Chicago and Notre Dame
I was signing "Merry Christmas" at the great Celtic New Year gathering of writers, artists and musicians in ChicagoIBAM-- Irish Books Art Music-- that Cliff Carlson, publisher of a number of Irish American newspapers, put together a Celtic New Year celebration with dozens of author, musicians, dancers and artists at the Irish American Heritage Center with its beautiful new ballroom. That's such a wonderful place and I have gotten to know so many volunteers there as well as the new director Tim McDonnell, Malachy and Alphie McCourt were there from New York and commented on the warm welcome Chicago people give visitors. One of the best parts of Galway Bay is spending so much time in my home town.
That week before I spoke to the Celtic Women at the Heritage Center and had a wonderful evening at the Polo Cafe in Bridgeport (Galway Bay central) with 60 members of book clubs from the area parishes and topped it off with a lovely afternoon with the Irish American teachers. I stayed that week at the Polo Cafe's bed and breakfast hosted by the amazing Dave Samber and was able to walk the streets my ancestors knew so well and get the feel of the neighborhood as I research material for the sequel.
Dave also spearheaded two events at nearby St. James Parish. We showed Proud, the movie I wrote and directed which told the story of the men of the USS Mason, the only African American sailors to take a US Navy warship into combat during WW II. (Check Proudthemovie.com and USSMason.org) It stars Ossie Davis (his last movie). He plays the real Mason sailor Lorenzo Dufau and Mr. Dufau was with us there in Chicago! The students attending the daytime screening loved him and so did the adults at night. We even were featured on ABC news.
Mr Dufau and I had been in Buffalo that weekend where Proud was featured in the Buffalo International Film Festival. We shot the movie in Buffalo so it was a homecoming. Two actors from the film-Ron Mangum and Willie Faulkner attended. The next day Mary Heneghan and her son Tom whose store The Tara Gift Shop is at the heart of Buffalo's Irish Community arranged a signing for me at a unique book store Dog Ears, just down Abbott Street the neighborhood where the street signs are in Irish and a statue of Chauncey Alcott in front of Buffalo's Irish Center watches over his birthplace. A happy day.
And then I entered a sacred space that from childhood meant Irish to me--The University of Notre Dame. I signed books in the Notre Dame book store the day of the Notre Dame-Boston College Game. Talk about Irish Pride. Nothing like hearing the band play the fight song followed by a jig and watching thousands of students in the stands dance along. Met so many friends. Tailgated with Rose Durkin Snyder, whose been a huge support. She'd joined my childhood friend Barbara Leahy Sutton, a St. Mary of Notre Dame's graduate, in helping me at my table in the book store. Roe is amazing. Her enthusiasm pulled people in. They had to buy!!
That week before I spoke to the Celtic Women at the Heritage Center and had a wonderful evening at the Polo Cafe in Bridgeport (Galway Bay central) with 60 members of book clubs from the area parishes and topped it off with a lovely afternoon with the Irish American teachers. I stayed that week at the Polo Cafe's bed and breakfast hosted by the amazing Dave Samber and was able to walk the streets my ancestors knew so well and get the feel of the neighborhood as I research material for the sequel.
Dave also spearheaded two events at nearby St. James Parish. We showed Proud, the movie I wrote and directed which told the story of the men of the USS Mason, the only African American sailors to take a US Navy warship into combat during WW II. (Check Proudthemovie.com and USSMason.org) It stars Ossie Davis (his last movie). He plays the real Mason sailor Lorenzo Dufau and Mr. Dufau was with us there in Chicago! The students attending the daytime screening loved him and so did the adults at night. We even were featured on ABC news.
Mr Dufau and I had been in Buffalo that weekend where Proud was featured in the Buffalo International Film Festival. We shot the movie in Buffalo so it was a homecoming. Two actors from the film-Ron Mangum and Willie Faulkner attended. The next day Mary Heneghan and her son Tom whose store The Tara Gift Shop is at the heart of Buffalo's Irish Community arranged a signing for me at a unique book store Dog Ears, just down Abbott Street the neighborhood where the street signs are in Irish and a statue of Chauncey Alcott in front of Buffalo's Irish Center watches over his birthplace. A happy day.
And then I entered a sacred space that from childhood meant Irish to me--The University of Notre Dame. I signed books in the Notre Dame book store the day of the Notre Dame-Boston College Game. Talk about Irish Pride. Nothing like hearing the band play the fight song followed by a jig and watching thousands of students in the stands dance along. Met so many friends. Tailgated with Rose Durkin Snyder, whose been a huge support. She'd joined my childhood friend Barbara Leahy Sutton, a St. Mary of Notre Dame's graduate, in helping me at my table in the book store. Roe is amazing. Her enthusiasm pulled people in. They had to buy!!
posted by Mary Pat Kelly at
7:37 AM
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