LONDON ROSE SHOWS HER CONCERN

Fri 14th June 2013

London Rose Shows her concern for world’s hunger

Crawley’s very own London Rose of Tralee, Grace Kenny whose roots are in Tullow, Co. Carlow, took time out of her busy schedule to visit Concern Worldwide’s London office to give some encouragement to this year’s Concern London Triathalon relay team.

L-R Natalie Jones (run), Carla Thompson (swim), London Rose Grace Kenny and Mila Robinson (cycle).

The event, on 27th and 28th July at London ExCel involves a 10km run, a 40km cycle and a 1.5km swim. All proceeds raised for Concern Worldwide will go to their education and nutrition programme in Liberia where it’s estimated over a third of children under five years old are stunted due to poor nutrition.

‘Team Concern’ with Grace.

Grace is one of three British Roses from London, Manchester and Liverpool who were among 23 young women selected at the Rose of Tralee Regional Festival last month. And with the 9 already pre-selected 32 go forward to the RTE televised stages of the International Festival in the Dome with host Dáithí Ó Sé later this summer

Grace with Brian O’Connell, Special Projects manager Concern Worldwide (UK)

Several corporate teams are competing on behalf of Concern Worldwide but, with only days before the deadline for registration, there are still places available. If you fancy taking part or would like to support the worthwhile project contact maria.mcdonnell@concern.net or ring 020 7801 1873.

Concern Worldwide is an international humanitarian organisation dedicated to tackling hunger and transforming lives in the world’s poorest places. They are working for a world where no one dies for want of safe and nutritious food and use their expertise and local knowledge to help people and communities develop lasting solutions to hunger so that they can lead happier, healthier lives and lift themselves out of poverty.

Visit their website on www.concern.net and find out how you can help them to help others.

Celtic and Irish Cultural Society’s Grace Kenny is crowned the London Rose of Tralee 2013.

Wed 17th April 2013

The night of 12th April – or the early morning of the 13th – was a time of celebrations as Crawley’s Grace Kenny with roots in Tullow, Co Carlow and sponsored by the Celtic and Irish Cultural Society was crowned London Rose of Tralee 2013.

Sean Moriarty of the Irish World covered the event and we thank him for allowing his piece to be posted here……….

Grace Kenny, London Rose of Tralee 2013

Judges lose their hearts to a Crawley Girl

A former Britain’s Got Talent contestant has been named as the 2013 London Rose.

Grace Kenny from Crawley, Sussex and a political student at Portsmouth University, is a member of the Celtic Coleens Irish dance troupe that made it to the semi-finals of the popular television series two years ago.

The 21-year-old was selected from 13 other hopefuls from at the annual London Rose of Tralee selection ball at the Crown Moran Hotel in Cricklewood on Friday night.

Grace, whose late father Martin hails from Tullow in County Carlow and whose mother, Ronnie, is from Kent, represented the Celtic and Irish Cultural Society, on the night.

She wowed the judges with her Irish dancing and clearly demonstrated why she finished eighth in the world championships in Dusseldorf, Germany, a few years ago.

Grace with best friends Laura Eliott and Tara Mooney

She also impressed the 250-strong audience with her stories of world travel and helping the less well off in Nepal and why she believes that politics is not boring and her ambitions to make it interesting to younger people.

Grace was in a state of shock when her name was called out by chairman of the organising committee, Noel O’Sullivan.

She said: “I could not believe it, I stood there and had to second guess myself and saw all the other Roses looking at me. It still has not sunk in. I am so excited to be the London Rose of Tralee. I heard my name being called out and then saw my family and friends all looking so happy. I was shaking like a leaf. It is so exciting. I am been asked to do interviews and I am being called for photos. I don’t know what way to look. I can’t express how honoured and flattered I am. I want to do everything I can to represent the Irish community in the greater London area. I want to show how proud and how strong the community is in this country. I will give it my all. My dad would be so proud now . This would mean more than the world to him. Mum is over the moon too. “

Grace with proud Mum Ronnie (Veronica)

Her mother, Ronnie (Veronica) was amongst the 30 strong group of supporters that travelled from Crawley to London for the big occasion.

After Grace’s name was called out she told the Irish World: “I can’t believe it. She lost her dad three years ago. I am so proud of her and all her family are so proud of her. It is amazing. She has been Irish dancing since she was four. She is so focused on everything she does. It has happened so quickly. This is just marvellous.”

Grace was sponsored on the night by the Celtic and Irish Culture Society, organisers of the Crawley Irish Festival each August.

CICS chairman John Nolan was also in the Crown Moran Hotel on Friday night to support Grace. Mr Nolan is also involved in the Carlow Association in London so there was a double reason to celebrate given Grace’s Tullow heritage. It was the first time that CICS entered the London heat.

He told the Irish World: “I looked high and low to see who we could nominate. Grace stood out a mile. It was the way she performed on Britain’s Got Talent that swung it. She said a few words to the audience, live on television, in front of 11 million people, of how she appreciated the input of the Irish community in Crawley in her life. She stands for the principles of the Rose of Tralee and we are delighted.”

Grace is crowned by last years rose Nóra Ní Fhlannagáin

Grace will now go forward to the Rose of Tralee Regional finals in Portlaoise in late May and early June.

She follows in the footsteps of outgoing London Rose Nora Ni Fhlannagain who was on hand to present Grace with her official London Rose sash.

Nora said:”I have had an incredible year. I want to express my gratitude to the London committee, there is so much that goes on behind the scenes that I never knew about, like the effort that is gone in tonight. Only one person can go away with the London sash but all 14 contestants here tonight can go away with great memories. This is a life changing experience – even for this who don’t win on the night. Some of my highlights have been meeting President Higgins when he came to Ruislip, meeting Enda Kenny, I have been held in the air by London Irish Rugby Club players and I have meet Irish Paralympians. I have met some incredible London Irish people and that has all been made possible by the London Irish community. I have been welcomed with open arms by that community. “

Grace being interviewed by Sean Moriarity of the Irish World

Another guest of honour was current Rose of Tralee, Nicola McEvoy from Luxembourg. This was Nicola’s only official London appearance as part of her year-long Rose of Tralee activities.

She said: “It was fantastic evening and it is great to be back in London, I lived in Kent before I moved to Luxembourg. I want to congratulate Nora on being a fantastic London Rose and being a fantastic representative for the city. She has become a real good, lifelong friend and that is one of the beauties of the Rose of Tralee International Festival. I am eight months into my year as the International Rose and I have found myself in places I never imagined I would be in. My face is on milk cartons in Kerry, I have sang a song, in Bengali, in front of 2,000 children in Calcutta, I stood between Peter Robinson and Martin McGuiness in Stormont. My biggest highlight was travelling to America in March, participating in the New York St Patrick’s Day parade and travelling to Washington and standing in the East Wing of the White House and meeting President Obama.

Grace's supporters in the crowd.

The Kerry mayor Terry O’Brien travelled over to represent the county and the Rose of Tralee head office.

He said: “I was expecting to be in the 33^rd county but in reality this is more like the 11^th or 12^th county such is the Irishness that was in that room on the night. The quality of the Roses was brilliant , when I saw the first one I picked the winner, then I said the same about the second and the third. It is as a credit to the London Centre that they can fly the flag for Tralee over here. “

The Crawley Irish Festival to take place in the grounds of The Hawth Theatre on Sunday 25th August.

Sat 6th April 2013

Sunday 25th August sees the 18th AnnualCrawley Irish Festival moving to the grounds of The Hawth Theatre.

As the CRAWLEY IRISH FESTIVAL enters its 18th year the Celtic and Irish Cultural Society are delighted to join forces with The Hawth Theatre in organising the much looked forward to event on Sunday the 25^th August.

Mayor of Crawley - Cllr Keith Blake, Grace Kenny - Crawley's representative in the Rose of Tralee contest with Irish dancers Tara Meave and Niamh Mooney and John Nolan - CICS chairman.

At a packed Spotlight Room at The Theatre on Easter Monday the announcement was made in the presence of His Worship, Mayor of Crawley, Councillor Keith Blake.

The Mayor of Crawley Cllr Keith Blake toasts to the success of the festival.

The festival the only one of its type in the South East of Britain and the longest running cultural event in Crawley has built a reputation as a great family day out over the August weekend. And with free admission a great day fun is guaranteed. Although the line-up has yet to be confirmed the festival will see eight hours of music from Ireland’s tops entertainers mixing it with London based bands and popular local groups adding a real ‘Feadh Ceoil’ experience to the day.

Music was provided by the Brendan Behan Band in collaboration with Emerald Element

Audience are treated to a fab display of Irish dancing by sisters Tara, Meave and Niamh Mooney.

The younger element of the community are well catered for with a free special children’s entertainment marquee involving games, song and story and art workshops with particular emphasis on Irish traditions and folklore.

In addition, sport and cultural identity are each featured prominently with various food and craft stalls and displays with GAA sports shown on the big screen.

John Nolan of the organising committee said… “We are delighted to be involved with The Hawth Theatre and would like to thank Dave Watmore, Steve Crane and the staff for their help and support in making the 18th Annual event possible. We want to make the festival a real success where both parties can be proud of and would like to see this continued in the future.”

The Mayor of Crawley, Cllr Keith Blake wished the CICS a great festival day and made a toast to a successful event.

The general manager of the Hawth, Dave Watmore said “We welcome the Celtic and Irish Cultural Society to the Hawth Theatre and look forward to working with them. They have contributed alot to the cultural make-up of the town in the way they encourage cultural co-hesion and wish them a successful event”

The Celtic and Irish Cultural Society (C,I,C,S,) have found that in these austere times the need to develop partnerships and help share resources with the arts and cultural forums such as the Hawth and now that the Theatre is open during the months of August all this is now possible. The organisers saw it being difficult lately to make ends meet and the heavy restrictions with health a safety and the drop off of volunteers and helpers didn’t help. The Hawth has the resources to help with this.

The Hawth and its grounds lend itself well to a great festival venue. The layout of the externals with its soft and hard landscaping allows for the many requirements of the event. Access to the Hawth and parking is good. It’s well bounded and safe and the man-made amphitheatre at the rear is only crying out for the main music stage. The premises has a large marquee that is built especially for the Summer Months and the ideal place for the traditional stage. The Spotlight room is to be adapted for the Festival ceili and the Studio will facilitate the Irish Dance competition.

The Hawth’s many rooms now make it possible to have music and dance workshops. And if the weather is going against us we can go for Option B and move inside. It’s a ‘win win’ situation for all.

*SAVE THE DATE *

CRAWLEY IRISH FESTIVAL

Sunday 25th August – Noon till 8.00pm

Crawleys Celtic and Irish Cultural Society enjoys a successful St Patrick’s Day at the races

Sun 31st March 2013

Crawley’s Celtic and Irish Cultural Society staged one of their biggest St Patrick’s Day events ever and this time outside of the town of Crawley.

The Brendan Behan band combine with Ciaróg to provide a great sound

In a move away from the Town Centre the CICS joined forces with Lingfield Pk Racecourse and turned the day green with live music dancing displays, bagpipes, kiddies games and lots of shenanigans as Ireland’s National day was celebrated with a real ‘craic’.

Enjoying the craic...

Full of colour

John Nolan the chair of the organising body said “The logistics of organising the annual parade and celebrations are becoming harder each year in Crawley, which is a real shame. We seem to be stangled with more red tape each year. The new arrangements in creating road closures has necessitated us as organisers to enter into a contract with a suitable road traffic marshalling company such as the Police or a private organisation set up to do this and the costs are far beyond our budget.

Added to that the number of volunteers and stewards have dropped off in recent years.

'Bionic' Leprachaun & Crawley Rose Grace Kenny

So in keeping with our objectives we entered into partnership with Lingfield Pk racecourse and are delighted with its success. Even though the weather was wet the layout of the premises at Lingfield allowed all our events to take place indoors which was great. There was a great Irish party atmosphere about the day and something Lingfield park are very pleased about.”

Also introduced to the crowd was Grace Kenny Crawley’s nomination in the Rose Of Tralee Contest who got a good luck cheer from the attendance and was on duty to present the winning owners of the races with their prizes

The whole day event got a big thumbs up from the crowd. Ciara Murphy from Dublin a regular goer to Lingfield races said “I would like to thank the organisers for such a fab event. Great day, great craic, one of the best Paddy’s Days I’ve had in years and I didn’t even win that much money”

Erin Birch of Crawley shows off her St Patrick's Day masterpiece

Debbie Hay the marketing manager at Lingfield Pk was more than impressed with the day ” It was a marvellous day and we’d like to thank the Celtic and Irish Cultural Society for helping to organise such a successful event”

With this success the CICS are now in discussions with Lingfield Pk regarding an Irish Race night in Autumn.

Paul and Mike Stanworth of Emerald Element

The Mooney sisters gave a great dancing display

Piper Barry Murphy from Cork meets up with Irish jockey Jimmy Quinn from Wexford and Crawley Rose, Grace Kenny from Carlow and Crawley.

Grace Kenny, Crawley's representative in the Rose of Tralee Contest presents a prize to the winning owners of the 3.15 race

THE OUTSIDE TRACK at Grayshott Folk Club Saturday 13th April 2013 at 7.30pm

EVENT DATE: Saturday 13 April 2013

THE OUTSIDE TRACK at Grayshott Folk Club Saturday 13th April 2013 at 7.30pm

THE OUTSIDE TRACK www.theoutsidetrack.com at Grayshott Village Hall GU26 6TZ
On January 1st 2012, acclaimed international Celtic band, The Outside Track, celebrated picking up the ‘Group of the Year’ award at both the Live Ireland Music Awards 2012 and the TIR Irish Music Awards. Their lead singer, Norah Rendell was simultaneously awarded “Vocalist Of The Year”.

A stunning synthesis of virtuosity and energy, The Outside Track’s marriage of Canadian, Scottish and Irish music and song has been rapturously received around the world. Hailing from Scotland, Ireland, Cape Breton and Vancouver, its five members are united by a love of traditional music and a commitment to creating new music with the tradition as a foundation. Using fiddle, accordion, harp, guitar, flute, step-dance and vocals, these five virtuosos blend boundless energy with unmistakable joie de vivre.
Each player in The Outside Track is a master of their chosen instrument.
Such individual flair alone would be enough to recommend the band but in this case their combined talents are so much greater than the sum of their parts and worth the visit to see them at Grayshott!

The Outside Track have enjoyed five years of extensive touring in the UK, Europe,Canada and the USA, including appearances at: Milwaukee Irish Fest, CelticConnections, Celtic Colours, Vancouver Celtfest, Sidmouth, and Whitby Festivals.

With support from Bob Wood all Tickets are £12 and can be obtained in person from:
Grayshott Books, The Square, GRAYSHOTT, Nr Hindhead, Surrey GU26 6LQ
Telephone: 01428 607096 for postal tickets or more information

GRAYSHOTT FOLK CLUB www.grayshottfolkclub.co.uk & www.grayshott.com/folk put on a great range of live music, which could all loosely be categorised as Folk music. Some of it is Traditional, whilst their gig listings offer Folk/Rock, Folk/Jazz, Folk/Blues as well as a good share of Irish/Celtic music. Keep an eye on their website for future events.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT on the forthcoming 18th ANNUAL CRAWLEY IRISH FESTIVAL including ‘Special Discount Offer’ on tickets for The Irish House Party show at The Hawth Theatre.

EVENT DATE: Monday 1 April 2013

Check out this Special Offer on Tickets for The Irish House Party show at The Hawth Theatre in Crawley including a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT on the forthcoming 18^thCRAWLEY IRISH FESTIVAL.

Irish House Party 'Special Offer' Flyer

We are delighted to reveal we are collaborating with The Irish House Party http://www.theirishhouseparty.com/who’ll be performing the final gig of their 2 month tour of the UK – where they’ve played to full houses and some great reviews – at The Hawth Crawley http://www.parkwoodtheatres.co.uk/thehawth/ and at the same time help raise funds for Crawley’s Celtic and Irish Cultural Society.

The Irish Post newspaper highlighted the show as ‘A PARTY THAT WILL BRING THE HOUSE DOWN’ with the Irish World Newspaper describing it as ‘AN ENTERTAINING BLAST’

Dublin’s no.1 award-winning music and dance show offers the warmest of welcomes to the finest house party in town. As seen on The Late Late Show, The Irish House Party stars All-Ireland Champion musicians, fantastic presenters with great banter and not forgetting some excellent Irish dancing, this amazing multi-talented gathering delivers the best traditional night of musical entertainment the Emerald Isle has to offer! The show is one of Dublin’s must see events with fans such as Dara O’Briain, Louis Walsh and The Dubliners so you’ll find yourself in wonderful company as you take your seats at The Hawth

Yes it’s promised as a great night of celebrations in true Irish style in Crawley with extra entertainment prior and that looked forward to SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

Tickets are normally at £19.50 (Bkg fee applies) but to avail of this SPECIAL OFFER – CALL THE BOX OFFICE ON 01293 553636 AND QUOTE ‘IRISH FESTIVAL OFFER’ AND SEE THE SHOW FOR JUST £15 (plus £1 booking fee)!

The Show starts at 7.30 but prior to that from 6.00 onwards some of Crawley’s local dancers and musicians will entertain you in the Spotlight Room – next to the bar – where pre-show SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT will be made on behalf of the Celtic and Irish Cultural Society on the forthcoming 18^thCRAWLEY IRISH FESTIVAL.

The Irish House Party play New York

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Owen Lewis of Folk Roots Magazine UK wrote of their gig in Shrewsbury on 19th March as …..

” At last a theatre show that has come out of Ireland without the dross that usually follows. We saw no green Guinness, no leprechauns and no tricolor wigs; instead we got six incredibly talented and delightful musicians who simply wanted to bring the sound of Ireland without the ludicrous plasticity that so many of the drunken onlookers lining the streets of every Patrick’s Day procession, think that Irish culture is about.
Such is the Irish House Party. A band reminiscent of the Chieftains, the House Party was alive with the sounds of Uilleann pipes, Bodhran, Whistles and Flutes, Harp and the strings department provided some inspired Banjo and Guitar work.
Between them they conjured up images of the cliff tops of Kerry, the rocky roads of Mullingar, the characters of the Dublin pubs and all served up in such tight and exciting music. Each note was a jewel, each beat urging the observer to jump up and grab the nearest partner and whirl a handsome jig. The music was infectious and entered the psyche in seconds.
The unique selling point is there are no pretensions amongst this highly approachable and highly entertaining band. Without all the ballyhoo that people wrongly associate with Irish music we saw players who will I am sure make as much of a mark on Irish music as the greats that have gone before.
Ireland is alive with incredibly talented musicians, in every county there are players who will, rather like these guys, very earnestly, play something utterly amazing for you. Not to look good, but simply because the spirit of the music is in them and to try and confine it would be impossible. Well The Irish House Party is made up of those kinds of players and the musicality just oozes out of every number. I think the beautiful Irish dancer stole a few hearts in the audience. This reviewer’s for one!
Not afraid of incorporating contemporary songs such as U2’s, Where the streets Have No Name, and Dougie Maclean’s, Caledonia, the two 50 minutes sets had the audience spellbound as they deliciously served out note after perfect note. This is the first tour over in the UK for the Party and if they can continue to raise the craic to ninety, I can only imagine we will see so much more of them on the British Folk Scene and so we should. ”

Grace Kenny is Celtic and Irish Cultural Society’s nomination for this year’s Rose of Tralee contest.

Sat 9th March 2013

Grace Kenny is Celtic and Irish Cultural Society’s nomination for this year’s Rose of Tralee contest.

Grace Kenny

We are pleased to announce that 21year old Grace Kenny from Pound Hill has been nominated by The Celtic and Irish Cultural Society to represent Crawley in the 2013 Rose of Tralee contest.

Grace’s roots are in Tullow, County Carlow. Her dad Martin now deceased and all his 8 siblings were born and grew up there before moving to Horley in Surrey for her Grandad’s work. It was a big decision for the whole family to move. Because of the economic situation in the county at that time there was very little work and Larry Kenny her Grandad took the decision like other Irish families of that era and emigrated. Her Nanny Kenny was born in Rathvilly, Carlow and Grandad is from Craanford in Wexford. Her trips back to Ireland take in visits to family in Carrigtohill in County Cork, Bray in County Wicklow and Island in County Wexford and values her trips to Tullow to meet the last remaining member of her Grandparent’s generation, her Aunt Maggie still alive at the grand age of 96.

Grace talks about Carlow as a wonderful place to visit and recalls great trips home. “Carlow is a beautiful, little place, especially in Tullow in the Summer, it’s so serene and quiet and everyone is just so friendly.”

A former pupil of Hazelwick Secondary School Grace is studying Politics and International Relations at Portsmouth University and after graduating is looking forward to taking a year out and travel to Asia to work in an orphanage in Nepal teaching English to the children there. Following on from that she wants to return to studying to gain a master’s degree in gender politics at University College Dublin.

Away from her studies she is big into political debates, which she loves organising and getting involved in and feels it is essential for young people to be engaged in politics in providing that platform for their voice and opinions to be heard. Volunteering is high on her list of activities in Portsmouth on helping at the local Salvation Army café a few mornings a week before classes. Summer breaks sees her helping out at a local youth wing assisting with homework, cooking and arranging fund raising activities with them.

In her spare time – as if there is any left – she follows London Irish Rugby loves to travel and experiencing different cultures, recently visiting Rome at the end of last year.

And there’s more…the great passion of her life is Irish Dancing and has been for the last 17 years! As a senior member of her dance school she now helps each the younger members. Her trophy cabinets are bursting with her many awards won from her travels to dancing competitions across Europe. Some of the highlights have been winning 8^th in the European and World W.I.D.A Championships in 2009, winning the UK Dance Challenge in 2010 and coming 2^nd in the Celtic National and European Championships last year.

She says “ The pinnacle of my dancing experiences however is being part of the Celtic Colleens and getting through to the live semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent in 2010. It was such an unbelievable experience being able to perform on live television in front of all those people doing something I love.”

On being nominated for the contest Grace said, “ I am absolutely thrilled to be taking part in this exciting experience. It will be such an honour representing Crawley in the Rose of Tralee contest and a fantastic opportunity for us all to celebrate the Irish culture we have in our town. I hope I can do all my friends and family here and in Ireland proud!

I’m sure you’ll all agree her credentials make her the ideal contestant in this world famous contest and all of us here in Crawley and in the Celtic and Irish Cultural Society wish her the best of luck.

Grace Kenny is Celtic and Irish Cultural Society’s nomination for this year’s Rose of Tralee contest.

Thu 7th March 2013

Grace Kenny is Celtic and Irish Cultural Society’s nomination for this year’s Rose of Tralee contest.

Grace Kenny

We are pleased to announce that 21year old Grace Kenny from Pound Hill has been nominated by The Celtic and Irish Cultural Society to represent Crawley in the 2013 Rose of Tralee contest.

Grace’s roots are in Tullow, County Carlow. Her dad Martin now deceased and all his 8 siblings were born and grew up there before moving to Horley in Surrey for her Grandad’s work. Her Nanny Kenny was born in Rathvilly, Carlow and Grandad is from Craanford in Wexford. Her trips back to Ireland take in visits to family in Carrigtohill in County Cork, Bray in County Wicklow and Island in County Wexford and values her trips to Tullow to meet the last remaining member of her Grandparent’s generation, her Aunt Maggie still alive at the grand age of 96.

A former pupil of Hazelwick Secondary School Grace is studying Politics and International Relations at Portsmouth University and after graduating is looking forward to taking a year out and travel to Asia to work in an orphanage in Nepal teaching English to the children there. Following on from that she wants to return to studying to gain a master’s degree in gender politics at University College Dublin.

Away from her studies she is big into political debates, which she loves organising and getting involved in and feels it is essential for young people to be engaged in politics in providing that platform for their voice and opinions to be heard. Volunteering is high on her list of activities in Portsmouth on helping at the local Salvation Army café a few mornings a week before classes. Summer breaks sees her helping out at a local youth wing assisting with homework, cooking and arranging fund raising activities with them.

In her spare time – as if there is any left – she follows London Irish Rugby loves to travel and experiencing different cultures, recently visiting Rome at the end of last year.

And there’s more…the great passion of her life is Irish Dancing and has been for the last 17 years! As a senior member of her dance school she now helps each the younger members. Her trophy cabinets are bursting with her many awards won from her travels to dancing competitions across Europe. Some of the highlights have been winning 8^th in the European and World W.I.D.A Championships in 2009, winning the UK Dance Challenge in 2010 and coming 2^nd in the Celtic National and European Championships last year.

She says “ The pinnacle of my dancing experiences however is being part of the Celtic Colleens and getting through to the live semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent in 2010. It was such an unbelievable experience being able to perform on live television in front of all those people doing something I love.”

On being nominated for the contest Grace said, “ I am absolutely thrilled to be taking part in this exciting experience. It will be such an honour representing Crawley in the Rose of Tralee contest and a fantastic opportunity for us all to celebrate the Irish culture we have in our town. I hope I can do all my friends and family here and in Ireland proud!

I’m sure you’ll all agree her credentials make her the ideal contestant in this world famous contest and all of us here in Crawley and in the Celtic and Irish Cultural Society wish her the best of luck.

Lingfield Saint Patrick’s Day Racing

EVENT DATE: Sunday 17 March 2013

Saint Patrick's Day - Sunday 17 March at Lingfield Race Course

Come and celebrate all things Irish with us on Sunday March 17th as we team up with the Lingfield Race Course to stage the best St. Patrick’s Day ever! A great day of flat racing plus lots of live music. Gates open at 11.45 – First Race at 1pm

Enjoy Irish music, an Irish dance troupe, Irish piper Barry Murphy and a real flavour of Celtic traditions.

Live Music from:

The Emerald Element
Ciarog

The Emerald Element are father and son duo Mike & Paul Stanworth, no strangers to the pub, club and festival scene in and around Sussex, the pair are promising to knock out acoustic & energetic rock, pop, rock ‘n’ roll, country, soul, blues & traditional music, all wrapped up in an Irish theme to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

Mike and Paul Stanworth from Emerald Element

Another musical duo playing are Ciarog. Simon Hurdman (guitar, bouzouki, banjo, mandolin) and Blanche May (flute, whistle, bodhran, djembe). They have been playing traditional and contemporary Irish music together since meeting on 2008.

Simon and Blanche from Ciarog

Tickets available from just $14 for a full days racing and live music.

More details at http://www.lingfield-racecourse.co.uk

New Crawley Irish Dance classes with ‘Lord of the Dance’ star!

Mon 11th February 2013

New Crawley Irish Dance classes with ‘Lord of the Dance’ star!

A few years back while presenting a St Patrick’s concert in Crawley Gerry Molumby commented “What’s this with Crawley and Irish dancing?” He was so impressed by the talent of our dance schools.

And now another Irish Dance Academy run by Crawley Irish dance star Róisín Mullins is to open in the town after the 2013 St Patrick’s Celebrations. A former bronze world medallist and UK Open champion, Róisín toured the world with troupe one of Michael Flatley’s ‘Lord of the Dance’, before dancing on TV with the likes of Louis Walsh, Paddy McGuinness and Ant and Dec with her Irish dance troupe ‘Raven’. Classes will provide training in traditional ‘An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha’ Irish dancing technique, as well as ‘Riverdance’ show-style Irish dancing.

The new classes kick off from Monday 25th March 2013 at the Drama Studio, St Wilfrid’s Catholic School, Crawley, and are open to all dancers aged 3-25 years, from beginner to professional.

For details and to sign up email: roisinmullins@live.co.uk or visit: www.roisinmullins.co.uk