5 Week of February 27th, 2012www.irishemigrant.com

Genealogy Starter Kit

On Sat. Jan. 28 over 30 genealogy enthusiasts took part in Getting Started: Tracing your Irish Ancestors. The session focused on; tips to get started, the impact of Ireland’s history & geography on genealogical sources, how to source and interpret vital records and concluded with a review of key resources – both Irish & general – to maximize record and data collection. Two lucky prize winners, Geoffrey Collins and Josephine McManus were recipients of The Irish Family & Local History Handbook (by Blatchford Publishing) and a Certificate of Irish Heritage (www.heritagecertificate.ie) respectively. Watch out for the next introductory session at the New York Irish Center. Bridget Bray

NY Irish Center

The story of the

ShamrockThe shamrock is a three-leafed old white clover and has become a visual reminder of Ireland and everything Irish. The name shamrock is derived from the Irish word seamróg. This little flower was a major help to Ireland’s patron saint St Patrick, back in 432 AD, when he returned to Ireland. He brought Christianity and used the shamrock, to explain the Blessed Trinity According to Irish legends, St. Patrick was making his way around Ireland converting Irish pagans to Christianity, The Irish Chieftain’s were both skeptical and curious about the Holy Trinity and demanded St. Patrick for an explanation. It’s it said St. Patrick bent down, picked a shamrock from the grass where he stood, showed it to them, and explained how the three leaves are part of the one flower, and how similarly the three Persons, Father, Son, and Spirit, are part of one Supreme Being.

Since then the Shamrock can be seen visually representing many organizations, teams, and other activates around the world, many of which has Irish ties back to the homeland!The New York Irish Center, feel the Shamrock is a very fitting visual representation, as it clearly reflects what the New York Irish Center Stands for; Community, Culture, Heritage, and like the Shamrock, all 3 elements come together in our own little slice of Ireland, here in New York, for the Irish and their friends to be apart of embrace and enjoy.Here are a few places around the world where you may not expect to find Ireland’s little flower!• The shamrock signified the First Division of the Second Corps of the Army of the Potomac in the American Civil War, which contained the Irish Brigade. It was red as were all of the division insignia of that corps and still be seen on the regimental coat of arms of “The Fighting 69th”• The flag of the city of Montreal has a shamrock that is located in the lower right quadrant. The shamrock represents the Irish population, one of the four major ethnic groups that made up the population of the city in the 19th century when the arms were designed.

• The shamrock is featured in Canadian Coat of arms.• The shamrock is featured on the passport stamp of Montserrat, island nation in the Caribbean. many of whose citizens are of Irish descent.• The airline Aer Lingus uses the emblem in its logos, and its air traffic control call sign is “Shamrock”.• The Erin Go Bragh flag, originally of Saint Patrick’s Battalion, uses an angelic Cláirseach, a medieval Irish harp, cradled in a wreath of clover. A flag strongly symbolic of Irish nationalism, it is often seen on Saint Patrick’s Day, usually displayed during the parades.* Soldiers of the Royal Irish Regiment of the British army use the shamrock as their emblem, and wear a sprig of shamrock on Saint Patrick’s Day. Shamrock are exported to wherever the regiment is stationed throughout the world. Queen Victoria decreed over a hundred years ago that soldiers from Ireland should wear a sprig of shamrock in recognition of fellow Irish soldiers who had fought bravely in the Boer War, a tradition continued by British army soldiers from both the north and the south of Ireland following partition in 1921.• The coat of arms on the flag of the Royal Ulster Constabulary

George Cross Foundation was cradled in a wreath of shamrock.• During the Russian Civil War a British officer Col. P.J. Woods, of Belfast, established a Karelian Regiment which had a shamrock on an orange field as its regimental badge.• The shamrock is the official emblem of Irish Side

Shamrock Rovers F.C. and the Greek multi-sport club Panathinaikos AO and Cypriot sports club AC Omonia.• The Danish football club Viborg FF uses a shamrock in its badge and it has become a symbol of the town of Viborg.• The German football club SpVgg Greuther Fürth also

has a shamrock in its badge as it is a symbol of the city of Fürth.• The shamrock is among the symbols of the Aryan Brotherhood, a prison gang.• Former NBA player Shaquille O’Neal nicknamed himself the “Big Shamrock” after joining the Boston Celtics.

• In the fantasy novel series, Harry Potter, the fictitious Irish National Quidditch team use the shamrock as part of their emblem.Please get in touch with us here at the New York Irish Center, if you see the Shamrock anywhere unusual!Jane McCarter

Harpist, Singer, Storyteller

Tuesday March 6th

Kitty Sullivan in Concert

Doors 6.45pm • Showtime 7.30pm Meet Kitty after the Show and enjoy FREE hospitality

info. & tickets at www.nyirish.org

Irish Movie Night

Friday March 23rd

Jig (feature)and a short

Doors 7.30pm • Discounted Bar until 8.10pm Showtime 8.15pm

info. & tickets at www.nyirish.org

SPECIAL EVENTS AT THE CENTERb b

Irish House Party Rocks The House

The Irish House Party played to a packed house of over 140 on Saturday February 4th at the New York Irish Center in Long Island City (only five mins. from

Grand Central Station on the 7 train). This was the third show as part of their first North American tour. The show draws its inspiration from one of the Ireland’s most popular and enduring traditions; The House Party. Made up of three elements; storytelling, singing and Irish dancing and performed by champion all Ireland musicians

and dancers, The Irish House Party gave us an enriching and invigorating evening of traditional entertainment.There were six performers from The Irish House Party collective on stage; three Dublin based - Declan Quinn (flute & vocals), Gerry Nolan (guitar & vocals) and Eugene Quinn (irish banjo & vocals), and three U.S. based

- Katie Linnane (fiddle), Gary Grant (guitar) & Isaac Alderson (uilleann pipes, whistle, flute & saxophone). During the course of the evening, the group entertained the rapt New York Irish Center audience with stories, music and dancing, all shot through with a rich sense of humor and a deep respect and love for the rich

traditions of Irish culture.One of the many highlights of the evening was the dancing of Katie Linnane (a native of the Bronx). Katie performed two jigs, one on stage and one on the floor among the audience. She also played the fiddle for two sets. Isaac Alderson’s soulful solo piece on the Uilleann pipes, provided another of many memorable moments from the evening. The band finished the festivities with a lively rendition of Molly Malone, the audience singing along heartily before rising to their feet to give the Irish House Party a standing ovation. The evening was a great experience and the audience was left wanting more. This was the latest in an ever growing concert series at the New York Irish Center. In the past year and a half, we have hosted Luka Bloom, Ashley Davis (with Cormac De Barra) and The Guggenheim Grotto and look forward to more exciting concerts

in 2012. On Saturday April 28th, we are hosting Grammy Award Winning Singer, Susan McKeown. Remember to check www.nyirish.org for details on this and all upcoming shows.The Irish House Party show has gained a reputation as being the most authentic Irish show. The next time you are in Dublin, make sure to catch their dinner show in Merchants Quay.Howard Maxwell

All Photos on this page by Felicitas Maxwell