Irish Arts & Entertainment January, 2023 Year In Review for 2022

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

Ean ái r

There are a lot of doom and gloom predict ions float ing around again t his t im e of year from m any groups, inst it ut ions and people from every persuasion and w alk of life For t he m om ent and for t his piece, w e choose t o ignore all of it and t he glum out look. Inst ead t his m essage is about hope, grat it ude and progress It is not necessarily All Irish eit her

There is m ore good and m ore prom ise now in t he w orld t han ever before. More choices on w hat t o do and m ore inform at ion and know ledge available t o m ore people t han ever before in t he hist ory of hum ans. Technological advances across every aspect of hum an endeavors have t he pot ent ial t o ext end hum an life and alleviat e m ore hum an m isery and w oes t han ever before.

There is no doubt t hat w e as societ ies and people com pet ing t o survive have enorm ous obst acles ahead of us Accept ing t hat w orking t oget her t o solve our problem s and t o m eet our expect at ions seem s t o be w hat is m issing Com pet it ion t o creat e ideas, goods and services is a great syst em How ever, in em bracing com pet it ion as t he answ er t o

everyt hing is sim ply a m ist ake

To m e, t he great est error in recent hist ory, w as Am erica and t he West 's approach t o enduring t he Pandem ic Billions w ere spent and draconian m easures w ere put in place t o solve our collect ive problem . Most ly, pouring billions of dollars t o drug com panies t o com pet e in developing a vaccine and forcing everyone t o t ake it w as deem ed t he only solut ion.

It w as w rong. It w ould have been bet t er t o have concent rat ed on get t ing as m any at risk individuals as possible isolat ed and t reat ed At t he sam e t im e, just a fract ion of t he billions w ast ed closing dow n t he econom y and societ y could have been used t o im prove diet and nut rit ion for everyone The vaccine should have been developed by one ent it y, a t ask force of som e kind. The point here is w e should ALWAYS allow com pet it ion of ideas and never again close dow n dissent . It is Un-Irish & Un-Am erican. Now on t o grat it ude. We have an obit on page 10 in t his issue for a great friend of t his publicat ion since w e st art ed. Joseph Kevin Drum m ond died lat e last year. I last saw him t his past sum m er at t he Irish Fair in Long Beach I w ill m iss him as he w as alw ays a

great source of ALL THINGS IRISH.

One of t he absolut e best aspect s of st art ing t his publicat ion and running it for 30 years has been t he am azing people t hat I have m et and exchanged craic and ideas w it h

We really appreciat e our readers and subscribers We have had t housands of you over t he years and it has been an honor for all of us associat ed w it h t he Irish Art s and Ent ert ainm ent t o convey our st ories and t hought s t o you

Good t hings are com ing as w e st art our 31st . year!

Our Very Irish Perks for subscribers is grow ing and w e have a lot of det ails on new deals and discount s com ing soon

Last ly, our Might y Irish Net w ork is now live, so please join is t here,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Jim McDonough, Publisher

Jim McDonough

Tickets On Sale NOW

St . Pat rick's Day In Ireland TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED

St . Pat rick?s Day in Ireland! delivers a night of ?rip-roaring m usic, song and dance? ?(Irish New s & Ent ert ainm ent ).

This t reat for t he w hole fam ily feat ures cham pion dancers from t he w orld of Riverdance, Celt ic Fyre, Celt ic Wings, Lord of t he Dance and An Irish Christ m as. Toget her w it h m ult i-inst rum ent alist s from t he Kerry Tradit ional Band w it h t heir explosive sound of fiddles, uilleann pipes, bodhrán, guit ar and flut es

Kerry Irish Product ions' Tribut e To Irish Dance and Music Ret urns For Lim it ed Engagem ent s

roaring 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 night ? and you w ill leave t he t heat re w it h a jig in your st ep!

A perfect St . Pat rick?s Day celebrat ion for t he w hole fam ily!

" The epit om e of fam ily ent ert ainm ent , t oget herness and Irish life? (Irish Art t s and Ent ert ainm ent )

As seen on PBS, ST PATRICK?S DAY IN IRELAND IS .A GREAT IRISH NIGHT!

Win a pair of t icket s t o Dublin Sim ply subscribe t o t he Irish Art s & Ent ert ainm ent and you are ent ered t o w in R/ T LAX t o Dublin / Econom y Seat s!

We w ill st art your subscript ion im m ediat ely and bill you via PayPal or you can pay by check Lim it ed Tim e Offer, Only $20 For det ails or quest ions? Em ail: irishm issive@gm ail.com

WELCOME BACK!

As w e ret urn t o norm al, w e are looking forw ard t o m ore,concert s event s, night s out and m ore visit s t o our favorit e pubs. One of t he best is t he Auld Dubliner in Long Beach. The am biance, libat ions and food are all first rat e and t hey have garnered a w ell deserved reput at ion for present ing a great line up of Irish groups and m usicians

See calendar of t his issue for a list ing of t he act s booked for t he next few w eeks

KUDOS t o t he good folks at t he Auld Dubliner for t heir effort s in helping w it h t he Irish Fair and Music Fest ival in Long Beach t his past June t oo!

The Auld Dubliner adjacent t o t he fest ival sit e w as t he place t o be for a n epic Irish gat hering aft er t he event . The Young Dulbliners w ere all on hand at t he pub and a t ruly m em orable evening of great craic and m usic ensued

On the right More good times Ken O'Malley and Terry McCart an perform ing and a birt hday part y for Ken!

Kevin Drum m ond

We m ourn t he loss of Kevin Drum m ond, w ho left us last Sunday Kevin "Caoim hín" w as a relent less advocat e for Irish hist ory, film , dram a, language, Celt ic scholarly event s, and general cult ure He w as alw ays ready t o share w hat he learned about a new Irish film or a bit of hist ory He helped set up Irish classes in t he Sout h Bay w hen t here w ere few in Sout hern California. We served t oget her on t he t radit ional m usic and language area of t he local Irish Fair for m any years. There w asn't a t im e in t he m any t im es w e m et over t he decades w hen w e didn't share a few w ords "as Gaeilge". It w ill cert ainly not be t he sam e w it hout him Ni bheidh a leit head aris ann

Submitted by Denis Doyle and John McNally

HOGMANAY

Full Throt t le Scot t ish New Year Celebrat ions!

Our Celt ic Kin of Scot land are know w orld w ide for t heir devot ion t o Whiskey and Hogm anay! Here is t he how and w hy of t he old w ays dat ing from pagan t im es up t o t he Eight h t he Cent ury Vikings, Scot land m ark t he arrival of t heNew Year w it h part icular passion in a holiday t hey callHogm anayt hat draw s on t heir hist ory of Viking invasions, superst it ion, andancient pagan rit uals. Hogm anay's origins dat e back t o pagan rit uals t hat m arked t he t im e of t hew int er solst ice Rom an celebrat ions of t he hedonist ic w int er fest ival of Sat urnalia and Viking celebrat ions of Yule (t he origin of t he 12 days of Christ m as) cont ribut ed t o celebrat ions in Scot land around t he New Year

These celebrat ions and ot her cerem onies evolved over t he cent uries t o becom e t he Hogm anay holiday celebrat ed in Scot land t oday. During t he Middle Ages, t he pre-exist ing pagan w int er fest ivals w ere overshadow ed by t he feast s surrounding Christ m as, Christ ian holy days. Follow ing t he Reform at ion in Scot land, how ever, celebrat ion of Christ m as w as discouraged, and so t he gift -giving and celebrat ion t hat accom panied Christ m as elsew here t ook place at New Year, giving rise t o t he uniquely Scot t ish celebrat ion of Hogm anay.

Pict ured here, t orchlight parade in Edinburgh

The various local t radit ions found in Scot land relat ing t o fires also hark back t o t he ancient past In t he pagan w int er celebrat ions, fire sym bolized t he new ly resurgent sun com ing back t o t he land, and bonfires w ere believed t o w ard off evil spirit s dw elling in t he darkness Fires st ill are a m ajor part of Hogm anay celebrat ions, w it h t orchlight processions, bonfires, and firew orks popular t

hroughout Scot land

Anot her cust om know n as "first foot ing" dict at es t hat t he first person t o cross a hom e's t hreshold aft er m idnight on New Year 's Eve w ill det erm ine t he hom eow ner 's luck for t he New Year The ideal visit or bears gift s? preferably w hiskey, coal for t he fire, sm all cakes, or a coin? and should be a m an w it h a dark com plexion. Why? The answ er goes back t o t he 8t h cent ury, w hen t he presum ably fair-haired Vikings invaded Scot land: a blond visit or w as not a good om en.

Kevin Drum m ond, Irish and Gaeilge com m unit y st alw art and great friend t o t his publicat ion Pict ured here w it h his friend Denis Doyle

The View from Ireland Polit ical Apologies

By Maurice Fit zpat rick

A fervour t o acknow ledge w rongdoing and t o apologise has gripped t he polit ical class in Ireland. just now. Several recent public expressions of cont rit ion and at t em pt s at expiat ion are consequent ial and w ell w ort h exam ining as are t he acknow ledgem ent s t hat fell short of full apologies

Exhibit A cam e from t he new ly reinst alled Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, w ho spoke at a conference about four ant i-Treat yit es killed during t he civil w ar 100 years ago On Decem ber 8t h, 1922, Rory O?Connor, Liam Mellow s, Dick Barret t and Joseph McKelvey w ere execut ed in prison by t he Free St at e. Varadkar acknow ledged t hat t he killings w ere unconst it ut ional since t he four m en w ere denied a t rial and t herefore t he killings const it ut ed ?m urder by any definit ion? . That w as an im port ant st at em ent from t he leader of Fine Gael, since it w as t he governm ent of Fine Gael?s founding fat her, W T Cosgrave, t hat aut horised t he m urders It is also not able t hat t he head of governm ent can acknow ledge t hat t he first Irish Free St at e governm ent aut horised m urder but has not , for t he t im e being, offer an official st at e apology for it

A st at e apology in t he form of an exonerat ion w as fort hcom ing for form er Irish soldier, Dónal de Róist e, in Decem ber. As t he Troubles began in 1969, a groundless accusat ion t hat de Róist e w as involved w it h ?subversives?led t o his being ?ret ired?from t he arm y 53 years lat er, Minist er Sim on Coveney apologised t o de Róist e and acknow ledged t hat he should have been ?afforded t he m ost basic procedures of nat ural just ice and t he right t o defend him self and his good nam e?

Next cam e form er governm ent m inist er, Alan Dukes, w ho part icipat ed in a docum ent ary t elevision series t hat screened in Decem ber about Sean Quinn, once Ireland?s richest m an. Dukes?hist ory w it h Quinn dat es t o w hen Dukes glided nicely from governm ent int o a t op banking job As form er chairm an of Anglo-Irish Bank, Dukes w as part of a m ove t o seize Quinn?s businesses aft er a fat al invest m ent decision by Quinn heralded t he collapse of his em pire a decade ago The host ilit y bet w een bot h sides endures and a form of cult ure w ar salt s t he w ound:

Quinn claim s t hat a cot erie of est ablishm ent figures, backed by t he ?Dublin-based m edia? , conspired t o t opple a m an from t he econom ically depressed border region. Dukes show ed his hand in t he docum ent ary. He said: ?Border people have it in t heir blood. They are living in com m unit ies t hat have a long hist ory of violence of different kinds. They are m ore easily t urned t o it t han anybody else? w het her t hey have Provo links or B Special links or w hat ever, it ?s som et hing t hat is nearer t o t he w ay t hey t hink t han it w ould be t o som ebody in sout h Tipperary? Possibly t his w as Dukes?w ay of praising people from sout h Tipperary, but it w ent dow n like a zom bie bank in t he border region The record of successive governm ent s depriving t he border region rem ains bit t er and t he form er m inist er ?s insult is a neat encapsulat ion of t he at t it udes t hat inform ed such policies. To t ake a m easure of how relat ively accept able Dukes?view s are in Ireland, consider w hat t he consequences w ould have been for Dukes if he had opined t hat an et hnic group is ?m ore easily t urned t o? violence Dukes apologised: ?Those rem arks w ere ent irely unjust ified They offended a great m any people and I apologise unreservedly? He also helpfully added: ? I shouldn? t have said it in t he w ay t hat I said? I?m saying it [violence] happens m ore quickly in border areas? So, Dukes now just needs t o apologise for t he apology and spend som e t im e in t he border count ies.

Next up w as leader of Sinn Féin, Mary Lou McDonald.

McDonald responded t o Wexford hurling m anager, Liam Griffin, w hose fat her w as a policem an killed by t he IRA, and w ho lam bast ed t he IRA as ? t hugs and m urderers?at a book launch

Avoiding t he use of t he w ords ?m urder ?and ?crim e? per t he Sinn Féin song sheet , McDonald ext ended her ?sym pat hy, m y heart felt sorrow , and on behalf of t hose w ho w ere hurt or harm ed by republicans in any guise in any set of circum st ances, t o offer a heart felt apology? .

Possibly t he m ost consequent ial apology cam e from Sinn Féin?s Spokesperson on Housing, Eoin Ó Broin In Sept em ber, Ó Broin said t hat t he chief econom ist in t he Depart m ent of Finance, John McCart hy, ?should be sacked? A polit ician rounding on a civil servant is never a good look, but t he t im ing w as part icularly bad The public w as aw are of t he penchant of t he past t w o disgraced leaders of t he Conservat ive Part y in t he UK, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, for firing civil servant s and t hen m aking disast rous decisions w it hout advice So Ó Broin paid doubly for his im prudence.

Ó Broin em ailed McCart hy: ? I w ant ed t o apologise t o you for com m ent s I m ade at a debat e on housing at a fest ival in Roscom m on a num ber of w eeks ago. The rem arks w ere w holly inappropriat e and I have publicly ret ract ed t hem I apologise for unnecessarily draw ing you int o t his public debat e and w ish again t o reit erat e m y regret t hat I m ade t hese rem arks in t he first inst ance? McCart hy accept ed t he apology w it h good grace How ever, t he civil servant now has t his apology in t he bank since t he w ould-be Minist er for Housing has creat ed a host age t o fort une. If Ó Broin becom es Minist er for Housing in a fut ure governm ent , and if he ever dared t o at t em pt t o fire McCart hy, it w ould surely be Ó Broin?s head t hat w ould roll.

This is t he sam e Ó Broin w ho t his t im e last year said t hat form er leader of his part y, Gerry Adam s, should apologise for a video he m ade in w hich Adam s conflat ed t he Christ m as jingle (t ra la la la la) w it h t he IRA?s m ant ra t iocfaidh ár lá lá lá lá lá Elect ed represent at ives of Sinn Fein w hose sight s are firm ly fixed on form ing t he next governm ent could do w it hout rem inders of t hat bloody past . Ironically, Ó Broin?s call for an apology m ay have m ade it harder for Adam s t o apologise and t he part y leader, McDonald, said not hing Apparent ly, a m em ber of Sinn Féin publicly asking Adam s t o apologise is a st ep t oo far

The polit ical apologies of recent m ont hs in Ireland have ranged from full responsibilit y t o acknow ledgem ent , from avoidance st rat egies t o w easel w ords They t ell us a lot about t he exact param et ers of t he posit ions behind t he apologies.

Mary Lou McDonald of Sinn Fein

New s & Com m ent ary

By John McNally

Joseph (Joe) Kennedy III,

a grandson of t he lat e U.S. president ial candidat e Robert Kennedy and grand-nephew of t he lat e U S President John F Kennedy, has been confirm ed in t he role of new U.S. Special Envoy t o t he Nort h of Ireland.

.

Joe Kennedy III t he new Special Envoy, w hose appoint m ent had been lobbied for by Irish Am erican groups, w ill be arriving at a crit ical t im e w it h Brexit underm ining t he relat ionship bet w een Brit ain and Ireland The presence of t he Special Envoy along w it h a visit t o Ireland by President Biden for t he 25t h anniversary of t he Good Friday Agreem ent in April, m ight also provide t he dynam ic needed t o rest ore pow er-sharing and Nort h-Sout h cooperat ion

Joe Kennedy III is t he son of Joe Kennedy II, w ho w as out spoken on t he Nort h w hen he w as in Congress, once t elling Brit ish t roops t o" go hom e" w hen he w as st opped and searched in Derry

Joseph Kennedy III

The president of t he Ancient Order of Hibernians, Daniel J. O'Connell w elcom ed t he appoint m ent saying, " The Ancient Order of Hibernians, t he largest Irish Am erican organizat ion in t he Unit ed St at es, w elcom es t he appoint m ent of Joseph P. Kennedy III t o t he role of U.S. special envoy t o Nort hern Ireland. The President has clearly show n t he im port ance t hat t he adm inist rat ion places on t he role of t he U.S. Special Envoy, sending a clear m essage of t he ongoing U.S. com m it m ent t o t he peace and prosperit y of t he com m unit y of Nort hern Ireland."

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

Ways and Means Com m it t ee Chairm an Richard E Neal, co-chair of t he Friends of Ireland Caucus said,"Massachuset t s?-ow n Joe Kennedy has been a friend t o t he island of Ireland and underst ands t he im m ense progress t hat has been m ade since t he Good Friday Agreem

ent

As Special Envoy, he w ill be a cat alyst for st abilit y and dem onst rat e t he Unit ed St at es' enduring com m it m ent t o peace Now is t he t im e t o look ahead t o w hat 's possible, and I t hank President Biden for m aking t his crit ical appoint m ent . "

Previous envoys include form er Senat or George Mit chell, w ho w ent on t o play a key role in negot iat ing t he Good Friday Agreem ent . The last envoy w as Sout h Carolina polit ician Mick Mulvaney, w ho w as appoint ed by form er president Donald Trum p Ot her previous envoys include Richard Haass and Gary Hart

In a t w eet confirm ing his appoint m ent , Mr Kennedy said, "An incredible honor t o be appoint ed Special Envoy t o Nort hern Ireland for Econom ic Affairs. Look fw d t o w orking w it h t he Biden Adm in t o reaffirm US com m it m ent t o Nort hern Ireland and t o prom ot e econom ic prosperit y and opport unit y for all it s people "

In a t w eet confirm ing his appoint m ent , Mr Kennedy said it w as "an incredible honor "

IRISH M USIC News& Reviews

New Release & Profile

Dublin's Keith Burke -

Songwriter, Musician and Storyteller

Subm it t ed by Pauline McDerm ot t of Im pact Prom ot ions

Vet eran Dublin Songw rit er Keit h Burke is one of Ireland's best kept secret s He has released t hree original album s His debut " The Dancer w ho St ole your Shoes" achieved crit ical success in 2004 receiving t he Hot press "Pick of t he fort night " On t he st rengt h of it his band w ere invit ed t o play a series of t elevised concert s in It aly and lat er t hree dat es in t he 2005 Guinness Cork Jazz fest ival. The album had nat ional radio play on RTE 1 and New sTalk, as w ell as m any regional radio st at ions

In 2007 he recorded his second album , invit ing m usicians t o play such as renow ned blues pianist Salvat ore Urbano and w orld-fam ous saxophonist , t he lat e John Earle "No One Want s t o Move" w as launched in May of 2008 and again t racks from t he album received play on nat ional Irish radio, w ere select ed as Tony Fent ons ?daily dow nload? and w ere used for t he credit s on a TV show on Set ant a Sport s. Keit h?s m usic is oft en played on songw rit er t hem ed radio show s such as Pet er Grogan?s ?It ?s all in t he song? on Dublin Cit y Fm . In Bavaria, Germ any, t ouring band

Mac C&C Celt ic Four ? regularly close t heir energet ic live show s w it h Keit h?s song ?Love and Rom ans?

2016 saw t he release of ?These Boys?, Keit h?s t hird album , recorded by Gavin Glass in Orphan St udio and feat uring his long-t im e friends and live-m usicians Sinead Madden (Fiddle), Anja Kuncic (Piano) and Dave Mooney (Bass). ?These Boys? led t o concert s in (and being invit ed backt o) Pit t sburgh USA, Cairo Egypt and Beirut Lebanon.

In 2018 he released t he single ?Every seaside t ow n? and m oved t o spend a year in Milan It aly He played several show s locally, flying in Irish m usicians t o join him and

set t o w ork w rit ing t he songs t hat m ake up t he bulk of his upcom ing album Since his ret urn t o Dublin, he?s played support t o Irish bands Bagat elle and Aslan several t im es, as w ell as host ing his ow n show case concert s

KEITH BURKE

The Dublin art ist has w rit t en, arranged and w it h t he help of producer Ant hony Gibney, recorded songs for t he new album in Audioland St udios in Lexlip. ?Before you go? w ill be t he second single from t he upcom ing album and w ill be released on 20t h Jan 2023

Contact: 00 353 863102489

Email: keithaburke@gmail com Links

Instagram: @keithburkemusic

Youtube: https://www youtube com/keithburke Twitter: @keithaburke

https://soundcloud com/keithaburke

https://www songkick com/artists/7494324-keith-burke https://keithburke bandcamp com

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ie/artist/keith-burke/274154953

https://music.apple.com/ie/artist/the-kb-band/257494067

Spot ify

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

The m et hod

For t he falafel com bine all t he ingredient s t oget her unt il sm oot h in a food processor and t ransfer t o a large bow l Rinse t he food processor as it w ill be used again for t he red pepper dressing Gat her a lit t le flour in your hands t o prevent t he m ix from st icking and shape t o t he size of your choice Unt il finish and refrigerat e for a few hours before cooking

For

t

he red pepper dressing

Blend in t he jar of roast ed red pepper in t he food processor along w it h t he garlic and salt and pepper blend unt il sm oot h t ransfer t o a bow l and add t he yoghurt and m ix w ell

The m int ed yoghurt dressing

Mix t oget her t he m int , yogurt lem on juice and a lit t le salt and pepper if you w ant

Preheat t he oven t o 180 and place t he falafel on a oven proof dish or t ray and drizzle a lit t le olive oil over t he t op and cook for 15 m inut es

Once cooking arrange t he salad on a large bow l or plat e and drizzle t he dressing over t he t op and around t he plat e or bow l once falafel is cooked place falafel around t he dish and sprinkle t he red pepper pow der on t op

Killinchy Co Down Apple* Crumble

Served with Custard with Co Down blackberries, raspberries and figs

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 Place the cream and milk in a saucepan and gently bring to slightly below

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.

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. Once crum ble is ready if you w ant m ake it look fancy gat her a large round cut t er and cut int o t he crum ble and place in t he cent re of t he plat e t hen spoon t he cust ard around t he plat e t hen arrange t he fruit and dust w it h a lit t le icing sugar and serve and enjoy. CHEF PW

March Highlights

Grif Healy, of t he Irish Fair Foundat ion and David Copley. David is a w ell know n Publican and new Irish Fair Board Mem ber as w ell as a longt im e part icipant and volunt eer at t he Irish Fairs and Irish Com m unit y Leader

NASA PHOTO

Vent ura Saint Pat rick's Parade in March, '22 Submitted by John McNally

Laura Crocket and Grif Healy at O'm alley's on March 18, 2022. The st aff at O'Malley's On Main in Seal Beach and David Copley also did an am azing job host ing t he LA Civic Day lunch and aw ard present at ions last March w hen last m inut e Covid rest rict ions closed t he Los Angeles Cit y Hall For a feat ure on t he Irish Civic Day and list of Aw ard Winners: CLICK HERE

FAIRS

FESTIVALS IN

PLOUGHBOYS

Th e Irish Art s En t ert ain m en t ' s Year In Review f or 2022

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

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Tr ini and Willie Quinn enjoying AN IRISH

Right: Winter Solstice 2022 in Northern Hemisphere was at 4:47 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, December 21 The Winter Solstice has been live streamed from Newgrange in Ireland since 2007. This past summer, I got to visit Newgrance, a long time dream! Amazing, place and I want to go back and spend a few days in the area. If anyone wants to go; please contact me: jmcdonough44 2gmail.com www.newgrange.com/webcast.htm

CHRISTM AS show in Sant a

From the artist Steve O'Loughlin; "So excited to be exhibiting my ICU

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

The Riverdance

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 sensuality and the spectacle of Riverdance.

A powerful and stirring reinvention of this beloved favorite, celebrated the world over for its thrilling energy and passion of its Irish and international dance Immerse yourself in the extraordinary power and grace of its music and dance?beloved by fans of all ages.

Am

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

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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