1. art and entertainment
2. books and literature

Foras Cultuir Gaeil Aontuighthe
United Irish Cultural Center, Inc.
2700 - 45th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94116
Tel: 415-661-2700
Fax: 415-661-8620
E-mail: uicentersf@yahoo.com
www.irishcentersf.org
BOARD MESSAGE
Volume XLV No. 10
October 2014
2014-2015 OFFICERS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Judith Kell
President
Caitie O’Shea
Vice President
John Tucker
Secretary
Michael Bowler
Treasurer
Megan Cummins
Michael Leboeuf
Bill Luqué
Dear Members,
Your dedicated Board of Directors is busy reviewing all of the details of our Center’s business side
and is making great efforts to be sure that Center needs are well addressed, and, at the same time, prepare
the forthcoming calendar to celebrate our Fortieth Anniversary year. Members are enthusiastic about
beginning this prestigious fortieth year at the United Irish Cultural Center. Many wonderful occasions are
being planned and will culminate in an Anniversary Ball on April 18, 2015. Mark your calendars now!
I would be remiss not to mention again the incredible work that was done by our wonderful
Center volunteers who serve on the Building Committee. Two hundred hours of volunteer work were
completed by Martin Falvey, John Manning, Martin Howard, Brian Farrell, Dan McAuliffe, and Mike
Bowler. All these men worked to the top of their professional abilities on the ladies’ restroom, repaired
new counters and closures, and installed almost 500 feet of stained, varnished baseboards. Three coats of
paint were applied to the UICC’s handrails and gates. The Board room looks particularly beautiful with its
new coat of paint. Our UICC library was also spruced up by these dedicated volunteers with new shelves
and baseboards. Heartfelt thanks to the wonderful Building Committee volunteers.
Your President was an honored guest at the 149th Annual Scottish Games in Pleasanton on
Labor Day Weekend. I was able to see our United Irish Center Irish Pipers perform spectacularly in the
annual competition there. The Irish flag flew proudly! Additionally, Board members have been meeting
with others from various Irish groups in the Bay Area. We entertained the President of the Board of the
Irish Network and are moving forward with some preliminary thoughts for a holiday event at our Center.
Special thanks to Caitie O’Shea, Bill Luque and Teresa Moore for helping by meeting at the Center with
Nicholas Ginger, Irish Network Board President.
September also was special because of the trip that was taken by members and friends (special
thanks to Bill Luque for the great amount of planning that went into the trip) to Yosemite. The trip was
sold out with a waiting list! I intend to sign up early for the next trip. It is wonderful to get away together.
In closing, I have just finished an incredible book entitled , “How the Irish Saved Civilization”.
The author’s point is very well taken and I will be mentioning some of the book’s contents at our future
meetings. For now, it is this Irish Center with its dedicated volunteers, its focused mission of “becoming
the center of all things Irish in the Bay Area” and with forty years of dedication behind it, that is certainly
saving and promoting Irish culture in the Bay Area. Our strength is in our memories, our daily activities
and in our important work for the future of our children and grandchildren. May they know their heritage
and proudly carry it forward!
In Caring Unity,
Judith Kell, President
UICC Board of Directors
Purpose ~ Respect ~ Organization ~ Unity ~ Determination
THIS MONTH’S GENERAL MEETING IS THURSDAY OCTOBER 23
THURSDAY NIGHT DINNER CLUB
The next Thursday Night Dinner will be October 16. The price is $25. No-host cocktails start at 5:30 pm and dinner
will be served at 6:00 pm. Dinner includes soup or salad and your choice of Chicken or Fish. Please make your reservations
early with Mary Magee at the Center 415/661-2700 ext. 104 or Mitzi Samson 415/681-0876. Reservations close on
Sunday, October 12. Invite your friends!
— Molly Fitzpatrick, Co-Chairperson
SILVER GAELS
Friday, October 3 is the date for our Silver Gaels luncheon and card playing at 12:30 pm. All are welcome.
Thank you Bill Luqué for organizing the
Silver Gaels’s trip to Yosemite. Even with the
drought, Yosemite and the Awahnee Lodge
are beautiful places to see and enjoy.
Our stay at Chukchansi Gold Resort was nice
and relaxing and for some profitable!
After having auditioned in February, Miss Colleen Rawson, of Petaluma, California, in Sonoma County, was accepted to
the summer intensive program at Ballet San Jose. She was recognized
with a merit scholarship and began her four week adventure in downtown San Jose with classes all day, Monday through Friday, in July.
Mrs. Marie Rawson and her son, Mr. Marty Rawson of Sunnyvale,
were gracious enough to host Colleen, her mother and younger sister
during the month so they had a comfortable place to be with family.
They would stay in Sunnyvale during the week and then travel back
north to Petaluma on the weekends so Colleen and Margaret (“Meg”)
could share the week’s adventures with their dad on the weekends.
The summer intensive at Ballet San Jose School offered
instruction to 120 students who were selected from over five
different city locations that held auditions on their behalf throughout the state. At the end of the four-week run, all of the students
performed in a showcase that offered a variety of both classical and
modern ballet.
Colleen is now back in Petaluma at her home studio, the
O’Brien Center of the Arts, preparing with her fellow dance students
for their winter show in November, called “The Holiday Gift” in
which she will perform as a Snow Princess.
DEADLINE for NOVEMBER 2014 BULLETIN is OCTOBER 15
Please call the UICC with questions at 415/661-2700. If you have specific questions contact:
Adrienne Verreos
Falcon Associates Inc.
• tel: 415/468-4130 • fax: 415/468-3549 • email: falconassoc@earthlink.net
OCTOBER CALENDAR
■ OCTOBER 4, SATURDAY
• Irish Marvels, Past and Present Study Group
2:00pm - 4:00pm ~ UICC Board Room
Everyone welcome. For more information call
Jo Coffey 415/585-6506
or email: coffey.jo@gmail.com
■ OCTOBER 5, SUNDAY
• Poetry Workshop ~ 1pm
UICC Board Room
Contact Sean Casey 415/668-0102 or
irishpoetryworkshop@gmail.com
• Presentation by Pol O’Murchu & Book Party!
2:30 - 4:30pm ~ St. Francis Room.
All are welcome! No charge
See Library page inside this bulletin
■ OCTOBER 9, THURSDAY
• IIPC Senior Mass & Luncheon ~ 12:15pm See Ad
• Set Dancing Classes ~ 7:30pm - 9:30pm
For info call Josephine Brogan 415/681-4803
■ OCTOBER 11, SATURDAY
• Irish Language Classes
Resumes for 8 weeks.
Contact: Josephine Brogan/415-681-4803
or email: josephinebrogan@yahoo.com
■ OCTOBER 16, THURSDAY
• Thursday Night Dinner
No-host cocktails 5:30pm and dinner 6pm
Reservations required.
Call Mitzi Samson 415/681-0876
or Mary Magee at the Center 415/661-2700 ext. 104
• Set Dancing Classes ~ 7:30pm - 9:30pm
For info call Josephine Brogan 415/681-4803
■ OCTOBER 18, SATURDAY
• Connaught Club Annual Dinner Dance ~ See Ad
■ OCTOBER 23, THURSDAY
• GENERAL MEETING
7:30pm ~ St. Francis Room
Music at the Bar
Saturday, October 4
Kevin Roche & Company
Saturday, October 18
Comhaltas Traditional Irish Dancing
Save the Date!
Sunday, November 2nd
Library Open House
2pm to 4pm
Sunday, November 16th
S.F. Ladies Ancient
Order of Hibernians Div. 2
San Francisco Style
Fashion Show and Raffle
11am ~ No Host cocktails
Noon ~ Luncheon
$55 per person/$15 child
Call Pam Naughton 415-566-1936
RSVP by 11/10/14
Sunday, November 23rd
Annual Deceased Members Mass
10am ~ St. Patrick’s Room
Saturday, December 6th
Rebel Cork Dinner
• Set Dancing Classes ~ 7:30pm - 9:30pm
For info call Josephine Brogan 415/681-4803
■ OCTOBER 24, FRIDAY
• Kerry Night at the UICC
Music by Kevin Roche
Call the Center with your reservations 415/661-2700
■ OCTOBER 30, THURSDAY
• Set Dancing Classes ~ 7:30pm - 9:30pm
For info call Josephine Brogan 415/681-4803
céad míle
fáilte
Connaught Athletic & Social Club
Annual Dinner Dance
Saturday, October 18, 2014
United Irish Cultural Center
2700 - 45th Avenue, San Francisco
No Host Bar 7pm ~ Dinner 8 pm
$65.00 per person ~ Filet Mignon or Salmon
Music by Ben Hunter
Tickets and Information:
Peter Naughton 415/999-9210 or 415/661-7940
Peter & Josephine Moore 415/845-9886 or 415/407-5944
Sally Cassidy 415/665-0689
John Joyce 650/954-4141
Maura & Martin Joyce 650/218-1534 or 650/342-4383
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DINING ROOM
­— LUNCH­—
THURSDAY - FRIDAY
11:30AM TO 2PM
Financing is available - call now
(415) 395-9000
• Honest
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473 Jackson Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
fax: (415) 395-9206
“Our Family Serving Yours”
Celebrations of Life
­— DINNER from 5PM —
THURSDAY - SUNDAY
— SUNDAY BRUNCH —
10AM TO 2PM
qq
PRIX-FIXE DINNER MENU
$20 FOR MEMBERS
$21 FOR NON-MEMBERS
Thursday and Sunday evenings
*not including tax and gratuity
Please contact our Pre-Planning Department for
your FREE Personal Planning Guide
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415/587-4500
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415/621-4567
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PATRICK J. DOWLING LIBRARY NEWS
Treasures of the
Patrick J. Dowling Library
All the books in the library have been donated. Many times the books are donated by our
generous supporters who think of us when they
have extra books but sometimes the books have
special meaning to the donors and truly become a
treasure of the library as is the case of the Maloney
family. The other day Helen Maloney and her cousin
dropped by the library with 7 or 8 boxes of some
wonderful books. As Helen explained, “…her late husband,
James Maloney, had a great love of anything Irish,
which was inspired by his grandfather Patrick Maloney
who was born in county Clare Ireland. James began
his book collection while in high school- a collection
that grew to over 600 volumes, many of which were
in Gaelic. He taught himself to read and speak
Gaelic and became a citizen of Ireland. Prior to his
death in 2006 James requested that his Irish book
collection be given to the United Irish Cultural Center in San Francisco. He read every book in his
collection, served in the United States Marines and
worked as a mechanical engineer.”
We would like to thank Helen and James
Maloney for this very generous donation-received
just in time to help fill up our new shelves.
Library Renovations
Thanks to the generosity of the Friends of
the Library, of the people who purchase duplicate
books and of the people who bought raffle tickets
at the ICCC raffle last Spring, we were able to put
in new flooring and additional shelves during the
August clean up. This was also an opportunity to
re-arrange furniture and in general spruce things
up.
And a huge thank you to all the volunteers
who moved boxes & furniture, re-arranged displays,
installed shelves-in a word all of those who made
it happen: Samantha Cairo-Toby, Gerry Cassidy,
Jo Coffey, Pat D’Arcy, Patty Dowling, Martin Falvey,
Roger Gargano, Valerie McGrew, Loretta Marcel,
Jessica Neaves, Jack O’Keeffe, Lyz Roberts and to
the ICCC/UICC Board and Teresa Moore & staff for
their support.
EVERYONE INTERESTED IN OUR LIBRARY
IS CORDIALLY INVITED TO AN OPEN HOUSE
ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2
FROM 2PM TO 4PM
DROP BY FOR A CUP OF TEA
AND CHECK OUT THE LIBRARY’S NEW LOOK
LIBRARY EVENTS IN OCTOBER
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2:30-4:30 PM
Presentation & Book Party
Irish is the comeback language of the 21st
century! Join Pól Ó Murchú, the first American to be
awarded an Irish Master’s degree in Ireland’s history,
for a talk on why so many are learning the world’s
emerald language. His recently published, A Grammar
of Modern Irish is a definitive source for Irish usage and
is a guide to the 1999 edition of the grammar book,
Graiméar Gaeilge na mBráithre Críostaí, (Christian
Brothers’ Irish Grammar. It contains a section on
original Irish surnames, which can be a handy reference
when doing a genealogical search for your ancestors.
For instance, the original for ‘Wyndham’ is actually Ó
Gaoithín.
This presentation will be of special interest to
Irish speakers, to people doing genealogical research,
and to people interested in the Irish language and
in the study of language itself.
‘A Grammar of Modern Irish is the best of its kind on the market’,
Nicholas Williams, UCD Professor Emeritus, Irish Grammarian,
and translator of The Hobbit into Irish.
Pol will also be signing copies of Tapping Dublin
Pubs 2013 and A Grammar of Modern Irish.
Location: The United Irish Cultural Center
2700 45th Avenue, San Francisco
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1:00-3:00 PM
Irish-American Stories Workshop
The Patrick J. Dowling Library is pleased to
once again partner with author and educator Margaret Cooley who will facilitate a workshop exploring
Irish American stories. Sometimes all we have left
of our ancestors is a photograph, a marriage record
or a Mass card. Margaret Cooley will give a talk and
teach a workshop on how she began without any
records, stories or photographs and found enough
information to recreate a family story and write a
book, The McQueeneys: From Ireland to America. Participants may bring a family photograph
or record and will have an opportunity to access
ancestry records at the workshop. Margaret will assist
participants in using vital records and photographs
to begin to tell their family stories and make their
own books. Sign Up: Please contact Margaret Cooley to pre-register
in advance at marg_cooley@yahoo.com. Admission
will be on a first come, first serve basis due to limited
space and the popularity of her previous workshops.
Cost: $20 for genealogy search and workshop materials
including the book
Location: The United Irish Cultural Center, Patrick J.
Dowling Library, 2700 45th Avenue, San Francisco.
United Irish Cultural Center, Inc.
FIRST-CLASS MAIL
US POSTAGE PAID
2700 45th Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94116-2696
This month’s General Meeting is October 23
Happy
Halloween!
San Francisco, CA
PERMIT NO. 9909