SUNDAY:
The Gaelic Hour. 8am 97.9FM
www.thegaelichour.ca

MONDAY:
CCÉ Irish language and dance classes at Blessed Sacrament Church Hall, 194 Fourth Ave. Beginner: 6 – 7pm
Fees: Members $75
Non-members $90
Intermediate & Advanced:
7– 8:30pm Fees: Members $105, Non-Members $125
For information, call Sheila Scott: 613-562-5800, Ext.3882.

SOSPB free beginner drum lessons at 6:30 - 7:15pm
Contact 613 562-4842

The Gaelic Hour music show.
10pm 97.9fm
Tel: 613 244-0244 when on air.
Requests and dedications:
austin@thegaelichour.ca

TUESDAY:
OIS Seniors Drop-In at St Margaret Mary's Church Hall, Sunnyside & Fairbairn.
11am - 2pm
Contact: 613 829-8467

Ottawa Celtic Choir practice at St John the Evangelist Church, Somerset & Elgin. 7:30pm      Contact: 613 737-6912

WEDNESDAY:
CCÉ Irish Set and Céilí Dance Classes for Adults.
Marconi Centre (upstairs),
1026 Baseline Rd. at Farlane
7 - 7:30pm for beginners,
7:30- 9pm dance class (all levels)
Fees: Members: session $84.00;
weekly $7.00:
Non-members: session $112.00;
weekly $9.00
All welcome - no experience is needed and you don’t need to bring a partner.
For further information,
Sheila Scott: 613-562-5800, Ext. 3882.

FRIDAY:
Ottawa Gaels Winter League  Algonquin College Dome.  9pm - 10pm.
$120 for the season. Contact dermot.guinnane@ottawagaels.org

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Friends of The Gaelic Hour

The Gaelic Hour broadcasts twice weekly in Ottawa on CHIN 97.9fm at 8:00a.m. on Sunday and 10:00p.m. on Monday. Each show is unique. Sunday follows a magazine format, while the Monday show is devoted to Music. The Gaelic Hour is an independent  production and is produced and hosted by Austin Comerton.

Over the years the website and the monthly newsletter has evolved and grown. The month of January had 858 unique visitors to the website . They recorded  2875 visits and viewed 11,749 pages while downloading 3.87gig of data.

Since August 2006 this monthly newsletter has been published and is now issued to over 1,300 subscribers that details upcoming programs and also a calander of events by various local communnity organizations.
 

The Gaelic Hour invites you to now consider becoming a "Friend of The Gaelic Hour" and help  the show survive and grow. As a "Friend of  The Gaelic Hour" you will receive your own copy of  the    magazine "Irish Connections Canada" which is published three times yearly by Eamonn O'Loghlin in Toronto. Discounts to events that The Gaelic Hour is associated with, will also apply.

To become a Friend of The Gaelic Hour complete and return the form below.

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Useful Links

1911 Irish Census
Almonte Celtfest
BIFHSGO
Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Ottawa
Comunn Gaidhlig Ottawa
Embassy of Ireland
House of Canvas
Irish Connections Canada Magazine
Irish Music Ottawa
Irish Society of the National Capital Region
LAC Collections Canada
Monterey Inn Resort
NICCC
North American Gaeltacht
Ottawa Cape Breton Session
Ottawa Contra Dance
Ottawa Folklore Centre
Ottawa Gaels
Ottawa Irish Rugby Club
Rose of Tralee Ottawa Centre
Russell Celt Fest
Sons of Scotland Pipe Band
St. Patrick's Home
Tara Players
The Gaelic Hour
The Heart & Crown
twitter.com/thegaelichour

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Introductory Gàidhlig Course

What and Who: Introductory Gàidhlig Course delivered by Randaidh Waugh, President of
An Comunn Gàidhlig Ottawa

When: 4 consecutive Thurs(4th, 11th, 18th, 25th)  7:00pm - 8:30pm

Where: 3M Arnold Drive, in my comfy living room with complimentary tea/coffee

How: In person delivery in a small group

Required Materials: Teach Yourself Gaelic Book with CDs (can be ordered through http://gaelicbooks.com/courses.html
please tell Trueman that you are involved with a Comunn Gàidhlig Ottawa learning
group when ordering). This book is a valuable resource regardless of how or where you continue your studies. I will provide all other
handouts and learning materials.

Cost: $60 for the four week program to be paid on or before the first class

Course Objectives: Gaelic pronunciation, Introducing yourself and telling others about yourself in simple sentences. Approach will be
conversation focussed, but will be holistic (reading, writing, speaking)

Please confirm your interest and/or attendance by sending an email to me at: cogsci@rogers.com

Beannachd leibh,
Randaidh Waugh
http://www.gaidhligottawa.ca


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Win a trip to Ireland in June

The February 20th Ceili includes a

BRING & BUY  SALE
Items for sale include CDs, VHS Tapes, Cassettes, LPs, Books and Irish Giftwares.

Donations welcome.
Contact: Sheila  613-562-5800, Ext. 3882.

This is an ideal opportunity to start your spring cleaning and donate goods of Irish interest to a cultural organization that is committed to promoting and protecting the Irish heritage in our community.

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Although Ireland does not have an extensive history to draw on in the Winter Olympics, one of the athletes has significant experience - only in the Summer Games. Paul Griffin, representing Ireland in cross-country skiing, finished 6th in Athens and 10th in Beijing in the rowing competition. He had used cross-country skiing as part of his rowing training and decided to take it further.

The team for 2010 has yet to be confirmed but the following, in addition to Griffin, are likely participants:

• Aoife Hoey and Claire Bergin or Leona Byrne hope to become the first Irish female bobsledders in the Winter Olympics after a relatively successful European Cup season.
• Kirsty McGarry is most likely to be Ireland's representative in alpine skiing;
• Pat Shannon in the Skeleton event;
• Shane O' Connor, alpine skier, finished in the top 50 of the Slalom event at the World Championships, the best ever result by an Irish male in Slalom.

Elizabeth Radmore was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to James and Mollie McKnight. In 1951, her father emigrated alone to Canada, so that he could find a job and a home for his wife and three children: Elizabeth, Jim and George. The family settled and prospered in Ottawa, and although James and Mollie have since passed away, Elizabeth remains close to her brothers.

Elizabeth has previously published a collection of poetry, winning an Editor's Choice Award for one of the poems, and an article about the dangers lurking in our everyday environment that was distributed nationally. Cushla is her first novel.

Elizabeth and her husband live in Ottawa with their calico cat "Cali" and their beloved black Lab, Chelsea. Elizabeth's children, Jason, Natalie and Rachel, are grown, and live close by with families of their own.

A former General Manager of Rolling Stones band member Bill Wyman's famous restaurant in London now resides in Ottawa.

Shane Waldron from Claremorris, Co Mayo, carved out a major reputation for himself when he was appointed general manager at Bill Wyman's famous London establishment, a mecca for musicians, film and media folk down through the years.

In more recent times, Shane and family opted to move to Canada and his credentials in the business were such that he secured an appointment as manager of the multi-award winning "Eighteen" restaurant in Ottawa. He is currently an owner of the Wellington Gastro Pub..

After receiving his primary education in Claremorris, Shane attended St. Jarlath's College, Tuam and later Limerick University.

Should the Rolling Stones visit Ottawa sometime, a stop at The Wellington Gastro Pub would appear to be a certainty!

Patrick Gullane, MD FRCSC FACS, Professor and Chair, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Toronto

The Governor General of Canada recently inducted Dr. Patrick Gullane to the Order of Canada. He is the Chair, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at U of T's Faculty of Medicine and was recognized "for his contributions to the field of otolaryngology and as an inspiration to many young surgeons."

Gullane attended University College Galway and received his Degree in Medicine. However, his interest in head and neck surgery didn't surface until his years as a medical student in Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe. Given the opportunity to work in Portiuncula Hospital during his summer holidays, he came in contact with Michael McCormack - the then Surgeon-in-Chief at Portiuncula - who whetted his appetite for a surgical career by allowing Patrick to assist in surgical cases and care for surgical patients.

Gullane immigrated to Canada after his graduation in 1970 and interned at Victoria Hospital, London, Ontario. On the completion of his training in Head and Neck Surgery, he stood at a 'cross-roads'. He chose to continue his fledgling career in North America, a choice which reaped dividends. Dr Gullane quickly made a name for himself in his Canada. He obtained his Fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada in 1975 and embarked on a successful surgical career. Since the completion of his training, he has held numerous Academic positions and, in 1983, he was recruited to the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Toronto.

 http://www.bifhsgo.ca/education.htm

Canada K2C 3Y7                                 

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Annual Awards Banquet

Feb 13th 2010
St Brigid's Centre for the Arts & Humanities
314 Patrick St, Ottawa
Cocktails 6:30pm - Dinner 7:00pm

Entertainment by The Ottawa Ceili Band

Tickets: $40 - Adults $25- Youths
Ticket reservations from Caitlin Crooks

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Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann Ottawa

Welcome to / Ta failte romhat ag Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann (Ottawa Branch)

 

From Dorine Best, PRO (CCE, Ottawa)

 

If you know about the kitchen parties of Newfoundland, soirees in Quebec, and the many ways that Canadians have enjoyed getting together to play their instruments and to sing and dance, then you won’t want to miss this gem. Once a month, on a Saturday night, the 3rd Saturday usually, those in the know come to Blessed Sacrament Church hall. The Irish word for the evening is a “ceili” (gathering, or get-together in English). From 8:00-11:30 pm the ceili band with its component fiddles, uilleann piper, bodhran, flute, harp, and keyboard play jigs and reels, hornpipes and mazurkas. You can come and just listen to the music or get up and join in the set dances under the guidance of a caller.

 

Irish Heritage in Ottawa takes many forms. There is no question that it is alive and strong. It has deep roots in the Ottawa Valley and its musical cadences flow in the Ottawa River itself. It is part of the warp and woof of the area since the founding of Bytown and so many of the towns in the area.

 

The ceili , however, represents another aspect of the culture and tradition of Ireland that is a fairly recent import, that is, if 35 years is recent. It owes its appearance to a cultural surge in Ireland in the ‘50’s which washed to Canada not long after. It was recognized by Irish immigrants to the Ottawa area as vibrant link to their homeland.

 

The words “Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann” (pronounced coal- tus kyol-tory air-un) don’t run easily off the tongue. It also takes a bit of attention to figure out what this exotic title represents. But there is no question that it is well worth the effort. The words in the title of this organization are in Irish Gaelic. An English translation would be “Society of Irish Musicians”.  Or it is simply referred to as “Comhaltas” or “CCE”.

 

Comhaltas is a cultural organization with headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with branches throughout the world. Founded in 1951, the organization is non-political and non-sectarian. Its stated objectives are the preservation and promotion of Irish heritage, including traditional music in all its forms, and the Irish language.

 

The Ottawa Branch of Comhaltas was formed more than 35 years ago. The seed was planted in 1974, when the first concert tour from Ireland under the auspices of Comhaltas came to Montreal. A group of prominent Irishmen from Ottawa attended the concert. This encounter with their culture inspired  them to start a branch here to support the many aspects of their treasured Irish heritage. These include promoting Irish traditional music in all its forms, and in particular the restoration of playing of the harp and uilleann pipes. If there is music, there must be dancing.  Irish traditional dancing takes two main forms, one is the dance troupe type which most people are familiar with from Riverdance. The other is similar to Scottish country dancing, where groups dance in set patterns, often under the guidance of a “caller”. This “folk” dancing is referred to as set dancing or céilí dancing.

 
Photos by Pat Cassidy

Comhaltas offers dance classes for solo and set dancing, Irish language classes, and help for anyone who would like to play traditional Irish music. To find out about the classes and for more information about the local branch please visit www.ottawacomhaltas.com

 

Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann is an international organization based in Ireland with over 400 branches worldwide. See the its exciting website at
http://www.comhaltas.interweb.ie/

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITY FOR OVERSEAS STUDENTS FROM QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY BELFAST

In 2010, Queen's University Belfast will be offering up to five scholarships for EU/Overseas candidates.  Queen’s University Belfast has one-year masters programmes in Irish, Ancient and Modern History, Irish Studies, Social Anthropology, and Cognition and Culture.  Applications will be accepted until August 1, 2010 for admission in September 2010 but ONLY STUDENTS WHO APPLY BEFORE MARCH 26 WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR THESE COMPETITIVE BURSARIES.
For more information about studying at Queens, please contact Catherine Boone at c.boone@qub.ac.uk
School of History and Anthropology website: www.qub.ac.uk/historyandanthropology