To both the Irish of blood and the Irish of heart:
The Shamrock Shake has arrived. If you're not from Chicago, the meaning of this almighty McDonald's feature may be lost on you, but know this: St. Paddy's Day is near. Soon the river will shimmer in a brilliant green dye; the streets will echo with the sounds of (not-so-sober) crowds roaring and pipers piping; tri-colored flags will be waving as freely as pints of green beer!
Will you miss out on this? I think not, my friend.
It's been awhile but the DePaul Irish Society has leaped back in action for this glorious season. Join us as we make the most of Chicago's Irish enthusiasm. Pubs, parades, food, song, and dance -- here's the low down on the events…oh, and they're free.
~:~ Friday, 3/15 ~:~
SAINT PAT'S IN THE NEW STUDENT CENTRE
- DIS and the DePaul Cultural Center have once again joined forces to provide top-notch entertainment. Beginning at 11:30am, the Cultural Center (first level, Suite 105, New Student Centre) will provide a free corn beef luncheon with all the traditional grub. There'll be a bagpiper on hand as well as the renown speaker James Doyle, Irish scholar and Vice President of Student Affairs. For more info: http://condor.depaul.edu/~ccenter/patricksday.htm
- Immediately following the shin-dig in the Cultural Center (about 2pm), head upstairs to the second level of the New Student Centre for some awe-inspiring dancing girls: the Dennehy Irish Dancers. We loved them so much last year that we've brought them back. Along with the girls we've booked a fine Irish band by the name of Baal Tinne (pronounced Bahl Teenuh). Read more about the band at the bottom of this page.
~:~ Saturday, 3/16 ~:~
DOWNTOWN ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE
This event is always killer. Meet under the Fullerton 'L' tracks by the newspaper stand at 11 AM. Bring your U-Pass, wear green, and come a little tipsy if you so choose-the pre-game show is up to you. You might look into a couple 9am 'Irish Car Bombs' (look 'em up if you don't know what I'm talking about). Like I said…killer.
NOTE: The DePaul Irish Society does not officially support underage drinking...we're merely very tolerant.
~:~ Sunday, 3/17 ~:~
SOUTHSIDE IRISH PARADE
You're gonna have to get up a little early for this one (it's a bit of a ride from here to the southside), but talk to anybody that has experienced this crazy thing they call 'a parade' and they'll assure you it's well worth it. Same drill as the Downtown Parade except we're meeting under the tracks at 10:30am and you'll need to bring $5 for a roundtrip Metra ticket. Most native Chicagoan's consider this the better of the two parades, with all the drinking and madness that occurs on the sidelines, but you'll have to decide for yourself.
That's it folks. If you have any questions, email us at depaul_irish_society@hotmail.com or call Brett at 773.755.3874. See you next Friday, my friends.
Lift yer pints high,
Brett Wilkes
DIS President
BAAL TINNE
"The group was founded with the express goal of exploring the full dynamic possibilities of Irish music, while staying respectful to the tradition of the music. Tapping some more contemporary styles and influences such as jazz, the band focuses much of their time aiming to take tunes from their traditional rhythm and building emotion, tension, dynamics into their sets. The result is a unique sound that stretches from emotive laments to powerful, explosive sets with a driving rhythm that pushes tunes to their
climactic limits." http://www.baaltinne.com/home.html