn’t until Éamon de Valera, leader of the Irish Republic, chose it as the official memorial to the Rising on the 20th anniversary. During the unveiling that Easter week of 1935 at the Dublin GPO de Valera said of the www.harpandshamrock.org
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A Big Year Coming
From The President
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Melinda Britten
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. 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.
President Melinda Britten swears in Mary Parparella as board member and Sean Habina as 2nd vice president before the first board meeting of the new term.
Be part of the next 50 years of the Harp and Shamrock Society! Add your family crest to our Passport to Ireland educational exhibit. This year our Passport to Ireland exhibit will be part of the Irish Festival at La Villita on March 17 & 18, Irish Heritage Day and the United Way Kids Festival. With a minimum $50 donation, your family crest will be incorporated into our exhibit. This will become a permanent part of the exhibit and you will help us tell the story and history of these magnificent crests and the Irish names represented here in San Antonio. Thank you! Your continuing generous support of the Harp & Shamrock Society of Texas allows us to bring great educational fun programs to the San Antonio community. Please send your donation and family crests (as .gif or .pdf ) through our website and PayPal or send your request and payment to Harp & Shamrock Society of Texas, PO Box 15306, SA, TX 78212. Deadline is March 9, 2018. For questions and additional information contact cdowdpa@hotmail.com
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Annual Awards Dinner 2018
The newest Cusack winners are surrounded by past recipients above. Below left are the Irishmen of the Year with the newest member in tricolor sash. Fr. McNamarra gave the blessing to start the show, and Peter Bonin is very proud of his mom, Bernadette Barry Bonin. Cusack presenters Tom Ewing and Linda Grosse with Bob Meade and Bernadette, bottom left. Eileen Faught, Paul Cook, Bernadette and Seรกn Connolly enjoy the evening.
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Harp Holiday Party!
The annual Christmas party at the Barn Door Restaurant was as great as always. The Kelly Singers entertained with holiday hits and Irish favorites. There was a fun gift exchange where everyone went home happy! Plus it was a good time to reconnect with all our members.
Memorial Service
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The Kelly Singers took charge of resurrecting the annual Memorial Service. St Joseph Society Hall was the site and the 12 foot Celtic cross created by Billy Keen was the center point. Our chaplain, the Rev. Rose Ann Felty lead the prayers and Tom Ewing and the singers did a grand job and Jonathan Gobert gave a lovely performance on the pipes.
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In Memorium James Patrick Boland Passed away July 22, 2017
James Patrick Boland, 75, formerly of Fayetteville, NY, passed away on July 22, 2017 at his home in San Antonio, Texas, having just returned from a wonderful trip to Ireland with his family. He was a gentle and kind person. Jim obtained a Masters Degree in Industrial Engineering at the University of Houston and he spent most of his adult life working at Kelly Air Force Base. He was an avid sports fan, a member of the Knights of Columbus, and attended St. Paul’s Catholic Church. I had the honor of knowing Jim. He was a friend of my Uncle Jimmy and told me they would talk about New York and sports whenever they’d see each other. He came out and supported the Halfway and other Irish get togethers. Jim will be missed.
Dolores O’Riordan
Passed away January 15, 2018 Dolores O’Riordan, who was the front woman of the hugely successful band The Cranberries, passed away aged 46 on Jan. 15, 2018 . The internationally renowned singer was originally from Ballybricken, in east County Limerick. She is survived by her husband, Don Burton, her three children, Molly, Taylor and Dakota and her step-son, Donnie, along with her mother Eileen and her six siblings. Some of us grew up with the great song like Zombie, Dreams, Linger and Ode To My Family. You can find a great performance of Dolores on youTube from September 1995 when she sang “Ave Maria” along with Luciano Pavarotti. After the show Princess Diana told O’Riordan that the song brought her to tears. Thousands of people attended the public reposing of rockstar Dolores O’Riordan in her native Limerick on Sunday, as the county begins three days of mourning for one of their most famous daughters.
Saint Patrick of Ireland Scholarship
We have just been informed by the Chachta Foundation that the Saint Patrick of Ireland scholarship story has resulted in other Irish around the US contributing to the foundation and the donations are going into our scholarship. We even got a write-up in the Annual Report (left). Harp & Shamrock leads the way. Very special thanks to Gerry and Allison Mulvey for getting this started. continued from page 2
monument: “a beautiful piece of sculpture, the creation of Irish genius, symbolizing the dauntless courage and abiding constancy of our people.” In 1968 when the Harp brought the street parade back to San Antonio it also brought some international recognition. Ireland sent an official representative in the form of Miss Helen McSherry of Irish Airlines. Also visiting was Miss Pauline O’Brien, the West coast representative of the Irish Tourist Board. It was Miss O’Brien who suggested the replica be used for the Irishman of the Year and assisted the Harp in purchasing this award from Ireland. In 1969 my Uncle Pat received the Irishman of the Year from Dr. Seán Burke, the replica of Cuchulain.
Consul General Farrell Talks at Trinity University
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Adrian Farrell, Consul General of Ireland, gave a very informative talk about the implications of Brexit for Ireland, and British-Irish Relations and the EU. Special thanks to Professor John Burke at the Trinity University Department of Political Science, for opening it to the general public. There was a good group from the Harp and Shamrock Society in attendance, pictured above with Professor Burke, second from right. The Consul informed us that Ireland had contingency plans for which ever way the Brexit vote went. If you have been following the news, Ireland was able to get Britain to agree to no hard border with the North. This is a huge development that will keep the roads open on the island of Ireland. Another smart move was the Republic of Ireland allowing folks in the North to apply for Irish passports. Since this started there has been a steady flow of applications. It is fun to watch other countries deal with their own crazy politics and take our minds off our own.
SAGAC Report
2018 Election results: Chairman: Rick Ortiz, Vice Chairman: Chris Shannon, Secretary: Sean Hipp, Treasurer: Jessika Barrera, Irish Cultural Officer: Siobhain Murphy, Public relations officer: Lauren Hulett, Recruitment: Cesar Perez, Club management: Jes Newman, General Board Members: Brian Thackaberry & Chris Brown. Chris King, chairman for the past 2 years has taken on a position in the SouthWest as the Vice President of the division. You can find SAGAC on Facebook & Twitter, etc.
More Harp History From the Archives Paul and Joan Ashbacher (left) were a constant and joyfull presence around many Harp events. This was a holiday party in 1977 or ‘78 at the home of Pat and Gini Dowd. Two future Irishmen of the Year can be seen in the other pictures. A dark haired kid in a borrowed jacket, center, is this year’s Irishman. The big-hair Irish lad sitting with Paul, below right, the 2015 Irishman, Terry Peak.
Founders and Irishmen of the Year
2018 Irishman of the Year Presented by the Harp and Shamrock Society of Texas
Patrick J. Dowd, 1969, Col. Joeseph McShane, 1970, and the very first Irishman of the Year Dr. Seán Burke, 1968.
March 2018
10 Sat, 8:30 a.m. 36th Annual Harp & Shamrock 5K Run & Fitness Walk Southside Lions Park East. Be as green as possible, bring green pets, and/or wear the Ugliest kilts. Register at http://bit.ly/GUINNESSFINISH
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Thanks to Our Sponsors
10 Sat, 5-8 p.m.Social at Francis Bogside (803 S. St. Mary’s St) The Kelly Singers will be singing around 6:00! 17 Saturday, Noon Harp & Shamrock Wreath Laying Ceremony The Alamo 16 & 17 Friday & Saturday, 12-8 p.m. Harp & Shamrock Society’s Annual St. Patrick’s Music Festival at Arneson River Theatre St Patrick’s Day Irish Festival. Co-sponsored by HSS and Paseo Del Rio The “Passport to Ireland” area offers genealogy, interactive Irish map, history of early Irish Texans, introduction to Gaelic language, Kiss the Blarney Stone! And so much more!
17 Sat, 4p.m. St Patrick’s Day River Parade Please check the calendar on our web site for the latest Texas/Irish happenings!
©2018 Dowd Ranch Publishing
All of our Amazing Members & Volunteers!