Easter Special, Irish Arts & Entertainment, April 2023

By

Fit zpat rick

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Irish Calendar

Irish Com m unit y List ings

W & Celt ic Cam era Start on Page 26

Subm it your calendar it em s t o: irishm issive@gm ail.com

Irish Arts & Entertainment

The opinions expressed by our w rit ers are t heir ow n and do not necessarily convey t hose of t his m agazine, our publisher or st aff.

Publisher & Managing Editor

Jam es M McDonough

Writers

Tina Day

Maurice Fit zpat rick

Jim McDonough

John McNally

Barbara Singer

Pat rick Weld

Press Relations

Al Geiener

Graphics/ Ad Design

Jim , Pat rick & Freelancers

Sales Reps

Jim & Pat rick

Layout & Typos

Jim & Pat rick

Cont act Us Via Em ail:

irishm issive@gm ail.com

Jim 's Cell: 951 216-1493

All Copyright s 2023 by McDonough Media

Let t er From THE PUBLISHER

Dear FriendsandReaders

Happy East er!

The East er Celebrat ions and Sales in Ireland are in full sw ing and I am happy t o report for t he first t im e ever I am in Ireland in Warrenpoint , Count y Dow n t o share t his great East ert ide experience w it h our readers!

Our publicat ion has been Irish CaliforniaCent ric for m ost of t he t im e t hat w e have been publishing That has been changing a lot in t he last couple years as t he Irish scene in t he great er Los Angeles area changes and w e keep hearing of am azing t ours t hat do not plan on a California visit s We have been publishing w ell received feat ures and new s t hat has a m uch w ider Irish Am erican appeal Now , w e are in Ireland and w e are get t ing a w arm recept ion as an IRISH Magazine,

There is an unlim it ed am ount of m at erial t o cover here The lit erary and m usical hist ory and t radit ions of Warrenpoint and surrounding t ow ns run deep I first heard of t his area t hree years ago w hen t he t he Irish Art s & Ent ert ainm ent joined forces w it h Harbouurside Radio t hen locat ed here t o livest ream and produce our joint project Alone/ TOGETHER for t he St Pat rick's Day t hat fell in 2021 (Act ually in t he second year of t he Pandem ic w hen w e w ere all seriously rest rict ed in our m ovem ent s )

You can st ill see t he highlight s of t hat broadcast on our YouTube Channel: CLICK HERE

We w ill have several st ories from here and from som e of our ot her great cont act s and sources t hroughout Ireland in our May issue t oo We have several t rips planned including sailing up t he Irish coast t o Belfast next w eek on a t all ship built in 1892

The East er Rising of 1916 is an im port ant part

of fairly recent Irish Hist ory. Being here and going t o an East er Com m em orat ion service in Sout h Arm agh should be a very excit ing and m oving experience. Enjoy your holiday, w e w ish all of our readers, fam ily and friends a very blessed East er Season! Cásca sást a

Jim McDonough

Riverdance Ret urns To Los Angeles

t o t he Dolby Theat re in Hollyw ood from April 18 ?23; One Week Only.

Riverdance 25t h Anniversary Show is Riverdance, as you?ve never seen it before! A pow erful and st irring reinvent ion of t his beloved favorit e, celebrat ed t he w orld over for it s Gram m y Aw ard-w inning score and t he t hrilling energy and passion of it s Irish and int ernat ional dance. Com poser Bill Whelan has rerecorded his m esm erizing soundt rack w hile producer Moya Dohert y and direct or John McColgan have com plet ely reim agined t he ground-breaking show w it h innovat ive and spect acular light ing, video, st age and cost um e designs

Immerse yourself in the extraordinary power and grace of its music and dance?beloved by fans of all ages. Fall in love with the magic of Riverdance all over again.

Abhann Product ions is t hrilled t o announce t hat t he 25t h anniversary product ion of Riverdance w ill cont inue it s crit ically acclaim ed t our in over 50 cit ies across Nort h Am erica in 2023 Riverdance com plet ed a successful 40-cit y Nort h Am erican Tour w hich m arked t he dance phenom enon?s long-aw ait ed ret urn t o st ages aft er t he COVID-19 pandem ic shut dow n The 2022 t our included a sold-out , t w o-w eek inaugural run at Washingt on DC?s hist oric Kennedy Cent er

Riverdance Continued

Also, a special perform ance for President Joe Biden and Speaker of t he House Nancy Pelosi and m any nat ional t elevision appearances . The 2023

Riverdance 25t h.Tour recent ly kicked off w it h a special perform ance on Am erica?s Got Talent , seen by over 7 m illion people across t he count ry.

GUINNESS SIX NATIONS RUGBY

Ireland st art ed and finished st rong!

rIeland Won t he SIX NATIONS t his year? See t he det ails online:

www sixnationsrugby com

Six Nations Rugby is the official organising body of the annual Six Nations Championships and Autumn International Series.

The 2023 Six Nations Championship is the 24th Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales Working in partnership with its member unions and federations in England (RFU), France (FFR), Ireland (IRFU), Italy (FIR), Scotland (SRU) and Wales (WRU), Six Nations Rugby has responsibility for the promotion and operation of

UPCOMING CLASSES& EVENTS

New s & Com m ent ary

By John McNally

US Role In Good Friday Agreem ent

The Good Friday Agreem ent signed 25 years ago heralded t he end of decades of violent conflict , euphuist ically know n as The Troubles, w as probably t he m ost successful US foreign policy achievem ent in t he past 50 years Prim ary negot iat ors w ere Tony Blair represent ing Brit ish int erest s, and Bert ie Ahern, represent ing Irish int erest s, but m ost agree US involvem ent w as int egral t o t he t reat y's success Bold st eps by President Clint on changed t he dynam ic of t he deadlocked sit uat ion, but t he how and w hy of t his are oft en forgot t en

The Irish Republican m ovem ent had been gradually shift ing t ow ards polit ics since t he elect ion of hunger st riker Bobby Sands t o t he Brit ish Parliam ent in 1981 Alt hough a st alem at e, t he w ar dragged on for anot her decade before t he Adam s-Hum e init iat ives and t he Dow ning St reet Declarat ion exposed a pat hw ay t o peace The Brit ish and t heir Unionist allies required an end t o republican violence before peace negot iat ions could begin, and t he IRA did not t rust t he Brit ish t o negot iat e in good fait h An int ernat ional dim ension could break t he im passe and ensure t he Brit ish honor t heir agreem ent s Irish Am ericans num bered as m any as 40 m illion and had gained subst ant ial influence since arriving poor and st arving in Am erica in t he 19t h cent ury While cam paigning for t he presidency in 1992, Bill Clint on adopt ed t he cause of ending t he Troubles t o get t he Irish Am erican vot e but also because it w as t he right t hing t o do Clint on w ent against t he advice of t he St at e Depart m ent , FBI, and CIA and jeopardized our special relat ionship w it h long-t im e ally Brit ain Inst ead, he list ened t o t he likes of Congressm an Bruce Morrison, Senat or Ted Kennedy, publisher Niall O'Dow d w it h his cont act s in Sinn Fein, and t he m any Irish Am erican organizat ions w ho saw t his as t he t im e t o apply som e new w orld know -how t o an old-w orld conflict Clint on gam bled t hat t he m agic w ould happen if w e could get all t he part ies around a peace t able

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 .

In 1994, Clint on allow ed Sinn Fein President Gerry Adam s int o t he US for a speaking t our ending censorship of t he Irish Republican side of t he st ory And lat er, he allow ed Friends of Sinn Fein t o set up an office in Washingt on DC for fundraising and lobbying The subsequent IRA ceasefire should have led t o peace t alks, but inst ead, t he Brit ish and unionist s added republican decom m issioning of w eapons t o t heir prequalificat ion t o be part of t he negot iat ions.

Aft er 18 m ont hs w it hout all-part y t alks, t he IRA ret urned t o a lim it ed m ilit ary cam paign t hat ended aft er Clint on appoint ed Senat or George Mit chell our first Special Envoy and sent him t o chair t he peace negot iat ions. Mit chell' s m ediat ion bet w een t he part ies w as crucial t o t he success of t he t alks and saw t hem t hrough t o t he signing of t he Good Friday Agreem ent (GFA) in 1998. The GFA has w orked im perfect ly but largely kept t he peace as it m oved t he Anglo-Irish conflict from a securit y/ m ilit ary st ruggle t o a polit ical cont est . In one sense, it ' s an agreem ent t o disagree, a fram ew ork for set t ling differences t hrough polit ics. Unionist s got t heir principle of consent (of t he m ajorit y Nort hern six-count y populat ion), and Nat ionalist s got t he pot ent ial for a border poll should t he people decide t o join t he rest of Ireland. For t he first t im e in hist ory, t here's a peaceful and dem ocrat ic pat hw ay t o Irish Unit y and t he Irish Republic.

See McNally Continued on Page 11

WE ARE OPEN DAILY FOR INDOOR & OUTDOOR DINING SERVING BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER

NOW OPEN OUR NEW COFFEE BAR LOCATED NEAR OUR BAKERY IN THE GIFT SHOPPE

John McNally Continued from page 8

The border poll w as a long shot before Brexit . But t he Nort hern Irish people benefit ed from being m em bers of t he European Union, and t he m ajorit y vot ed t o rem ain in t he EU.

The idea of a unit ed Ireland is becom ing increasingly m ore likely w it h pow er and populat ion shift s t ow ard Irish nat ionalist s.

The crow n jew el of t he GFA w as est ablishing a Nort hern Irish governm ent at St orm ont , w hich t he Dem ocrat ic Unionist Part y current ly refuses t o join. Not surprising since t hey w ere t he only part y t o cam paign against t he GFA in 1998.

President Biden w ill be in Ireland for t he 25t h Anniversary of t he GFA, and Form er US President Bill Clint on, form er UK Prim e Minist er Tony Blair, and form er Taoiseach Bert ie Ahern w ill at t end com m em orat ive event s at Queens Universit y, Belfast .

I

w

Irish Am ericans w ere never m uch of a vot ing bloc, st ill, w it h t he Friends of Ireland Caucus, w ell-placed business individuals, groups like t he Brehon Law Societ y, Ancient Order of Hibernians, and several Labor Unions, w e have subst ant ial polit ical clout .

Addit ionally, all should support t he Good Friday Agreem ent , not just Irish Am ericans

The View from Ireland Still Crazy After 25 Years

By Maurice Fit zpat rick

The timing of the brokering of the Windsor Framework could hardly be more propitious for most of its stakeholders. Those who wish to implement it in the UK, Irish and US governments and across the EU all have the wind at their backs The UK has faced waves of dissatisfaction with the economic downturn resulting from Brexit, manifesting principally in strikes across crucial public service providers It needed a ?victory?to placate its discontented population. While Northern Ireland is of no interest to the British public, the prospect of a trade deal with the EU certainly is and that has a direct effect on their lives. The EU had made a trade deal contingent upon bedding down the Northern Ireland Protocol, or the Windsor Framework as it is now known after it was put through the political and PR laundromat (washed down with tangible improvements on the regulation of goods travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland).

The Irish government is obviously relieved that the interminable playacting over the Protocol seems to be over Since Brexit, when the Irish government signs off on an aspect of Northern Irish affairs the EU is almost certain to support it Like the EU, the US also made a trade deal with the UK conditional upon the Northern Ireland Protocol So, Washington can look forward to better relations with London now That also chimes well with the appointment of Joe Kennedy as Special Envoy to Northern Ireland and President Biden?s April visit to Ireland Moreover, a large majority who live in Northern Ireland are greatly relieved that the economic limbo in which they have been suspended now appears to be nearly over They can make the pitch that Northern Ireland enjoys unique access to the EU and UK markets; Washington is lending credibility to that claim with the promise of a surge of investment in Northern Ireland So, everyone is happy? Of course not Welcome to Northern Ireland

At time of writing, the DUP, the largest unionist party, and the cause of the ongoing suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly, has not endorsed the Windsor Framework One action of the party is ?taking time?to scour the legalese of the dense agreement before declaring its position; the other wing, led by Sammy Wilson and Ian Paisley Jr , has already repudiated the advances of the agreement Even so, the Prime Minister of the UK, Rishi Sunak, has taken ownership of this deal, and he has enough support in Westminster for the protocol to pass through And the Leader of the Opposition, Keir Starmer, has also pledged to

support it So, if the DUP continue to oppose it, they will only further distance themselves from the mothership Leader of the DUP, Jeffrey Donaldson, who has not yet declared his position on the agreement, is anxious to bring his party with him in whatever policy he espouses It is not clear what he will do, but if he does embrace it one aspect of the agreement is likely to be central to his attempt to sell it to his party The ?Stormont brake?clause in the agreement enables a group of 30 Northern Irish Assembly members (out of 90) to block an EU law if it can demonstrate that that law will negatively impact the lives of their constituents.

Alternatively, a group of 30 could attempt to trigger the break if they can demonstrate that a new EU law represents a democratic deficiency (since Northern Ireland no longer has political representation in the EU). In practice, such a demand, if made, will almost certainly come from unionists and it is certainly possible that unionist members of the assembly could muster the requisite 30 votes.

However, they should think three times before doing so. The ?brake?must ultimately be pulled by the UK government, which would have to decide whether remonstrating with the EU over a Northern Irish grievance is in its interests. Even the most pro-unionist British government will be unwilling to do so since London?s priority will be its trade deal with the EU. Given how contemptuous London has been towards unionism since Brexit, it is almost impossible to imagine London acting in accordance with such a petition from unionists. London has repeatedly used Northern Ireland as a political football in its negotiations with the EU since 2016, and it has never worked. The Tories, under Rishi Sunak, appear to finally have faced reality. They will convey that reality to unionist politicians who attempt further wreckage.

The ?brake?is being sold as a sop to Northern unionists, allowing them to claim that they held out and extracted this and other concessions from the EU However, the ?brake? , if exercised, would put them in the position of supplicant to London and tee themselves up for yet another betrayal if London dismisses their concerns and refuses to negotiate with the EU London will remain deaf to the claims of many in the DUP, and to all in the party on its right flank, the Traditional Unionist Voice, that the agreement constitutes a ?democratic deficit? . So, the Windsor Framework is here to stay, and it will be implemented one way or another.

Northern leader of Sinn Féin, Michelle O?Neill, might soon be sitting as First Minister of Northern Ireland

The next act will be the Northern leader of Sinn Féin, Michelle O?Neill, sitting as First Minister of the Northern Ireland Assembly Sinn Féin will hope that that can happen before President Biden?s visit so the party can display to the world?s television cameras that the agreement which they signed on Good Friday 25 years ago is a triumph In that scenario, the DUP may be sulking in the corner, but at least they would not have walked away as they did during the Good Friday Agreement negotiations in 1998. Such is progress in Northern Ireland. In the long run, the DUP can deny evolution, but they cannot stop it.

Riverdance w ill be live in Los Angeles at t he Dolby Theat re from April 18 t o April 23!

The Riverdance Am erican Tour st art s on January 10 in Sarasot a, Florida and plays in LA t his Spring! Ticket s are on sale. For over 25 years, nothing has carried the energy, the sensualit y and t he spect acle of

Riverdance A pow erful and st irring reinvent ion of t his beloved favorit e, celebrat ed t he w orld over for it s t hrilling energy and passion of it s Irish and int ernat ional dance Im m erse yourself in t he ext raordinary pow er and grace of it s m usic and dance?beloved by fans of all ages

Since Riverdance began perform ances in Dublin in 1995, t he show has...

- Played m ore t han 15,000 perform ances

- Been seen live by over 28 5 m illion people w orldw ide

- Played t hroughout 48 count ries across 6 cont inent s

- Played t o a global t elevision audience of m ore t han 3.5 billion people

- Sold over 3 m illion copies of t he Gram m y Aw ard-w inning CD

- Sold 10 m illion Riverdance videos & DVDs

- Riverdance holds t he Guinness World Record for t he ?Longest Riverdance Line?

- 2500 of t he next generat ion of dancers have at t ended Riverdance Sum m er School and learned t he iconic Riverdance st eps

M on d ay, T u esd ay,

W ed n esd ay & T h u r sd ay: 12 N oon to 11:PM

Fr i d ay: 12 N oon to 2:A M

Satu r d ay: 9:A M to 2:A M

Su n d ay: 9:A M tPM

NOW OPENING APRIL !%

These ast ounding sea cliffs locat ed in Count y Clare are w ort h t he drive t o see such a nat ural w onder as t his Photoby RichardAtkins

Aft er t he excit em ent of t ow n, head for t he Sheen Falls Lodge

The quaint lit t le t ow n of Kenm are w as next , buzzing w it h energy including an enjoyable flea m arket surrounding t he t ow n square.

It ?s a m yst ical place in t he Irish count ryside w here you can enjoy horseback riding, archery, golf at t he nearby Kenm are Golf Club, bicycling, not t o m ent ion a fit ness room , spa and culinary delight s at t he Falls rest aurant I have t o say t hat t he Sheen Falls Lodge experience is unequivocally, off-t he-chart s, glorious

We arrived next in Dingle and st ayed at t he Greenm ount House B & B, a charm ing accom m odat ion overlooking Dingle Bay Gary Curran is t he highly inform at ive host of t he propert y w hich feat ures a delicious breakfast , a piano parlor and cozy guest room s From t he B & B, it ?s a short w alk int o t ow n for great pubs w it h even bet t er m usic as w ell as fine dining offerings t hat m ake a killer, seafood chow der. For a day t rip, t he Slea Head Drive is 2 hours around t he Dingle Peninsula and undoubt edly t he m ost spect acular drive on t he planet

The bust ling t ow n of Lim erick cam e next as w e st ayed at t he St rand Hot el overlooking t he river Shannon.

"If you?ve never seen the Cliffs of Moher you are truly missing a spectacular site."

.....Richard

No Therainhashadarippleeffect causingustodelay our openingby oneweekend. Our closingdateremainsthesame.

By Popular Dem and, The School of Night present s t he Aw ard-Winning Ret urn of

?Bat t lesong of Boudica?

Opening April 9 at The Hudson

Taken from t he hist ory and legend of t he Iceni Warrior

Queen Boudica, fam ous for her bloody uprising against t he invading Rom ans in 61 A D The School of Night ( Punch and Judy, Klingon Tamburlaine, Hercules Insane, The Final Girl and m ore acclaim ed product ions present s Battlesong of Boudica, ret urning aft er it s aw ard-w inning 2022

Hollyw ood Fringe prem iere Writ t en and direct ed by School of Night co-founder Christ opher William Johnson and feat uring fellow co-founder and m ult iple aw ard-w inning fight choreographer and act or Jen Albert as Boudica, Battlesong of Boudica is an ancient saga of t he iron age, a prim al spect acle of pow er and revenge t old in song, spoken verse, dance and epic st age violence

Perform ances w ill run April 9 t hrough April 30 at The Hudson Backst age in West Hollyw ood

The legions of conquering Rom e have sw ept across t he m ist -shrouded island of Brit annia and subdued m ost of it s w arring, disunified t ribes. On t he advice of his consort Boudica, Chief Prasut agus of t he Iceni t ribe, has forged an alliance w it h t he occupying Rom ans in hope of preserving his people?s libert y. But w hen Prasut agus is conscript ed by Rom e and killed in bat t le, Rom an law refuses t o recognize Boudica or her young daught ers as t he deceased chief ?s heirs For resist ing t he confiscat ion of her fam ily?s ancest ral hom e by t he Rom ans, Boudica is flogged, and her daught ers brut ally assault ed. Savaged, dishonored, and discarded for dead, Boudica seeks a bloody revenge

Securing t he chiefdom of her t ribe by t rial of fight , Boudica sends w ord across Brit annia: Rise up, unit e and push t he Rom ans out . Soon all of Celt ic Brit annia is in revolt , rallied beneat h t he banner of War Chief Boudica

But t he st eeled force of Rom e int ends neit her surrender nor ret reat And so, t he st age is set for an epic bat t le, t he subject of legends and songs sung across t w o m illennia

Battlesong of Boudicais a fast -paced act ion-packed hist orical dram a filled w it h visceral onst age bat t les, raw and savage fight and dance choreography, innovat ive st agecraft , and a haunt ing m usical score com plet e w it h an on-st age percussionist It is a m ust -see product ion t hat t ells t he t im ely and relevant st ory of a significant hist orical figure of t he ancient w orld, a fierce w om an and devot ed m ot her w ho w as w ronged and sought an epic and hist ory-alt ering revenge

?A ret urn t o early t heat rical principles,Battlesong of Boudicais a prim al, t ragic, cat hart ic, spect acle t old in poet ic verse,? says Johnson ?A hist orical piece t hat explores several very cont em porary issues, includingcolonialism , sexism , revolut ion, and m ult icult uralism (just t o nam e a few ) t hat doesn't offer a sanit ized or predet erm ined set of conclusions/ posit ions on t he t opics We hope audiences get a lit t le m ore fam iliarit y w it h a fascinat ing place and t im e in hist ory as

Saul,Dhar Mann) plays Agricola,Payt on Cellaplays Legionary,Sara Gorsky(aw ard-w inning act or,Broads You Should Knowpodcast ) plays Mebdh,Brad C Light (Entropy)port rays Decianus,Chloe

Madriaga(Nimrod,Klingon Tamburlaine,Nothing is the Same)plays Percussionist ,Christ opher

Neim an(Entropy,Hercules Insane) plays Paulinus,Trist an Rew ald(The Crucible,A Doll?s House) t akes on t he roles of Cerialis and Gladiat or,Lacey Rosew allis t he underst udy for Brenda and perform s in t he final w eekend,Lucy Schm idt (Bonestall Studios&Incorporeal Investigationspodcast s) plays Kerm a,Allegra Rodriguez Shivers(Earth Eclipsed&Mortuusvoice act ing roles) plays Brenda,Jack TenBargeport rays Caut rix,Jesse Jam es Thom as(Ovat ion Aw ard nom inat ed Fight Direct or) plays Cam ulos,Frank Tirim accoplays Legionary, andDan Wingard(La Bête,The Swine Show) port rays Archdruid

The creat ive t eam forBattlesong of Boudicaincludes light ing designerAiden de Jong, Linda Muggeridgeis cost um e designer,Ryan Beveridgeis t he com poser and sound designer.Kat e Colem anis t he dance choreographer andAndrew Lem anis t he graphic designer The st age m anager isMichelle Elizabet h Vasquez

Christ opher William Johnsonis a co-founder of The School of Night for w hom he has direct edPunch and Judy,The Final Girl,The Troublesome ReignandLamentable Death of Edward II,Hercules InsaneandKlingon Tamburlaine Ot her Los Angeles direct ing credit s includeMarian or the True Tale of Robin Hood,Entropy,The Pity of Things ?Desert Aria(all at Theat re of NOTE) andHenry VI,Part I(The Product ion Com pany). Before relocat ing t o Los Angeles, Christ opher w as t he founding art ist ic direct or of Chicago?s hist oric Defiant Theat re for w hom he direct ed product ions ofMacbeth,Titus Andronicus,Hamlet,A Clockwork OrangeandDope, as w ell as w orld-prem iere adapt at ions of St ephen King?sApt Pupiland Thom as Harris?sRed Dragon Johnson has appeared as an act or at t he Goodm an Theat re, Chicago Shakespeare Theat er, Lyric Opera, Chicago Opera Theat re, Redm oon Theat er and The Building St age He current ly oversees t he prop and w ardrobe depart m ent s at t he Asylum w here he has w orked as a screenw rit er, product ion designer, art direct or and act or

Jen Albert is an act or, producer, aw ard w inning fight choreographer and an Int im acy Direct or She is an em erit us com pany m em ber of Babes w it h Blades, Chicago?s first all-fem ale st age com bat t heat re com pany She is current ly a facult y m em ber at Art of Act ing ? t he St ella Adler St udio of Act ing Conservat ory, w here she t eaches st age com bat and is t he resident Fight Choreographer and Int im acy Direct or. Som e Los Angeles fight choreography credit s include:Klingon Tamburlaine(Ovat ion Aw ard nom inee),Hercules Insane,The Final Girl,Edward IIandPunch and Judy(SON) (LADCC aw ard for Fight Choreography,

Stage

Raw Nominee),An Octoroon,

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

NOW WITH By Date& On Going Listingsand Links

Are you t aking advant age of our Very Irish Perks? Act now and SAVE 10% at The Irish Im port Shop!

Subscribers receive a code for exclusive deals and discount s . The code com es w it h your VIP Card.

Int ro t o Irish Language Class Ret urns!

The Celt ic Art s Cent er 's Int roduct ion t o t he Irish Language class w ill begin on Monday, March 6, 2023 at 7PM via Zoom and w ill cont inue w eekly on Mondays night s w it h a few except ions such as holidays and ot her special event s For exam ple, t he Celt ic Art s Cent er w ill be having it s St . Pat rick?s Day celebrat ion on March 13, and t here w ill be no class on t hat evening

This online class assum es no prior know ledge of t he Irish language; if you have already been exposed t o it , t his class m ay serve as a refresher course on t he basics The prim ary m at erials are "Progress in Irish" and "Gaeilge Gan St ro - Low er Level", bot h of w hich m ay be purchased online The course inst ruct or, Jam es Murphy, w ill be circulat ing t he init ial course m at erials as w ell The first few classes w ill focus on pronunciat ion

If you are int erest ed in part icipat ing or w ould like m ore det ails, please em ail us at language@celt icart scent er.com .

CIACLA'S IRISH FILM SHOWCASE!

April 8

Now In it s fourt h year, t his excit ing fest ival has grow n t o m ult iple screenings t o celebrat e t he best of Irish Film , feat uring som e of Ireland's m ost excit ing

MORE

TRIVIA

Wednesdays

The Harp Inn Irish Pub Pour House Trivia

Every Wednesday Evening at 7;00pm THE HARP

130 E. 17t h. St .

Cost a Mesa, CA w w w.harpinn.com

See O'Brian's Pub above for t heir Wednesday det ails

Sundays

MacLeod Brew ing

Trivia Night

w w w m acleodale com

film m akers, including t w o

Academ y Aw ard Nom inees: t he

short film 'An Irish Goodbye' & feat ure film

'The Quiet Girl / An Cailín Ciúin'

FullProgram Announcem ent ! Book Your Ticket s Now ! Full info & Ticket s

/ film

PUB QUIZES & TRIVIA

Mondays

The Auld Dubliner

Every Monday w e host Trivia Night , gat her your friends and com e in t o com pet e and enjoy a pint

The Auld Dubliner

71 Pine St . Long Beach, CA w w w.aulddubliner.com

O'Brien's Irish Pub

Trivia Night s are Mondays and Wednesdays

Monday st art s at 8PM t ill 10:30PM WED: 8PM t o 10PM

Form a t eam or t ry t o form one at t he pub Play for cash prizes of $150. No ent ry fee

O'Brien's Irish Pub

2226 Wilshire

Sant a Monica, CA w w w.obriensla.com

Wednesdays

Ye Olde King's Head

Brit ish Pub & Rest aurant

Trivia in t he pub at 7:30pm

116 Sant a Monica Bl Sant a Monica, CA w w w.yeoldekingshead.com

ht t p:/ / t ruet hom as com / w eblog/

w w w.friendsofsinnfein.com

The King's

Head

in Sant

a

Monica

has added a COFFEE BAR!

Coffee Lovers rejoice, t he King's Head Shoppe and Bakery are now serving som e of t he best select ions of coffee and specialt y drinks in all of Sant a Monica and t he West Side!

The are also purveyors of exlusive coffees in bulk! A t im ely gift for t he coffee fans on your list !

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

NOTICE FROM: The Irish Arts & Entertainment

This past 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 are expanding our base and coverage, 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, 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. In addit ion w e w ill be post ing on Medium also.

Com m ent s & Quest ions, please em ail:

jm cdonough44@gm ail.com

The Might y Irish Net w ork Is Expanding ...lntroducing Irish Cyber Spaces

We have a fledgling Irish Social Media Sit e and you can join us by sim ply subscribing t o t he Irish Arts & Entertainment. Subscribers also becom e m em bers of t he Might y Irish Net w ork and you are enrolled in our Very Irish Perks, (VIP) deals and discount program .

Excit ing Changes Com ing For t he Irish Com m unit y In California

Aft er alm ost t hree years of fear, lock dow ns and rest rict ions; based on t he final w eeks of 2022 and feedback w e have been get t ing from advert isers, friends and readers w e m ay w ell be headed int o a period of opt im ism and st abilit y t hat has been m issing during t he pandem ic.

Int erest ingly, opt im ism is ram pant in t he Irish Com m unit y even as nat ional econom ic and polit ical pundit s are t out ing every ilk of dow nt urn and m ayhem in business and

governm ent sect ors. We are seeing a t rend; m any (m aybe even a m ajorit y) people are rising above negat ive uncert aint y and t he gloom and doom polit ical rhet oric com ing from our polit ical elit e class Trends t hat w e recent ly experienced w ere packed pubs t hroughout t he World Cup sold out concert s and Christ m as show s, a lot of Holiday part ies and Seasonal Celebrat ions st art ing w it h Hallow een and t hrough New Year 's Eve This all point s t o a m ore robust 2023 w here w e all st art doing m ore, t raveling m ore and sim ply em bracing our lives m ore.

For our part , w e are pledged t o do all w e can t o spread t he new s about all t he w onderful event s, experiences and project s t hat are in st ore for our readers and t he Irish/ Irish-Am erican Com m unit y in Sout hern California.

Our best and im m ediat e new s is t hat st art ing next w eek, all of our readers have a new online sit e t o bot h creat e a voice for t hem selves and t o find out about all m anner of event s and people w ho share t heir love of ALL THINGS IRISH! Just click below t o join!

IRISH