Deck the Halls for St. Brigid's Church

Photo courtesy of Committee to Save St. Brigid




Christmas parties are always festive occasions, and Solas' shindig
for St. Brigid's proved no exception on Sunday. We received a
warm welcome from the parishioners who form the Committee to Save St. Brigid's. Carolers sang warmly, Kevin Smith played guitar and sang Irish and Irish-American songs. Food and drink flowed freely.

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer was clear that his agenda includes not only St. Brigid's Church but neighborhood preservation, declaring, "What's at stake here is not just the church, but the community...let's not give up; let's not be pushed around, but continue to build this great coalition." He was not the only elected official we heard from; Rafael A. Escano, representing City Comptroller William Thompson, read Thompson's letter expressing solidarity with the commiunity. Thompson cited the Irish immigrants who built the church, declaring its signifigant place in history as a refuge for labor leaders and others, and called for landmarking the building. No decision has been rendered by the courts on the status of the embattled church, which faces Tompkins Square Park in the East Village.

The Committee is working on two fronts to save the church: legislative and landmarking. According to Scott J. Gastel of Sheinkopf Ltd, a member of the Committee, at least seven elected officials, including Councilwoman Rosie Mendez and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, have written letters requesting a hearing or fair review with regard to landmarking the Famine Church, designed by architect Patrick Keely and built by Irish immigrant shipbuilders in 1848 as an upside down boat.

An art auction followed in Solas' salon on the second floor, raising a great deal of money. Artwork was donated by local and not-so-local artists; some work came from Dublin artists. Edwin Torres, who heads the Committee to Save St. Brigid's, has a great future as an auctioneer, and we think we hear eBay calling!

Patricia Jameson-Sammartano
Culture Editor, www.thewildgeesetoday.com

http://onno.us/site/SaveStBrigid/
http://www.amny.com/news/local/am-oldnewyork1216,0,3306719.story?track=mostemailedlink

Christmas Party and Fundraiser for St. Brigid's Church

Solas Bar plays host once more to a fundraiser for St. Brigid's Church, the endangered Famine Church on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Sunday night's combination Christmas party and fundraiser will kick off at 6 p.m. and go to at least 10p.m. This is the second art auction held by the Committee to Save St. Brigid's; the first was in August(the writers held one in June at another Irish bar on the West Side). We blogged about it then and we'll be there with bells on for this party.

Photo courtesy of the Committee to Save St. Brigid's

Getting to Solas is easy; it's 232 East 9th Street, and the nearest subway stops are on the Lex(#6) at Astor Place or on the Broadway line(R)at 8th Street.

Patricia Jameson-Sammartano
Culture Editor, www.thewildgeese.com

Here's a link to help you find your way:

http://maps.citysearch.com/map/view/11322770

And the Committee to Save St. Brigid is at:

http://www.savestbrigid.com/www/

Modernism and Michael Cusack

100 Years On, Celebrating GAA Founder Michael Cusack

We never thought about linking sports and literature, but WGT's correspondent Danny Murphy has done an excellent job doing just that at he commemorates the centennial of the death of GAA founder Michel Cusak on our homepage. Murphy draws the analogy between Irish sport through Irish nationalism and author James Joyce's reconstruction of the English language, also through Irish nationalism of the early twentieth century.

Check out the website; for nature enthusiasts, it has some wonderful information on the Burren, the limestone landscape hosting a unique ecosystem in County Clare.

Photo courtesy of www.michaelcusack.ie/, The Michael Cusak Centre

Venerable Gaelic Athletic Association founder Michael Cusack is gaining new scrutiny, in this, the centennial year of his passing. With a new website launched, next up will be an exhibit on "The Citizen" in his native Clare. WGT Munster correspondent Danny McCarthy reports on this Irishman's unique legacy to both the Gaelic Games and the Irish nation.
Ireland Pays Tribute to Michael Cusack
Cusack, Joyce May Well Have Shaped Modern Ireland

Patricia Jameson-Sammartano

Culture Editor, www.thewildgeese.com

Writers Muldoon, McDermot bring muses to NYU's Ireland House

Poet Paul Muldoon read from his latest work, "Horse Latitudes," at Ireland House on Nov. 16. As always, Paul is the poet of the Coney Island of the Mind (apologies to Laurence Ferlinghetti); he takes us on a roller-coaster of language and lyricism. Adding a somber introduction to the evening's festivities, Professor John Waters announced the death of lawyer and civil rights activist Frank Durkan, and Muldoon described the poetry he would read as elegiac. He devoted the evening to Durkan and his late sister Maureen, to whom this volume of poetry is dedicated.

Novelist Alice McDermott read from her latest work, "After This," at Ireland House on Thursday. She spoke of the book's connection to war, saying she had gone back to read the classics in American literature dealing with war -- Walt Whitman and Steven Crane -- in preparation for this book. Nuance is McDermott's strong suite, and she spoke of writing a novel in light of making choices. "You make choices as a writer, "she said, "limiting other choices -- and every detail is there for a reason."

Ireland House has Airneál na Nollag, its annual Christmas party, featuring traditional music with NYU Irish Language students, on Dec. 7th.

In the spirit of exercising choices, however, we will be at Solas, 232 East 9th St., that night celebrating "Recent Works -- The Photography of Gary Sammartano." His work is good, and that's not just the wife talking.

Patricia Jameson-Sammartano
Culture Editor, TheWildgeese.com

Cinematography Award for Barley

The European Film Awards were given this past weekend, and the Cinematography Award was split between Barry Ackroyd for THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY and José Luis Alcaine for VOLVER.

Meanwhile, Paul Laverty has been nominated for a Golden Satellite Award for Best Screenplay. These awards are given out by the International Press Academy in Los Angeles.

Patricia Jameson-Sammartano
Culture Editor, www.thewildgeese.com