Weekend Ramblings...

We had a great weekend! First off, Newt's 18th birthday was Saturday. It's hard to believe it has been 18 years since he was born. I remember it like it was yesterday...his premature entrance into the world interrupting our Thanksgiving dinner. He was a teeny little guy. Now he is an awesome young man...though still a little on the short side.  I am proud to be his mother! He has applied to college and will start his final high school wrestling season next week. We just finished up Newt's birthday dinner tonight...chicken chili...his favorite! 

Saturday night Haley and Dylan joined a group of talented kids from around the Delaware Valley at the annual Delaware Valley CCE general meeting. The kids had all competed in the MidAtlantic Fleadh and all qualified to go to Derry in August though not all made the trip. Of the four gold medals that came back from the All Ireland competition in August, three were won by Delaware Valley kids....Haley won two (solo fiddle and fiddle slow airs) and Emily won in harp slow airs. So, it was a big year for our little CCE branch...celebrated last night with the kids giving a short concert.



Here are all the kids playing together. They played a set including the Tinker's Daughter and Traver's Reel which they learned at Next Gen from Kevin McGillian who was in the room listening to them play. They were the group who recorded these same tunes for Irish Philadelphia's Ceili Drive CD.

It is pretty neat to have such a great group of kids who share the same passion as my kids. They really enjoy spending time and playing together.

There was also dancing at the meeting. Haley loves to do the ceili dances and always has a dance partner in Ed or John (unfortunately the pictures don't always come out very good because they are always moving).

Sunday, Haley was fortunate to be included in a concert at St. Mary's Church in Cherry Hill. She opened both halves of the show with tune sets. The concert was given by Ciaran Sheehan, who actually has played Raul in Phantom of the Opera. He and the soprano, Sarah, sang a number of Phantom songs accompanied by a pianist and violinist/fiddler, Heather, who we know from Irish music.  They have beautiful voices! Haley had an obsession with Phantom of the Opera when she was around 5 years old and we took her to see the musical on Broadway (http://ptmom.blogspot.com/2007/09/phantom-of-opera.html).

It was funny to have her now meeting and performing with singers who have played parts in that show.