Saint Francis School, in Southgate Avenue, became the first school in Crawley to provide Hurling coaching to its primary school pupils last Monday 3rd December. The training day, provided by London GAA coach Grainne O’Sullivan, was the first of its kind provided to pupils in Crawley.

The training day was funded by the Celtic & Irish Cultural Society and follows an introduction to Gaelic Football that took place during the 2007 Crawley Fleadh.

The coaching lesson was a primary introduction to the sport and focused on the skills also relevant to the sport of Hockey - a descendant of Ireland’s Hurling and Scotland’s Shinty.

Chairman of the CICS, John Nolan commented:

The Irish are rightly proud of their sporting tradition and Gaelic Games remains the most popular sports in Ireland. We wish to extend the reach of the sport, in association with the London Gaelic Athletic Association, by helping local schools to deliver team sports that all the community can enjoy.

Back in 2006, the CICS also funded Gaelic Football coaching at Saint Wilfred’s School and the society is keen to expand coaching into other schools.

Interested schools around Crawley can contact the Celtic and Irish Cultural Society for more information:

“The Irish Experience” radio show returns to our wireless sets in the run-up to Christmas on RTÉ Radio Europe and RTÉ Radio One.

Paschal Mooney from Radio Telefis Eireann, and well known to the Irish Community in Britain, will be visiting various Irish Centres/Communitiee to record a series of programmes for RTE.

In the run up to Christmas ‘The Irish Experience’ team will be visiting the UK ; between entertainment items provided by the Irish Diaspora in the area visited, Paschal will also interview local Irish activists in welfare, sport, business, entertainment etc and give people the opportunity to send Christmas wishes to families back in Ireland.

The first programme will be transmitted on Friday November 30th at 9pm on RTE Radio 1 from the Kathleen Connolly Hall in Luton. The second from the Irish centre in Camden Town on December 7th, the third programme from St.Michael’s Centre in Liverpool on the 14th of December . The final programme in the series will be recorded at The Beaches Hotel, Prestatyn on Thursday December 6th.

Full schedule can be found on the RTE website page - http://www.rte.ie/radio1/theirishexperience

Crawley hosted a radio programme as part of the series last November (more information) which included live music, interviews and the famous “Irish Dancing on the Radio”.

RTÉ can be listened on line www.rte.ie or on LW 252 and via SKY TV (radio channel 0169). RTÉ are planning future programmes in the new year on a proposed new programme for the Irish Abroad worldwide.

The Crawley Fleadh is a celebration of traditional Irish culture taking place during the month of November in and around Crawley, West Sussex.

The Crawley Fleadh – pronounced flar - is a traditional festival celebrating Irish culture through a variety of different art forms and activities. The 2007 event is the fourth of what has become an annual celebration as part of Crawley’s cultural calendar. Organised and run by the Crawley based Celtic & Irish Cultural Society and funded by the Dion Fund - the Irish Government body that supports Irish Organisations in Britain - this year’s event features a wide range of different activities including music, comedy, dance, film, sport, story telling and cookery.

Award winning comedian Eric Lalor, who has headlined at venues and festivals in Ireland and the UK, including the Edinburgh Fringe and the Bud Light Comedy Revue in Dublin, will host an Irish stand up comedy night at Bar Med in Crawley High Street on Monday 19th November. With his fast moving style, Lalor, who has been described as ‘excellent and bellyachingly funny’, will be joined on stage by the very tall Brendan Dempsey performing his well crafted and subtle brand of intelligent, witty stand up and the very funny, fresh, sexy, animated girl next door, Tara Flynn.

The Irish Cookery Evening at Oriel High School in Maidenbower, on Tuesday 6th November, gives people the opportunity to learn the secrets of an Irish kitchen and gain some expert culinary tips for cooking the Irish way with award winning Chef Frank Coughlan, Corporate Executive Chef at the new Wembley Stadium and the 2007 Champion of Irish Food Award Winner.

The classic 1930’s documentary film Man of Aran will be screened at the Emerald Sports and Social Club in Southgate, on Friday 9th November. A dramatic depiction of the primitive lifestyles of fishermen and farmers living on the Ireland’s west coast, the film is renowned for its spectacular cinematography of land and seascapes and for its gritty realism. Live music and light refreshments will also be provided.

The fleadh also includes GAA sports and storytelling activities for local children in the schools.

Other events include live music at the Cherry Tree in Faygate from Brogue on Friday 9th November and various activities at the Emerald Sports and Social Club including a lecture on The Role of Ireland and the Irish in English Literature on Thursday 15th November, a charity 25 Card Drive on Saturday 10th November and taster sessions for anyone wanting an introduction to the Gaelic language or Set Dancing.

Further details are available from http://www.celtic-irish.co.uk/fleadh2007 or Shannon Mackey-Witton on 07815 055281

CELTIC ROCK IN THE PARK – 25 AUGUST 2007

This Bank Holiday Weekend sees the second Celtic Rock in the Park open-air concert on Saturday 25 August featuring four live acts on stage from 6pm.

The Celtic and Irish Cultural Society have organised this event to create a memorable musical event to celebrate Crawley’s 60th Anniversary as a new town so that young people, families and music lovers will enjoy a fantastic night.

The Horsham based AC/DC tribute band, Bad Boy Boogie, will join the “bottle slamming rock” of the award winning Bible Code Sundays as well as two bands with strong links to Crawley. Emerging local metal band, Angst, kick off the evening before the mix of award winning Irish and Celtic rock culminates with the big finale with a local sound.

Headliners, The CureHeads, bring the evening to a close with their acclaimed tribute to the music, fashion & performing style of The Cure. Having just returned from a tour of Ireland, they will perform music that spans from the beginning of The Cure’s career, through to the latest releases.

The Cure, formed by Crawley schoolboys who first toured southern England in 1977, still have strong links in Crawley. Thirty years on from their first gigs, expect something special on the night. You’ll also be pleased to hear that bar prices will be among the cheapest around - just £2.50 a pint!

Celtic Rock Tickets cost just £8 for Adults (£4 NUS/ Under 18s) - Rock and Roll!

CRAWLEY IRISH FESTIVAL – 26 AUGUST 2007

A great start to the weekend concludes with the 12th Crawley Irish Festival, on Sunday from Noon with live music, sport and more. The Festival, and the whole Crawley Celtic Weekend, is organised entirely by volunteers.

This year’s Celtic Weekend will feature the biggest Crawley Irish Festival ever held with two live music stages, an Irish Dance Stage, Set-Dancing and Ceili Marquee, GAA sports, free children’s entertainment and great craic for the family.

The FDL Dome Stage, sponsored by Foundation Developments Limited, features around seven hours of the finest folk, traditional, rock and country music. TV personality, Alan Ennis, will act as MC introducing each act with his unique and genuine Irish wit, observations and humour.

Guilfest favourites, The Twelve Sullivans, provide a spark of the folk traditional, plus a fusion courtesy of Guns and Horses, leading directly into the high energy Irish rock of The Emerald Dogs. Mustang and the ever-popular Mick Flavin will provide the country flavour as well as popular Irish tunes. The FDL Stage has something for all tastes but there’s more…

The Landmark Traditional Stage, sponsored by Landmark Groundworks and Civil Engineering, includes some of the best traditional Irish and Celtic music featuring Blackthorn, Brogue, Rocas and The Flying Toads will get the toes tapping and hands clapping.

Free Children’s Entertainment including magic shows, a circus workshop, balloon creations and children’s theatre will entertain the little ones throughout the day.

Irish dance shows from the local Andromeda, O’Brien and Mullins Irish Dance Schools taps off at 3pm, you’ll also have a chance to get involved at the Ceili and Set-Dancing Marquee.

Televised action from the GAA Gaelic Football championship live from Croke Park will be shown on the big screens at the Beer Tent while over at the Sports Arena, there is a busy lineup of Tug o’ War, Hurling and Gaelic Football action.

The Crawley Irish Festival is the most diverse event of its kind in the UK with content that will appeal to all. All proceeds will enhance future events in and promote culture. Entry just £5 for adults and children go free. Get set to paint the town green and enjoy the craic at Crawley.

The Celtic and Irish Cultural Society is seeking volunteers and stewards to assist with the 2nd Celtic Rock in the Park and 12th Annual Crawley Irish Festival over the August Bank Holiday Weekend.

The Celtic Weekend is an exciting event within Crawley and we hope that the event can grow to be as successful as it can possibly be. Stewards and volunteers to receive several perks so it’s worth remembering that you will be taking part in a community event and we’ll ensure your feel at home.

If you have recently contacted us but have not received a response please contact us again, due to network issues some voicemail messages have been lost. 

Anyone can help over the weekend there are many shoes that need to be filled. Please email us at info@celtic-irish.co.uk with your contact details and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

[Crawley Celtic Weekend Website]

Details of Crawley’s 12^th annual Celtic Weekend have just been finalised. The Weekend is the largest event in Crawley to take place on Southgate Playing Fields and organisers believe that the line-up on offer promises to be their best yet.

The Weekend begins with the 2^nd Celtic Rock in the Park, on Saturday 25^th August at 6pm. The hugely talented local hard rock/metal band Angst kick off the evening which features an impressive line-up of rock talent including Bad Boy Boogie, a fine local AC/DC Tribute band and TheBibleCodeSunday’s, who’s unique blend of traditional Irish and modern rock music won them the 2006 Irish World Newspaper Award for “Best Band on London Circuit”.

Headliners The Cureheads bring the evening to a close. This premier band is well known in Crawley for their tribute to the music, fashion & performing style of The Cure. Formed in 1990, they will perform music that spans from the beginning of The Cure’s career, right through to the latest releases, some of which are only available online.

The Weekend continues with the Crawley Irish Festival, on Sunday 26^th August from 12-6pm. The Festival, now in its twelfth year, never disappoints with its vibrant and colourful mix showcasing some great Irish entertainment, music, sport and dance. The main music stage will feature a whole afternoon of some of the finest Irish music from bands such as Mustang, The 12 Sullivan’s, The Emerald Dogs, Guns and Horses and the ever popular Mick Flavin. Some of the best traditional Irish music will be played live on a second stage.

This year we are planning to run a more high profile event for 2007, in celebration of the New Town’s sixtieth anniversary, and there will be lots for young people and families to do with a special children’s entertainment marquee featuring games, songs and stories, with particular emphasis on Irish traditions and folklore. There will also be live GAA Sports, live televised sports, Irish Dancing Displays, two beer tents and many stalls offering Irish goods.

Tickets for the Celtic Rock in the Park will cost £8 and will be available online, at local outlets, at the gate on the day and at The Hawth Box Office – Tel: 01293 553636 or book online at www.hawth.co.uk.

Tickets for the Crawley Irish Festival will cost £5 for Adults, £2 for concessions (students and over 60’s) and children under 18 are free and will be available at the gate on the day.

For further details on the bands for the Celtic Rock Night see:

• Angst - www.angst.uk.com/home.htm
• Bad Boy Boogie - www.celtic-irish.co.uk
• TheBibleCodeSunday’s - www.biblecodesundays.co.uk/bcshtml/index.htm
• The Cureheads – http://www.garyash.addr.com/

The Crawley Folk Festival takes this weekend, 29th June - 1st July and the Mullins Irish Dance School will be performing on Saturday 30th at the free Dance Stage.

The dancers recently took part in “The British Red Cross Dance for Life”, in Surrey, where both Junior and Senior groups won their heat. The juniors went on the win the final at the Electric Theatre, Guildford. Congratulations to all those that took part.

Catherine Mullins, the teacher who runs the school, will also be hosting a workshop on the 30th June at the Crawley Folk Festival (1pm-2pm). A week later, the dancers will also be performing at Crawley Festival finale at the Memorial Gardens on 7th July.

The weekend saw the conclusion of months of planning as Sussex Junior Chess team took on Ireland at The Clarion Hotel, Crawley (Saturday 16 – Sunday 17th June). All of the players were aged between seven and sixteen years of age.

The two teams played for the Sir Patrick Moore Cup, a biennial event held alternately in Ireland and England. Sir Patrick Moore, who presents BBC2’s The Sky at Night programme from his home in Sussex, and played for the county in the 1950’s, provided the trophy.

The Rt Hon Timothy Loughton MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, Shadow Minister for Children, welcomed the Irish visitors and opened the tournament by playing the first move.

The two teams took a break from Chess on the Saturday evening, with 100 people taking part in a Sussex v Ireland Bowling contest at The Hollywood Bowl in Crawley, which was extremely popular with both the players and the supporting adults. It gave both sides an opportunity to socialise with their new friends.

The final results for this year’s two day tournament were Sussex, 142.5 to Ireland, 46.5 (189 games were played in all). This year’s victory caps a phenomenal year for Sussex Junior Chess and highlights the exceptional talent in Sussex. Sussex are the strongest Chess County in the UK.

David Howell (the youngest ever Grand Master) made a guest appearance on the Sunday, much to the delight of the children. David, just 16, lives in Sussex and attends Eastbourne College. He started playing chess at 6 at a Sussex Junior Chess event. He became a Grand Master when he was 10 months younger than his hero Gary Kasparov.

David played a two-hour simultaneous match against members of both the Sussex and Ireland teams, playing 12 at anyone time. David commented: “I was impressed by the enthusiasm and high standard of the players”. David went on to present the trophy and prizes.

Peter Doyle of the Irish Team thanked the Sussex organisers for their efforts in putting on such a well-organised and enjoyable event.

For further information please contact:

Isabel Keen – 0788 4433 200 / 01273 891402
isabel@yokehurst.com

Setanta Sports, the Irish-owned Pay TV broadcaster, has sensationally secured the exclusive broadcast rights for Ricky ‘Hitman’ Hatton’s IBO World Welterweight Title fight on Saturday 23rd June.

This crucial fight against Mexico’s Jose Luis ‘El Temible’ Castillo LIVE from Las Vegas is further proof that Setanta Sports is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to showcasing the best international sporting events.

To support this new acquisition, Setanta Sports have announced an exclusive offer of two months free subscription with no ongoing subscription. All you have to do is sign up to the fight before 23 June 2007 to receive two months free subscription.

The Irish community will probably be aware that Setanta also holds the UK television rights to the GAA All-Ireland Hurling and Football championships, the Scottish Premier League and, from August, English Premier League matches.

This offer gives an ideal opportunity for the Irish community to watch the All-Ireland championship throughout the summer and taste the exciting Setanta Sports lineup including:

• Setanta Sports 1
• Setanta Sports 2
• Setanta Ireland
• Setanta Golf
• NASN (North American Sports)
• Racing UK
• Racing World
• Celtic TV
• Rangers TV

Subscribers to this offer will also see up to six live Barclaycard Premiership matches for free during the two months free subscription period.

Now is a great opportunity to sign-up to Setanta for the summer with no ongoing commitment for just £15. To find out more, visit the Setanta Sports website.

Bertie, as the head of Ireland’s biggest party, will need to form a coalition in order to retake office as Premier for a further term.

This morning’s RTÉ exit poll by Lansdowne Market Research suggest a good day for both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and early tallies suggest this will be the case. Early indications suggest that Fianna Fáil will win the election but not maintain an overall majority but may still lead the new administration.

Bertie Ahern has had an historically important career so far including:

• 1988: Helped negotiate the Good Friday peace accord for Northern Ireland.
• 2004: Led successful Irish presidency of European Union, 2004, brokering agreement on EU constitution and overseeing admission of 10 new member states.
• 2007: Brought power-sharing to Northern Ireland

…and it looks like it’s not over yet!

It seems as if the Irish people are not yet ready to let go of Ahern, who has been in power for over a decade.

To quote former Taoiseach Charles Haughey (and mentor of Ahern):

He’s the most clever,
The most cunning,
The most devious of them all…

In recent years, issues relating to Mr Ahern’s financial dealings have impacted upon his public reputation in Ireland which may account for the slip in support for Fianna Fáil. But has there ever been a Taoiseach that hasn’t been a little bit naughty?

More:

• RTÉ News
• Herald Tribune - Biography of Bertie Ahern