CHICAGO IRISH CRAIC host, Commissioner Frank Avila of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, interviews Tim McDonnell, Executive Director of the Irish American Center Center, 4626 N. Knox Avenue, Chicago, IL 60630, 773/282-7035 about their upcoming activities. Tim is a first generation Irish American with a great passion for Irish history, music, and traditions. He holds a BA in English from Wake Forest University. McDonnell’s diverse background and experience in Marketing, Development, Consulting, Sales, and Irish Studies make him an asset to the Executive Director position. On top of his experience and an amazing professional reputation, he brings an unquestionable passion for all things Irish along with a boundless energy for everything the Center represents. "Céad Mile Fáilte" The Irish American Heritage Center is one of the premiere Irish cultural organizations in the United States. It is a destination for people of Irish descent as well as those who wish to learn more about the Irish heritage. There's no place quite like the Irish American Heritage Center when it comes to providing the very best in Irish culture through the arts, history, education, dance and social outlets. "A Hundred Thousand Welcomes!" Incorporated in 1976, the Irish American Heritage Center is a non-political, non-denominational, and not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to preserving Irish heritage, culture and tradition. The Center serves as a resource for the Chicago area, as well as national and international communities. The IAHC is governed by a sixteen-member Board of Directors, which is elected to four-year terms by the membership. Currently, membership stands at more than 1,500 households. • 86,000 square feet on 3.7 acres (a full city block). • 658 seat theatre. • Museum with world-class Belleek collection. • The Fifth Province, an authentic Irish pub featuring live music on weekends. • IAHC Library – a unique collection of Irish books with some extremely hard to find items plus an entire collection of books in Gaelic – the traditional Irish language. • Art Gallery for special exhibits. • Social Center. • Other rooms available for community gatherings, weddings, anniversaries and other private events. • The Shapeshifters, a resident theatre group. • The Irish Heritage Singers, who perform nationally. • Legacy of Erin, children’s choir. • St. Patrick’s Day Festival. • Irish American Heritage Festival, a 3-day event in July. • Concerts featuring top entertainers. • Irish step dancing and Ceili (folk) dancing. • Music lessons provided by the Academy of Irish Music. • Gaelic language lessons. • The Irish School for children 6-16. • The Claddagh Group, for adults. • Tir Na N’Og, for senior citizens. • The Nimble Thimbles quilting and crafting group. • Genealogy sessions. • Irish Heritage lectures and poetry readings. • Book signings and special literary events. • Special movie screenings. • Community events. • Handicap accessibility modifications. • Interior artwork on the first floor. The Irish American Heritage Center’s Libraryopened its doors to the public in January 2006. The library includes books, periodicals, newspapers and audiovisual materials that focus on every aspect of Irish and Irish American life. One of the physical highlights of the library is the literary border, designed and hand painted by artist Edward Cox and researched by Peg Reid. The border wraps around the ceiling and includes the names of well-known writers of Irish descent: Arthur Conan Doyle, William Faulkner, F.Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James, Sean O'Casey, Edgar Allen Poe, George Bernard Shaw, John Steinbeck, Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, William Butler Yeats, Brendan Behan, Sean O’Casey, Flannery O’Connor, Oscar Wilde, C. S. Lewis, Henry James, Joyce Kilmer, John Steinbeck, Veronica Guerin, Maeve Brennan, Ellen Berlin, Dorothy Day, Alice McDermott, Joyce Carol Oates, Jack London and more. It serves as an invaluable way of learning about Irish and Irish American leaders who established academic institutions, founded movements and spread ideas that have impacted Irish American culture forever. The Irish Heritage Singers will hold their annual concert this fall at the Irish American Heritage Center. Slainte and Shalom: Our Blended History Through Music and Dance is Sunday, November 15th at 3pm. Tickets are $15 for IAHC members, $20 for general admission and children 12 and under are free. The concert is a fundraiser for the Irish American Heritage Center. This unique concert features Irish and Jewish music, dance and culture, celebrating the blend of the two cultures that co-exist in Ireland. The concert is inspired by the film Shalom Ireland, a documentary about Ireland's remarkable, yet little known Jewish community. The film was shown at the IAHC in 2007 and joined together nearly-sold out crowds of Chicago’s Irish and Jewish communities. The Irish Heritage Singers will be joined by guest performers, Jewish choir, Kol Zimrah, the Jewish Community Singers and the Edgar Gabriel Eclectic Ensemble, performing Klezmer music.Kol Zimrah is a volunteer civic chorus serving the metropolitan Chicago area. The mission of Kol Zimrah is to sustain and interpret the great tradition of Jewish choral music, to serve as a musical resource for the region and to encourage the composition of new Judaic choral works. Tickets can be purchased at the door or by calling 773-282-7035, ext. 10. Malachy McCourt, Michael Patrick MacDonald, Black 47 and Maura O’Connell are just some of the names appearing at iBAM!, an Irish book, art and music celebration held over Halloween weekend; October 30, 31 and November 1 at the Irish American Heritage Center. This festival is a fundraiser for the Irish American Heritage Center and its Library. Sponsored by Irish American News, the Irish American Heritage Center and theirishbookclub.com, iBAM! features book signings, panel discussions, art exhibits, lectures, theatre performances, live music and Irish dance, by Irish and Irish-themed authors, artists and musicians. Utilizing every floor of the IAHC, both days feature a dazzling array of cultural talent for children and adults alike. Highlights include a multi-media presentation on the life of Bram Stoker, the Irish writer who gave the world Dracula; and specifically for children, a Halloween show on Saturday afternoon, a costume parade and face painting. iBAM! opens at 11am each day and runs until 9pm. The cost to attend iBAM! is $5. Children 12 and under are free. On Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1, the festivities kick-off at 11am with a full Irish Breakfast, catered by Winston’s. The cost is $12 for adults and $6 for children and reservations are required. Food and drink will be served all day and a relaxing place to enjoy a cup of tea or a refreshing pint while reading your new purchases will be available. iBAM! kicks off the weekend with a special, black-tie optional, dinner in the IAHC’s beautiful new Grand Ballroom on Friday, October 30. The entertainment is headed by the inimitable Malachy McCourt and includes live music and the first ever iBAM! Cultural Arts award ceremony where five individuals will be honored for their outstanding contributions to Irish American culture. The dinner is from 6-11pm and the cost is $100. Reservations are required. iBAM! Features Music Concerts On Saturday, October 31, celebrate All Hallows Eve with New York City Irish rock band Black 47 in concert at 7pm. Tickets are $20 ($15 for members of the IAHC) and can be purchased at the door or by calling the IAHC office at 773-282-7035 or visiting the IAHC website at www.irish-american.org. Sunday evening, Maura O’Connell, Grammy-nominated, Irish born folk singer, will perform at 7pm, tickets are $20 ($15 for members of the IAHC) and can be purchased at the door, by calling the IAHC or visiting the IAHC website at www.irish-american.org. Special offer for iBAM! attendees: for every $50 in books or art purchased, attendees will receive a free ticket to one of the concerts of their choice, while supplies last! For more information or to purchase tickets to select performances, visit www.irish-american.org or www.ibamchicago.com. UPCOMING PERFORMANCES Shapeshifters Theatre opens its 2009-1010 theatre season with a production of Moll, a comedy by Irish author John B. Keane. Moll is set in the 1970’s,in a presbytery in the small Irish parish of Ballast, where Canon Pratt finds himself in need of a new housekeeper. One applicant, Maureen “Moll” Kettle, arrives with a shining letter of recommendation from her former employer. Canon Pratt happily hires her on the spot, much to the dismay of his curates, who have the uneasy feeling that Moll brings with her a sense of foreboding and calamity. Moll is directed by Robert Ayres, and opens at the Center on October 2 and runs through October 25.Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm. in Theatre 306 on the 3rd floor. TIckets are $10 for IAHC members and $15 for the general public. The Museum Museum acquisitions include a magnificent collection of Belleek Parian China; a tapestry by Lily Yeats, sister of W.B. Yeats; a historic chair commissioned by the Irish Fellowship Club of Chicago on the occasion of the visit of U.S. President William Howard Taft on St. Patrick's Day, 1910; a square grand piano dating from the late nineteenth century; an exquisite collection of Irish Lace; the first organ from St. Patrick's Church in St. Charles, Illinois; and a series of historic maps showing the Irish contribution to European culture from the sixth to the twelfth centuries. Due to our extensive collection, a docent must accompany all visitors and tour groups through the museum. It is also open during selected programming, special events and art exhibits. Call the Center office to arrange for a museum tour. UPCOMING EXHIBIT The IAHC and Windy City Arts present the annual art exhibit of the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (sow-en) and the Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations this fall in its Art Gallery. Artist Frank Crowley is the curator of the exhibit. Samhain/Day of the Dead: Artists' Ofrendas is a group show that celebrates the festivals of the Celtic Samhain and Mexican Day of the Dead. Both festivals participate in the birth, death and resurrection cycle. Samhain was a Celtic festival in northern Europe that took place after the harvest and the beginning of winter. It has developed into what we call today Halloween. During the Day of the Dead festival, families make visits to cemeteries. They bring food, flowers, pictures and candles for an ofrenda, or offering, to celebrate the memory of the deceased. These ofrendas are also set up in their homes. This year, artists will create an ofrenda, in the style of the Mexican Day of the Dead, dedicated to a favorite Irish author, visual artist or musician. The IAHC ofrendas will concentrate on the artistic work of the selected Irish artist. Samhain/Day of the Dead: Artists' Ofrendas runs from Friday, October 23 through Sunday, November 15. Gallery hours are Saturday and Sunday from 1-4pm or by appointment. There will be an opening reception from 6 to 9pm on October 23. Artists participating in the iBAM Festival October 31 and November 1 will also participate in the exhibit. Special gallery hours during iBAM! are Saturday, October 31 from 1pm-8pm and Sunday, November 1 from 1 to 6pm. During iBAM, there is a $5 entrance fee. All other gallery dates and hours are free. Samhain/Day of the Dead: Artists' Ofrendas The Fifth Province The pub is open every Friday and Saturday night and friends can gather to grab a pint and sit by the fireplace. Pub food, like fish and chips, onion rings, corned beef sandwiches and Irish sausage are available for those wishing to grab a bite to eat. The building is wheelchair accessible. The pub is open to the public on Friday and Saturday nights and live music begins at 9pm. There's plenty of free parking and rarely a cover charge, making this one of Chicago's hidden gems. Fifth Province hours are Friday, 4pm-1am and Saturday 5pm-1am and pub food is served from 6pm to 10pm. The Fifth Province is also available for party rentals for your special day. For more information on renting the Fifth Province, call the office at 773-282-7035. Stop by this authentic Irish Pub, located on the first floor of the IAHC, for all the best in Irish entertainment. The museum was officially opened by the President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, on October 13, 1991. Less