Irish Arts & Entertainment Christmas Special 2022

AN IRISH CHRISTM AS 2022 Tour UNDERWAY!

Kerry Irish Product ions' 2022 Tour of An Irish Christ m as is now underw ay!

These except ional Irish Music and Dance product ions have been selling out all over Arizona and California!

The acclaim ed Yulet ide product t ion w hich visit s 18 cit ies t his year opened in Rohnert Park, CA on Novem ber 25t h Millions of Am ericans have now experience t his enchant ing and vibrant Irish Holiday show in person or on PBS! The last show for t his season w ill be in Sant a Barbara on Decem ber 23rd.

An Irish Christ m as feat ures an aw ard-w inning cast of dancers along w it h an incredible group of m usicians and

singers t o celebrat e t he holidays as only t he Irish can. Audiences w ill enjoy all t he holiday carols t hey know and love including Silent Night , Carol of t he Bells, and The Tw elve Days of Christ m as plus a spect acular high-energy display of Irish dancing at it s very best .

An Irish Christ m as is a celebrat ion of fam ily and com m unit y t hat show cases som e of t he great Irish holiday t radit ions including, chasing t he w ren, but t er-m aking, and dancing on t he half-door. The show feat ures dancers from Riverdance, Lord of t he Dance, and Celt ic Wings and is produced by Margaret O?Carroll w it h m usical direct ion by Jesse Langen.

In 2017 Kerry Irish Product ions part nered w it h PBS and Tourism Ireland in a t elevised present at ion of An Irish Christ m as t hat has aired for several years during t he holidays season.

Now everyone can experience Ireland and Irish t radit ions for t he Christ m as holidays t oo!

Reflect ions on Christ m as 2022

This year w e are celebrat ing Christ m as at a t im e of great division and st rife in Am erica and t he rest of t he w orld There is a lit any of all t hat is w rong now and a lot of fear and w orry about alm ost everyt hing.

Let 's face it t here is alw ays evil and m ayhem about . We acknow ledge t hat , but w e also need t o rem ind ourselves t hat good and opport unit y for progress exit s t oo It sounds t rit e as first glance but rat her t han focusing on all t he negat ive aspect s of everyt hing, w e m ust dig deep for all t hat is good Like m ost hum an endeavors, seeking t he posit ive and pract icing grat it ude is not nat ural for m ost of us. The easiest course is t o just get int o t he habit of looking for t he good st uff! It act ually w orks

I'm w rit ing t his on Thanksgiving Day and despit e som e challenges and sadness t his past year, I am st ill t hankful and grat eful for quit e a lot My sim ple suggest ion t o you, Dear Reader is t o creat e t he habit of doing your best and in doing so you also habit ualy look at t he bright side.

Reach out t o fam ily, friends, neighbors and even st rangers There are a lot of lonesom e people out t here, so m aybe go out t o com m unit y event s (check our calendar) and share your grat it ude There are t w o list ing t his issue for Irish groups w it h open invit at ions!

Thank you for being one of readers! We are alw ays happy t o hear from you, so please reach out as your com m ent s and quest ions are appreciat ed Merry Christ m as and Happy 2023!

Our Very Irish Perks program is growing. We just signed on with a few more Irish businesses to offer deals and discounts to our subscribers. Wewill send a comprehensive listing of thebusinesses involved to your inbox the middle of each month starting in November, We arealso working on our Mighty Irish Network and wewill have details for you on that very soon too

Jim McDonough, Publisher irishmissive@gmail.com

Kerry Irish Productions MEET THE CAST

Every show present ed by Kerry Irish Product ions feat ures an am azing highly t alent ed and professional group of individuals as dancers, m usicians and singers. We present here t he gift ed Singers and Kerry Band m em bers w ho

An Irish Christ m as Band

m ake up t he ensem ble for 2022's show s. In our Novem ber issue w e profiled t he m em bers of t he 2022 An Irish Christmas Dance Troupe. Click t he link here in case you m issed it .

Mark from Carrickm across, Co.Monaghan began playing drum s at t he age of four. He st udied at t he Royal Irish Academ y of Music and Perform ing Art s College in Dublin. He is m ost recognized as being t he Musical Direct or, drum m er, and percussionist in t he Gram m y aw ard w inning show Riverdance. He has recorded and perform ed w it h som e of t he biggest art ist s and show s in t he w orld. His abilit y t o cross so m any genres coupled w it h a unique and energet ic st yle has m ade him Europe's m ost sought aft er, and highly regarded drum m ers and percussionist s of t oday. Mark has w orked w it h Lionel Richie, Sim ply Red, Kat ie Melua, Josh Groban, The Corrs, Im elda May, Paddy Maloney (The Chieft ains), The Divine Com edy, Mary Coughlan, Ronan Keat ing, West life, Girls Aloud, Donnie Osm ond and t he lat e

Christ y Hennessy. Most recent ly he recorded drum s and percussion on Bill Whelan's new Riverdance 25t h Anniversary Album . He m ade his debut on London's West End w it h t he hit show Com e from Aw ay at London?s Phoenix Theat re. Mark w as honored t o have been part of t he t eam of Com posers, Musical Direct ors, and band t o receive an Olivier Aw ard for Out st anding Achievem ent in Music Mark w as also Musical Direct or w it h t he Int ernat ional show Heart beat of Hom e He is delight ed t o join An Irish Christ m as Tour 2022!

Cont inued on page 6 Em ail:

info@kerryrecords com

Mark Alfred (Percussion/ Bodhrán)

An Irish Christ m as

Continued from Page 5

Jesse Langen (Guit ar)

w it h singer/ songw rit er Kat ie Jim oh and percussionist Tim Mulvenna He t eaches guit ar and com posit ion at Chicago Academ y for t he Art s

Evelyn Thom (Fiddle)

An Irish Christ m as Vocal Ensem ble

The Kerry Voice Squad.

Five years ago, a search began for t hree classically t rained voices t hat w ould be equally at hom e singing t he classics and t radit ional Irish songs. The search brought t oget her a t eam of ext raordinary art ist s and The Kerry Voice Squad w as born! Since t hen, t he ensem ble has perform ed in over 50 US cit ies t o dat e w it h Kerry Irish Product ions Inc.

Jesse is a guit arist w ho plays a variet y of st yles of m usic. He has been feat ured w it h The Chicago Sym phony, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Sinfoniet t a, t he Joffrey Ballet and recent ly in ?I am Ireland? on PBS Jesse and his brot her Tim grew up learning fiddle t unes from t heir grandfat her Clarence, and t hat grounding laid t he foundat ion for Jesse?s approach t o t radit ional m usic In Irish m usic, he can be heard regularly in sessions around Chicago, as w ell as in t he band Com pas w it h his brot her Tim and bodhran player Am y Richt er. In ot her st yles of m usic, he can be heard in Chicago, t hroughout t he count ry and elsew here in t he w orld w it h Ensem ble Dal Nient e, in Hasco Duo w it h Soprano Am anda DeBoer Bart let t , in Soundboard w it h harpist Ben Melsky, and in Kat et

Evelyn from Chicago is a 19-year-old m ult i-inst rum ent alist w it h a focus on fiddle and guit ar. Evelyn has enjoyed t aking t he st age across t he Unit ed St at es as w ell as in Ireland and Canada She st udies w it h Jesse Langen on guit ar, and has learned from fiddle great s such as Liz Carroll, Oisín Mac Diarm ada, Sean Cleland, Devin Shepherd, and Dylan Foley As a soloist , Evelyn has com pet ed at t he All-Ireland Fleadh m any t im es and holds several regional m edals from t he Midw est Fleadh, w inning t he gold st andard in 2020. She w as also a yout h scholarship recipient for t he Sw annanoa Gat hering, Scoil Éigse, and t he Francis O?Neill Irish Art s w eek Evelyn is t he 2019 w inner of t he Ireland Agency Aw ard in recognit ion of her passionat e w ork w it h t he Chicago m usic com m unit y as t eacher, perform er, and art ist . Evelyn is delight ed t o say t hat t his is her second Christ m as t our w it h Kerry Irish Product ions, and she hopes you enjoy t he show !

Koral Aakre

Koral com es from a fam ily of singers and began voice lessons w it h her fat her at age seven She earned a degree in vocal perform ance from Sout hern Oregon Universit y w here she st udied opera.She perform ed w it h t he Rogue Opera, Opera in t he St reet s, Brava Opera Workshop, SOU Cham ber and Concert Choir and t he Sout hern Oregon Reparat ory Singers

Em ily Est ep

Universit y Most recent ly, Em ily w as seen onst age at Busch Gardens William sburg as a vocalist in t he 13t h season of Celtic Fyre. This is Em ily?s first t our w it h An Irish Christ m as

Rosa Evangelina

John Haukoos and singing t he role of Xochiquet zal in El Circo Anahuac, a new opera in Spanish, English and Nahuat l by David Reyes. This is Rosa?s t hird season w it h An Irish Christ m as.

Em ily is an act or and singer local t o Fresno, California She has been perform ing in t he Cent ral Valley for 15 years and gradued in 2021 w it h a BFA in Musical Theat re from Ohio Nort hern

Aubrey StagnaroReturns As The Wren

Rosais a versat ile vocalist based in Los Angeles She has perform ed w it h Pacific Opera Project , Brow n Fist Product ions, Cent er St age Opera, Sant a Monica College Opera Theat er, Guild Opera, t he Vent ura Count y Gilbert & Sullivan Repert oire Com pany, and t he West Valley Playhouse Her opera and operet t a credit s includeLe nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte, Gianni Schicchi, Suor Angelica, Carmen,Roméo et Juliette,L?elisir d?amore,Il Campanello,The Pirates of Penzance, andUtopia, Limited.Recent highlight s in her perform ing life include prem iering t he role of Lot a in t he sci-fi operaThe Dream Makerby

Aubrey began Irish Dance

\at the age of four and has been competing and performing for over ten years Dancing under thedirection of Maeve Coughlan and theCeltic Irish Dance Academy in Los Angeles, sheis a two-timeWorld Qualifier, has placed in theWestern Region U.S. Top 10, and placed in the t the North American Irish Dance Nationals Aubrey first performed with Kerry Irish Productions as part of the pre-show entertainment at theScherr Forum in Thousand Oaks in December 2015 Aubrey is a freshman in High School When she?s not doing Irish dance, shecan be found (performing) on the sidelines or in thegym as part of her High School Cheer Squad She is also a Senior Girl Scout and is currently working on her Girl Scout Gold Award

A Dublin Prem ier of Long Ago

It is oft en said t hat Charles Dickens and his classic novel, A Christ m as Carol are one of t he cornerst ones of som e of t he cust om s t hat w e hold dear in our celebrat ion of Christ m as There is am ple evidence t o support t hat idea and a lot of ot her Brit ish t radit ions such as exchanging Christ m as cards. The hist ory of Christ m as fest ivit ies and observances are a fascinat ing t opic and a great exam ple of eclect ic diversit y Am erica, t he Brit ish, Druids, t he Irish, Rom ans, t he Norse God Woden and even Germ anic Tribes have all m ade a cont ribut ion t o our Christ m as cust om s

Handel's MESSIAH prem iered at The MUSIC HALL, Dublin, in April of 1742

Dublin and Wexford are t w o Irish cit ies t hat are indispensable locales w hen it com es t o any discussion of Christ m as t radit ions Irish Christ m as Music

The m ost fam ous and m ost oft en perform ed Sacred Music w ork in West ern Civilizat ion w as perform ed in Dublin on Fisham ble St reet as an

East er celebrat ory piece on April 13, 1742 Frederick Handel's friend Jonat han Sw ift w as t he t he rect or of St Pat rick's Cat hedral in Dublin

at t he t im e and provided t he choir Handel shipped his ow n organ from London The review s at t he t im e praised t he w ork, and over t he next

71 S. Pine St . Long Beach, California

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250 plus years, Handel's m ast erpiece has becom e associat ed w it h Christ m as. The Orat orio has been expanded t o include a full orchest ra, soloist s and chorus.. The Dublin prem ier w as given on a m uch sm aller scale.

The WEXFORD CAROL is yet anot her fine exam ple of t im eless Irish Christ m as m usic The carol is really old from at least t he 15t h cent ury and for sure it s origins are Count y Wexford. The Wexford Carol is som et im es called: "Good people all t his Christ m as t im e", from t he hym n's first verse According t o Wikipedia, in Irish it is, Carúl Loch Garman, Carúl Inis Córthaidh

Christ m as m usic and videos from The Irish Rovers online st ore are just a few of t he goodies w e have availlable ht t ps:/ / t heirishroversm usic.com / shop/

Cork Nat ive Ow en Dara

Cont inues His Film m aking Journey w it h Third Feat ure

Set for Release in 2023

Dara's first film ?Choosing Signs? is st ill m aking t he rounds on m ult iple st ream ing plat form s, as w ell as on som e cable net w orks in t he US It prem iered at Tribeca Cinem as in New York in 2013 as part of t he Golden Egg Film Fest ival w here it w on best feat ure film

That success, along w it h m ult iple subsequent aw ards, cam e as som ew hat of a surprise t o Dara and his fellow producer Jessica Lancast er Dara is genuinely hum ble and has been honest ly surprised by t he acclaim t hat his w ork has garnered He has said in int erview s t hat he had no idea t hat people w ould respond so posit ively t o t his charm ing independent product ion considering it w as his first t im e m aking a feat ure film Through pre-product ion, film ing, and post -product ion, he and Jessica Lancast er (Co-producer) w ere const ant ly quest ioning w het her t heir vision w ould t ranslat e t o a w ider audience. Even at it s prem iere in New York, Dara says t hat he w as t ense from t he first m om ent t he audience w alked in t o w hen t he final credit s rolled. Only during t he film ?s Los Angeles prem iere w as he able t o relax in front of t he screen inst ead of scrut inizing every fram e and w ondering how it m ight ?ve been bet t er. Finally, he w as able t o focus on audience response, w hich w as very posit ive. So posit ive in fact t hat a dist ribut or picked up t he film t hat very night for t heat rical release. This validat ion, as w ell as review s t hat follow ed, helped t he fledgling producers realize t hat t heir previous doubt s had been unfounded. Now , "Choosing Signs" is not only available digit ally w orldw ide and on DVD, it has also been included in t he curriculum for st udy by st udent s of exist ent ialism at UC Riverside.

Choosing Signs was their first film in 2013. The filmmaking team had gained more confidence by the time they started on their second film.

Just as w it h ?Choosing Signs?, Dara w rot e, direct ed, edit ed, and creat ed t he soundt rack for ?The Holy Fail? Many of t he original cast and crew from t he first film ret urned, including Japanese cinem at ographer Yoshikat su Yasaki and Hollyw ood execut ive producer Michael Shipley This hilarious caper has received m ult iple aw ards, including best film , best com edy, audience favorit e, and best foreign film It feat ures som e of Ireland's funniest com edic act ors and is also set in Cork. It had it s t heat rical release in 2018, and since 2019, it has st ream ed on m ult iple plat form s w orldw ide. Short ly aft er t he film ?s release, t he Academ y of Mot ion Pict ure Art s and Sciences added a copy of t he script t o t heir Beverly Hills library, and in 2020 four original songs from t he soundt rack m ade t he Oscar list of just 75 songs in t he running for an Academ y Aw ard for "Best Original Song?.

Jessica and

Ow en?

a real life couple

? cont inue t heir com bined film m aking journey w it h t heir t hird feat ure film ?A Lesser Gift ?

Just as w it h t heir previous film s, t he st ory is also set in Cork, but for locat ions t he crew vent ured furt her out side Cork Cit y t han t hey had in earlier film s Their choice t o include m ore of t he count ryside w as part ly due t o feedback on t heir previous film A not e from a fellow film m aker regarding t he advant ages of film ing in a count ry rife w it h beaut iful landscapes w as w hat prom pt ed t he t eam t o m ake a concert ed effort t o capt ure m ore of Ireland's beaut y in ?A Lesser Gift ?. This w as easier said t han done. Alt hough Ireland is not a part icularly difficult place t o film , film ing out doors can be hugely challenging because of Ireland's infam ous w eat her On each of t he film s t he w eat her proved a challenge, but w hile film ing t his upcom ing feat ure, challenges w it h w eat her w ere m ore prevalent t han ever. ?It w asn't so m uch about having const ant rain, it w as m ore about having rain for 30 m inut es, and t hen t he sun com ing out for 45 m inut es, and t hen t he rain st art ing again," says Ow en ?We did so m uch st opping and st art ing, and w e had fierce t rouble m at ching shot s in som e of t he scenes We?d film t he m ast er shot w it h t he ground dry, and t hen t he ground w ould get w et w hile w e w ere doing coverage shot s, so w e?d end up having t o film t he m ast er again w it h t he ground w et just t o m ake it all m at ch.?

The crew act ually filled bucket s of w at er and w et t he road t o m at ch a shot t hey had done t he day before

The Wet and Dry Road near Wicklow. Film ing w as a challenge.

As soon as t hey finished w et t ing t he road, t he rain cam e back, so t heir effort s w ere t o no advant age But t hat 's Ireland It 's a w onderful place, but nobody ever goes for t he w eat her Most of ?A lesser Gift ? w as film ed pre-pandem ic, and t he final shot s w ere t aken in t he sum m er of 2022 The edit ing is now alm ost com plet e, and Dara is current ly put t ing t he finishing t ouches on t he soundt rack Just as w it h his previous soundt racks, he sings t he lead vocals along w it h act ress/ singer Virginia William s, but he has also brought ot her singers on board for t his part icular project Cont ribut ing vocals along w it h Ow en and Virginia are singer/ songw rit ers Pat Nason, Cat harine Beck, and Nicky Allado ?All of t hese m usical art ist s I adm ire,? says Dara, ?so I w as delight ed w hen t hey agreed t o be part of t he film . They all have unique voices, and Nicky has a w ealt h of experience singing different genres, including m ult iple roles w it h LA Opera. Being in t he st udio w it h her w as like a m ast er class in how t o get m axim um value from each t ake. I love being around singers and act ors w ho really know t heir craft , w hich not only m akes m y job easier, but

More on Previous Film s

?Choosing Signs? is forem ost a love st ory bet w een a dow n-t o-eart h Irishm an and an up-in-t he-air Am erican w ho t ries t o evoke t he pow ers of t he Universe t o help her m ake im port ant life decisions These perceived cosm ic signs lead Jennifer (Jessica Lancast er) across t he At lant ic, w here she m eet s Eam on (Ow en Dara), an affable Irishm an w hose beliefs are firm ly root ed in t he physical w orld Alt hough t he couple?s ult im at e union seem s dest ined from t heir very first connect ion, t heir hopes of fulfilling t heir collect ive desire t o be t oget her becom e st ifled by w hat m ay or m ay not be signs from t he Universe Coupled w it h t hese challenges is t he responsibilit y t hat Jennifer holds t ow ards her m ent ally-ill brot her, as w ell as a com m it m ent she has m ade t o m arry a m an w ho is obsessed w it h capit alizing on t he sudden

also helps m e grow as an art ist ? There is cert ainly a w ealt h of t alent in each of t heir product ions, and alt hough t here is a recognizable st yle across t he t hree film s, each st ands apart in it s individualit y "A Lesser Gift " is t he st ory of a couple w ho are facing challenges aft er having t heir first child Their sit uat ion is furt her com plicat ed w hen an Am erican w om an (Jessica Lancast er) ent ers t heir lives Set during Ireland's econom ic dow nt urn, it explores t he lead charact ers? inabilit y t o m ove forw ard in t heir lives w it hout having dealt w it h t heir past s Alt hough m ost ly a dram a, it cont ains a healt hy spat t ering of Irish hum or indicat ive of it s w rit er/ direct or ?s st yle

Writ t en & direct ed by Ow en Dara. St ars: Paula McGlinchey, Ow en Dara, Jessica Lancast er, Mairin Prendergast , Alan Riordan, Michael O?Mahony, Ber Pow er, St iofán Wyley. This com edy/ dram a is set t o be released in 2023

dem and for housing creat ed by im m igrant s draw n t o Ireland by it s unprecedent ed econom ic grow t h

"

...that's Ireland.It's awonderful place, but nobody ever goesfor the weather." OwenDara

"Choosing Signs" Jessica Lancast er and Bet sy Douds on locat ion in Cork

"Choosing Signs" shot on locat ion in Cork

One such im m igrant is a Russian housekeeper nam ed Svet lana, w hose no-nonsense at t it ude and unabashed honest y set in m ot ion drast ic changes t hat cause each of t he charact ers t o not only reconfigure t heir lives, but t o also quest ion t heir st eadfast beliefs.

Writ t en & direct ed by Ow en Dara St ars: Jessica Lancast er, Ow en Dara, Bet sy Douds, Jerem iah Ocanas, St iofán Wyley

?The Holy Fail? is a com edy caper set in Cork It 's about a m an (Ow en Dara) w ho is desperat ely t rying t o save a m arriage, in w hich his w ife (Jessica Lancast er) is get t ing bored of t he life t hey creat ed t oget her In an effort t o save t he relat ionship, he at t em pt s t o show his w ife how excit ing he can be by agreeing t o rob a safe w it h his best friend. Wit h his w ife ent husiast ically on board, t he couple, along w it h t w o of t heir w acky friends, plot t o com m it t he robbery What next ensues is a hilarious series of event s as t he unlikely crim inals st um ble t hrough t he planning and

execut ion of w hat t hey believe t o be a just ified crim e. In spit e of a series of m ishaps, t hey seem t o be on t he road t o success, but unfort unat ely for t hem , t hey are ill- equipped for t heir great est challenge--- the wrath of an Irish nun. Writ t en & direct ed by Ow en Dara. St ars: Jessica Lancast er, St iofán Wyley, Ow en Dara, Sean McNally, Mairin Prendergast , Kevin McCorm ack, Frank Prendergast , and Judy Donovan

Dara's

charact ers find out w hat any Cat holic school kid can t ell you; Don't m ess w it h t he nuns!

Green as it get s, t he lush colors in t his yard in Cork ar e evidence of Ireland's nat ural beaut y

w w w Ow enDara com

From t he Gram m y-aw arded violinist and educat or Eileen Ivers, know n for her unique m usical st yle and blue violin, com es t his uplift ing st ory of st anding up for yourself www.amazon.com/dp/B09KMGH838

Music Bus Tours in IRELAND for 2023

Hurry, the April 2023 tour has already sold out before this announcement!!

June 24 - July 1, 2023 Seat s Available July 3 - 10, 2023 Seat s Available

Our two 2022 tours sold out quickly, so we are hosting 3 tours

in 2023. Check out this short video ? hear about these amazing tours and what folks have to say: Click Here for Eileen's Video perhaps a Christmas present for yourself, or your family? Join me, with my husband Brian and son Aidan, for a week of sights,

sounds, stories, tunes and fun as we travel the beautiful ruggedness of Ireland?s Wild Atlantic Way ...AND, if you play an instrumentfeel free to bring it along and join in on the tunes! Whether you are there to clap along or to play along, a mighty craic will be had by all!

Belf ast Based Irish Ch ef Paul Wat t ers

Our contributing Celebrity Chef has been creat ing dishes and preparing great food for over 30 years He has w orked all over t he w orld from t he Savoy Hot el in London t o as far aw ay from Ireland as t he Sydney Opera House, Aust ralia. A few years ago, Chef Paul ret urned t o Belfast and cont inued t o w ork at som e t op rat ed hot el rest aurant s During t he lockdow n he set up a cooking page on Facebook t o share his love of food and cooking. Chef Paul also st art ing w rit ing about cooking for m agazines and papers around t he w orld. We are delight ed t o be associat ed w it h him

Chef Paul's Facebook page is called: sim ple t ast y healt hy by pw

For t he salad

1/ 2 w hit e cabbage shredded

1 / 2 red cabbage shredded

2 carrot (peeled and grat ed)

4 figs (cut int o quart ers)

4 cherry t om at oes (cut in half)

1/ 2 bunch of picked coriander

2 t ablespoons of lem on olive oil

2 t ablespoons of pom egranat e syrup

1 t easpoon of dried Habanero pepper. First of all prepare the salad by mixing both cabbages along with the carrot lemon olive oil and salt and pepper.

Then gather a large pan to a medium heat and drizzle a little rapeseed oil and and add the chicken. Cook for 4-5 minutes each side and allow to rest. Arrange the salad on a large bowl or plate place the figs and tomatoes around the plate. Place the chicken on top add the chili flakes and sprinkle the Habanero spice around the plate. Enjoy

Killinchy Co Down Apple* Crumble

Served with Custard with Co Down blackberries, raspberries and figs

you w ill need you w ill need

700g cooking apples (peeled, cored and cut int o chunks)

3 t ablespoons of cast er sugar

1 t easpoon of vanilla essence

115g plain flour

40g dem erara sugar (plus 1 t ablespoons for sprinkling)

45g cold but t er (diced)

4 t ablespoons of porridge or m useli

150g of blackberry

150g of raspberry

150g of figs

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (400F) Place the apples in a saucepan along with the caster sugar vanilla essence with 2 tablespoons of water. Cook until soft. Don't be afraid to taste them halfway through as some people like them sweet if so add a little more sugar. Transfer to a greased oven proof dish.

The cust ard

100m l of double cream

350m l of w hole m ilk

2 large egg yolks

1 1\ 2 t easpoon of corn=flour

50g cast er sugar

1 t easpoon of pure vanilla .

For t he crum ble

Place t he flour dem erara sugar and but t er in a m ixing bow l. Mix w it h your fingers or in a m ixing bow l unt il t he m ix resem bles a breadcrum b consist ency. St ir in t he porridge or m useli m ix w ell and scat t er over t he apples and t he ext ra sugar and bake for 45 m inut es unt il golden brow n

Place the cream and milk in a saucepan and gently bring to slightly below boiling point. Gather a large mixing bowl and whisk the yolks, cornflour, sugar and vanilla until the sugar has dissolved gradually pour into the

hot milk and cream whisking continuously. Wipe your saucepan and pour your mix back into it (chefs tip slowly stir with a wooden spoon) until thickened. Serve & Enjoy Chef PW

New s & Com m ent ary By John McNally

US Leaders back Irish Unit y and defend t he Good Friday Agreem ent

.

In Bali, at t he G20 m eet ing of w orld leaders, President Biden rem inded Rishi Sunak, t he new est Brit ish Prim e Minist er, of Brit ains obligat ions t o prot ect t he Good Friday Agreem ent and t he need t o negot iat e a resolut ion w it h t he European Union on t he Brexit Prot ocol Sunak responded t hat t here w ould be a set t lem ent before t he 25t h anniversary of t he GFA in April 2023.

US Senat e Majorit y leader

Chuck Schum er , w ho w as honored as;Hibernian of t he Year by t he Bronx Ancient Order of Hibernians, said, ?t here w ill be no t rade deals done if t here is any backsliding on t he Good Friday Agreem ent , w hich has ushered in a period of peace and t he possibilit y of equalit y and shared prosperit y.? Schum er, an advocat e for Irish Unificat ion, also crit icized t he Brit ish governm ent 's proposed am nest y bill and support s increased legal Irish im m igrat ion t o t he US in exchange for allow ing

m ore Am ericans t o ret ire in Ireland.

Brian Fit zpat rick, Republican Congressm an and ranking m em ber of t he House?s European subcom m it t ee on foreign affairs, said t hat regardless of t he m akeup of t he next congress, Republicans and Dem ocrat s see eye-t o-eye and share a st rong bipart isan posit ion on support for t he Good Friday Agreem ent and t he right s of vict im s of t he conflict t o t rut h and just ice.

Mairéad Farrell, Sinn Féin TD for Galw ay West / Sout h Mayo, visit ed Chicago recent ly for an event com m em orat ing t he Hunger St rikers, sum s it up w it h; "Irish Am erica has alw ays been a rock of support and resource t o our Irish freedom m ovem ent . From t hose w ho fled t he great hunger and found a safe haven on t hese shores, t o t hose w ho built t he great Am erican cit ies like t his one w e st and in t oday and w ho never forgot w here t hey cam e from "

John McNally, our feat ured w rit er and Irish Com m unit y Act ivist and Colum nist shares his t hought s on t he lat est new s and t rends concerning Ireland and Irish Am erica.

Different opinions and view s are essent ial in any. free societ y. We deeply appreciat e our press freedom s. Now , m ore t han ever, it is im port ant t o have Irish Com m unit y act ivism , diversit y and input .

Pict ured at t he Bronx Hibernians' Aw ard Dinner: (L t o R) Mart in Galvin, Senat or Charles Schum er, form er Congressm an Pet er King, Pat ricia Megahey, and Hibernians Nat ional Vice President Sean Pender

Photo by Nuala Purcell Photo courtesy of THEIRISH ECHO

The View from Ireland Out Before Christ m as

By Maurice Fit zpat rick

Keir Starmer, leader of the UK Labour Party and of the Opposition, isnot notorious for his repartee or hisoratory. Although he doeshis best, he is usually less than riveting. Even so, he had a fine moment in the House of Commons during the dying days of Liz Truss?Prime Ministership Citing a book that is being written about her, he mentioned that it would be ?out before Christmas? He then asked if that was the schedule of the book?s release or its title Truss had introduced a mini-budget to funnel tens of millions into the pockets of the rich. After announcing the mini-budget, Truss?Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng, made a beeline to clink glasses with City of London traders who have made a fortuneout of the tsunamis that have washed over the British economy since Brexit However, this time the fallout of the Conservative Party?sfinancial mismanagement was devastating and immediate. Noneof these tax cuts were funded, so the international bond markets became nervous, and the sterling plummeted Truss has no gift for explanation and every time she opened her mouth sterling lost value She instantly became a leader in nothing but name

The former governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, encapsulated theeconomic wreckage of the past six years in Britain when he told the Financial Times in October: ?In 2016, the British economy was 90% the size of Germany?s Now it is less than 70%?. Carney also recalled reporting on the day of the Brexit referendum result, in June 2016, as the pound?s value fell from $1 50 to $1 33 in a few hours At the time of writing the pound is worth $1 17 and former US Secretary of the Treasury, Larry Summers, thinks it will reach parity

The analogy between theformer DUP Leader Edwin Poots and Liz Truss is irresistible Both espouse politics that are not of this earth Neither of them can give an interview Both have had terms of leadership that are counted not in years but in days: Poots resigned as leader of DUP after 21 days; Truss?term of office extended 44 days. Both won the leadership position over candidates who (for all their many faults) were undoubtedly better able for the job Rishi Sunak would never have authored the mini-budget with which Truss destroyed herself and much else besides; Jefferey Donaldson lost to Poots but, when Donaldson subsequently replaced Poots, he succeeded in stanching the haemorrhage of support from theDUP The spiral of events that followed the ?mini-budget?was worthy of a five-ring circus. There was thebizarre spectacle of Truss sending one of her junior colleagues to take Leaders Questions? in the House of Commons on the pretext that Truss was busy with other matters Instead, Leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordant, fielded questions, one of which queried if Truss was hiding under a table. There is an iron law in politics not to answer such a question head-on. Either denying or affirming elicits jeers Yet Penny Mordant was not found wanting and added to the Conservative Party meltdown: she confirmed that the PM was not hiding under a desk, and the House ofCommonsrocked with laughter When Truss, who had been abundantly mocked for her absence, emerged and sat on the front bench, shelooked on as Penny Mordant continued to take the Leader?s Questions.

On October 19th Truss maintained that she was ?not a quitter?. The following day she quit. In a statement she read outside Number 10 Downing Street, Truss said: ?This morning I met the chairman of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady? Enough said bBoris Johnson had to walk the same plank in July Brady was right to make such bold interventions of course. Any more of Truss?or Johnson?s behaviour could have given the?Mother of Parliaments?a bad name.

In July thiscolumn suggested that Rishi Sunak was the most likely next prime minister of the UK Prime Minister. Instead, the Conservative Party opted for the near-suicidal option of staking its reputation for governance in Liz Truss. Sunak had to take the scenic route, but by October 24th Sunak had fended off the opposition, such as it was, to become the UK?s third prime minister within two months Sunak?s roleis to calm the markets that have threatened to overwhelm the UK economy He made millionsin the City of London and surely understands what hispredecessor failed tobgrasp: when faced with a vacuum and instability the markets retaliate Much has been made of the installation of a slightly more realistic UK prime minister as inaugurating better relations between London and Dublin over the Northern Ireland Protocol There is a lot of wishful thinking bound up in that as this UK government seems likely to continue to use the protocol as a bargaining chip to wrangle more concessions from the EU

As an example of the enduring cynicism, witness the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland calling a snap assembly election Now that Christopher Heaton-Harris has realised too latethat neither the threat of an election, nor the imminent reality of one, has caused the DUP to reverse its position on refusing to return to the assembly in protest against Northern Ireland Protocol, he cannot decide what to do about the election he called ? and his authority is gone Stable and reliable cooperation will probably only resume when the Labour Party replaces the Conservatives.

Meanwhile, the Conservative Party juggernaut splutters on Since December 2019, its support has more than halved (from 43% down to around 20%) Their central ambition now seems to be to last for as long as they can before electoral annihilation in a general election If they keep their heads, they might even make it to April Fool?s Day.

Merry Christ m as t o all our friends & readers! In January, w e w ill be publishing our Annual Year In Review Issue. We invit e

our readers t o subm it phot os and capt ions from any event s or gat herings t hat you at t ended during 2022 Send jpegs or pngs t o Pat rick at Irishm issive@gm ail com

t he Irish Art s and Ent ert ainm ent 's Celt ic Com m unit y Out reach Boot h at Seaside

ABOVE: Team McNult y parent s squad looking great in t heir San Francisco Oireacht as McNult y shirt s! The parent s kept get t ing quest ions about t he event because ot her parent s t hought t hey w ere w orking it - a t ribut e t o McNult y professionalism ! Thank you t o all t he part ent s for t heir dedicat ion and hard w ork! McNult y phot o at San Francisco Marriot t Marquis.

Ow en Dara and Jessica Lancast er at t he Irish Spot light Dara, w ho is finishing t he m usic for his t hird feat ure film , w as kind enough t o represent t he Irish Arts and Entertainment at t he event on Oct ober 16. See feat ure on his project s on page 12 of t his issue w w w.ow endara.com .

Three w onderful Irish film s w ere prem iered t o Am erican audiences at t he 23rd Annual Irish Spot light t his year. See coverage here. The real st ars of t he show how ever w ere t he Irish Spot light Team and t he t alent ed st udent s from t he McNult y School of Irish Dance (See link and ad t his issue on page

John McNally and Jim McMahon at

Online Genealogy Course Wint er 2022

Ulst er Hist orical Foundat ion's last online Genealogy Course of 2022 is set t o begin on 23 Novem ber and w ill run unt il 17 January, 2023. Take t he t im e t his w int er t o get t o furt her explore your fam ily hist ory, gain a bet t er underst anding of t he archives and genealogical sources in Ireland

Tidings of t he Falcon Aut hored by Gregory Brendan

Pat rick

Just in t im e for Christ m as, t his book w as m ade possible by t he t alent s of form er Sout hern California Rose and aut hor Brianna Kingsley and Universit y Professor Gw endolyn Alley. And m ost of all t he dedicat ed edit orial genius of California art ist Kat hie Warren

Tidings of t he Falcon is a hom age t o Celt ic hist ory and legend as w ell as w orld hist ory, involving such diverse set t ings as m edieval France and ancient Celt ic Brit ain. The st ories feat ure hist oric heroes and renegades such as rebel queen Boudicca, Robert t he Bruce of Scot land, t he Leper King of Jerusalem , t he Knight s Tem plar, and even Vlad t he Im paler of Rom ania

The lavishly illust rat ed volum e has aut hent ic m edieval art , especially from Ireland's very ow n Book of Kells

IRISH M USIC News& Reviews

Christmas, Silent Night, Ding Dong

Merrily on High,and m any m ore, w ill ring t hrough t he t heat re as t he orchest ra, choir and audience join forces in a delight ful aft ernoon t o celebrat e t he holidays. A fest ive event for t he ent ire fam ily!

Sing your w ay int o t he season w it h joyful holiday favorit es. A fun-filled sing-along w it h orchest ra and choir, and a w onderful w ay t o celebrat e t he holidays w it h t hose you love!

Jingle Bells, Deck the Halls, I?ll be Home for Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, White

Greg Pat rick

Tidings Cont inued

The book is t he aut hor 's love let t er t o Ireland, her art , and hist ory

To order, please click the link below: bit .ly/ 3XGOFqy

Wit h Em m y-nom inat ed conduct or Charles Fernandez, t he Sound of Christ m as Cham ber Players and Choir, and narrat or Sheelagh Cullen.

Decem ber 18 m arks t he last show of t he season, see ad and t icket link on t he back page of t his issue.

Ireland?s Future was established to advocate for, and promote, debateand discussion about Ireland?s future, including the possibility and viability of new constitutional arrangements on the Island We arenot a political party and are not affiliated to any political party.

Merry Christ m as and Happy New Year t o all our Advert isers, Fam ily Friends and Subsribers, Thanks t o all of you for a great 2022! We do have one final favor for t his Decem ber;

PLEASE PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS!

We are able t o keep our digit al m agazine going and our Subscript ion Rat e really low because of t hem

We are also able t o offer our Very Irish Perks VIP deals & discount s because our advert isers support our readers and appreciat e your business.

An Irish Christ m as and St . Pat rick's Day In Ireland

Over t he last couple years a force has em erged in Irish Music & Dance via Kerry Irish Product ions under t he direct ion of Margaret O'Carroll. Am azing st age show s t hat have becom e Irish Tradit ions. Som ehow during, t his sam e t im e, t w o m agnificent Christ m as CDs w ere produced and sold t oo!

Ticket s for all show s and Christ m as CDs can be found at : w w w.kerryirishproduct ions.com

Irish Arts & Entertainment's VERY IRISH PERKS (VIP) PRIMER

The VIP program is a very im port ant com ponent of our subscript ion program . It has a m ult it ude of posit ive fact ors built int o t he program It serves as a bonus/ rew ard syst em for spending hard cold cash on our publicat ion AND it is a good net w orking t ool for t he Publisher. We are able t o at t ract subscribers and advert isers t o our publicat ion and keep t hem int erest ed w hile delivering great Irish int erest cont ent and inform at ion t o our readers The advert isers benefit by having a readership int erest ed in our excit ing niche m arket and t hey can t arget our readers w it h special offers. The volum e m akes it w ort hw hile for t hem t o part icipat e.

The Pandem ic has set us all back a bit in one w ay or anot her and w e are rebuilding our VIP benefit s package. We w ere count ing on discount s and deals at pubs and event s but t hat plan is now on t he back burner as t here are few event s and pubs need volum e t o m ake t he discount s pract ical In t he m eant im e, w e are w orking hard t o line up new offers for our subscribers Throughout t his Buying Guide, w e have som e list ings on good deals and w e w ill be adding special offers t o our w ebsit e as w e find t hem One VIP, w e have now of int erest is Buy ONE SUB and get a Gift Subscript ion! Be sure t o check out t he Very Irish Perks each issue and on our Facebook pages.

VERY IRISH PERKS VIP CLUB

All subscribers become members of our VIP Group.

Current ly w e are offering som e really good prom ot ions and as t he Pandem ic eases w e w ill add m ore.

At Present : O'Brien's On Wilshire in Sant a Monica w ill give our subscribers a Free Appet izer w it h purchase w w w.obriensla.com

Go t o t he m enu click here

The Irish Im port Shop has becom e a VIP Afiliat e so you can sign up for your sub at a discount and pay t here as of t his w eek! The Irish Im port Shop also ext ends 10% OFF all purchases t o our Subscribers See Page 2 for his ad and num ber! An am azing offer for our ow n VIP Mem bers and Subscribers! Buy a GIFT SUBSCRIPTION bet w een now and Decem ber 23rd. and w e w ill give you a FREE ONE YEAR

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THE PLOUGHBOYS

Saturday, December 17; it?s beginning to look a lot like Christmas; why not share the season with the Ploughboys? Griffin?s of Kinsale, 1007 Mission St, South Pasadena, 9:00- midnight. Sure, it?s the holiday season, but the only present you have to bring is for you to be present

Sunday, Decem ber 18 Sound of Christ m as com es t o Sout hern California w it h sing-along event s at 3 m ajor SoCal venues Tw o are past so San Diego is t he last show for 2022!

Caroling is a t im e-honored Christ m as t radit ion t hat brings joy t o ent ire com m unit ies The Sound of Christ m as Sing-Along is a special w ay for all ages t o celebrat e t he holidays

LAST CONCERT OF 2022 at t he Balboa Theat re in San Diego on Decem ber 18 All concert s are at 2:30pm www.ticketmaster.com

Celt ic Art ist St eve O'Loughlin Exhibit : Now t o January 14, 2023

From the artist Steve O'Loughlin; "So excited to be exhibiting my ICU Goodbye painting for the first time It is such a hard topic and I thought it might never get shown Painted in the summer of 2020 when the pandemic was raging and fear was near it's peak. It was inspired by the stories of nurses having to face-time families as their dear ones passed in isolation I combined this with my own experience of my own father's death in the ICU [Intensive Care Unit] in 2017. He was surrounded by our whole family, and though hard it was a beautiful sad goodbye Covid denied families this difficult but cathartic experience I wanted acknowledge the suffering of the patient, the loved ones and honor the medical workers who performed this difficult task."

LINKS & LISTINGS for Com m unit y Event s are FREE Com m ercial/ For Profit Ads and Prom ot ions are very cost effect ive We can prom ot e your business or event in all our publicat ions and plat form s as low as $150. per quart er or per event !

For det ails Jim 's Cell: 951 216-1493

jim @pubguide.com

ALL ABOUT THREAD

Thread is Steve O'Loughlin's Street Artist name "Happy to announce the website for the collaborative work from Steve O'Loughlin, Daniel Richmond and myself up and running www threadartgallery com

All our recent and upcoming works will be showcasing on site so keep up to date by joining our mailing list Happy to announce the website for the collaborative work from Steve O'Loughlin, Daniel Richmond and myself up and running www threadartgallery com

All our recent and upcoming works will be showcasing on site so keep up to date by joining our mailing list."

PRE-SALE TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

The t radit ion cont inues at Sant a Anit a Park! The day aft er Christ m as m eans Opening Day at The Great Race Place and t he st art of t he inaugural Classic Meet . Plus, get a FREE (w it h paid adm ission w hile supplies last ) 2023 Sant a Anit a Wall Calendar! Their is a deep connect ion w it h m any Irish and Irish Am ericans in general because of our love of horses and t he generat ions of horse t rainers, jockeys and ow ners Many SoCal Irish

The Irish Arts & Entertainment This year w e celebrat ed 30 years as California's prem ier Irish publicat ion!

We st art ed in Sant a Monica in 1992 as t he Irish News of California

We alw ays w ant t o hear from you, your com m ent s, event s list ings and subm issions are alw ays accept ed. St art ing w it h t his issue,

folks have fond m em ories of t he Great Am erican Irish Fair being held at t t he World Fam ous Sant a Anit a t rack in Arcadia for m any years

Opening Day Experiences

OPENING DAY GENERAL SEATING

(GENERAL ADMISSION / / BOX SEATS* / / FRONTRUNNER SEATS* )

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Ticket s & Info Online w w w sant aanit a com

w e are enhancing t he experience of being a subscriber by expanding our Very Irish Perks and by t he first of 2023, w e w ill fully launch our Might y Irish Net w ork.

The fledgling sit e is already up and subscribers w ill be sent det ails about it t his m ont h Com m ent s & Quest ions, please em ail: jm cdonough44@gm ail.com

VERY RARE PROHIBITION ERA COLLECTOR'S CERTIFICATE

Also know n as a Bonded Whiskey Warehouse Receipt Only a few t housand of t hese Cert ificat es w ere ever print ed during t he Prohibit ion Era and only a few hundred are know t o exist t oday. The value w ill only increase, The 100t h Anniversary of t he Repeal Of The Volst ead Act has only increased aw areness of one of Am erica's biggest blunders so int erest is grow ing in rare it em s like t his Aut hent ic Cert ificat e! Order NOW: jim @pubguide.com ONLY $175. from Mac's Collect ibles w it h FREE Priorit y Mail.

t reat for t he w hole fam ily feat ures m ult i-inst rum ent alist s from t he Kerry Tradit ional Band led by t he great Ryan McKasson on fiddle. As t he explosive sound of bodhrán, fiddles, uilleann pipes, guit ar, flut es, and dancing feet roar t hrough t he t heat re, you w ill be t ransport ed t o t he Em erald Isle for an unforget t able Irish night