Being Irish is hot.
From dance and the cinema to music and publishing, the popularity of things Irish has reached impressive proportions.
Need proof?
In the last few years, Thomas Cahill’s “How the Irish Saved Civilization,” a book that celebrates the unsung accomplishments of Ireland’s obscure monks and scribes, spent months on the national bestseller lists. Not long after, Frank McCourt set the publishing world on fire with the success of his touching memoir, “Angela’s Ashes.” After more than 70 weeks, it still remains lodged in the Top 10.
These days, it’s cool to be Celtic. (And not just of the Irish variety, either. See accompanying sidebar for a take on some of the “other” Celts.)
In an earlier time, roots and heritage were far from the minds of immigrants and their offspring. Speaking Gaelic or wearing a kilt would have been a source of derision, not ethnic pride.
“Most of the Irish people I knew (growing up) were glad to get out of Ireland,” observes historian Lawrence McCaffrey, professor emeritus at Loyola University and consultant to the PBS television documentary “The Irish in America: The Long Journey Home.”
“They didn’t expect their kids to be interested in this stuff. Just being Catholic was good enough. Now they can afford to look back at who they are and be proud of it. The new kids have found that there’s something to be proud of.”
Today, the descendants of these original immigrants are flocking to Irish language classes at places like the Irish American Heritage Center and elsewhere. And thanks to Mel Gibson’s larger-than-life portrait of the great Scots patriot and warrior William Wallace in the Academy-award-winning “Braveheart,” the kilt, once the butt, so to speak, of jokes, has earned the respect that it deserves as a legitimate example of national dress.
In the rock arena, U2 has been setting records since its arrival on the international scene almost 20 years ago.
It has been joined by younger generations of musicians, from the ethereal rock of the Cranberries to the roots rock of the Saw Doctors. Even traditional bands, such as the highly regarded Altan and Cherish the Ladies, are capturing the attention of mainstream record companies.
And then there’s the haunting, Celtic-tinged music on the soundtrack of “Titanic.”
Clearly, something is going on here.
When asked to explain what sparked this veritable explosion of interest in most things Celtic, many people answer with one word: “Riverdance.”
” `Riverdance’ and `Lord of the Dance’ opened people’s eyes to the talents of the Irish community. It brought the Irish to the fore,” says Cliff Carlson, editor and publisher of the Oak Park-based Irish-American News.
For many people, before “Riverdance,” Irish culture meant sentimental balladry, Aran sweaters and clean-cut young men and women dancing ramrod straight to jigs and reels. To the outside world, there was very little passion attached to it. Now, Irish culture has assumed a new level of sophistication and — dare we say it? — sexiness.
Yet, insists Mark Howard, artistic director of the award-winning Trinity Irish Dance Company, “Irish (things) were already popular.” The difference now, he says, is that “it’s been pushed to another level.”
Of course, being Irish, especially in Chicago, has been advantageous for quite some time, as more than a few politicians from Bridgeport would surely acknowledge. What is new, though, is the level of popularity of Irish things.
Although there is much to be said for all the attention that “Riverdance” has brought, truth be told, the roots of the Irish cultural renaissance run much deeper.
As far back as 1981, Rev. Andrew Greeley was predicting an Irish resurgence in the arts. Perhaps no one paid him much heed then, but his vision of a robust Irish-American cultural life now seems strangely prophetic.
Around the same time, historian McCaffrey lamented that the Irish had gone from someplace to no place. Now he, too, sees a resurgence of interest in the cultural arts, although his enthusiasm is more muted.
“With the church fading, people have turned to culture as expression of identity,” he says. “Whether this is a spectator renaissance or a creative renaissance, I’m not sure yet.”
Richard Kosmacher is perhaps typical of the many non-Celts who have come to deeply appreciate Celtic culture. He fell in love with the Emerald Isle on a bicycling trip in 1977. When he returned home, he had “no clue that I would spend my entire adult life running an Irish import shop.” Now he is co-owner, with Michael Joy, of Joy of Ireland on North Michigan Avenue. When the store opened seven years ago, “it definitely was a struggle,” he says; the busiest times of the year tended to be around Christmas and St. Patrick’s Day. Now, business is solid throughout the year.
The tastes of the public are more demanding today, says Kosmacher. They appreciate quality. “They prefer handmade crafts, not mass-produced (goods),” he says. Joy of Ireland has done exceedingly well catering to this upscale clientele. The shop stocks all types of Celtic jewelry in addition to crystal, fine woolens and china. The store soon will be expanding to the empty space next door.
Irish concerts are being presented at some of the city’s top venues, another indication of the respect that Irish culture has received. No one bats an eye when the traditional band Altan plays the Vic and the Irish-American rock band Black 47 plays the House of Blues.
On St. Patrick’s Day, the venerable Old St. Patrick’s Church, Chicago’s oldest church building and the mother church of the city’s Irish community, will help honor the cultural history of Ireland with its second annual “Siamsa na Gael: A Celebration of Celtic Music, Dance and Story” at the Auditorium Theatre, no less.
Academy Award-nominee Joan Cusack, a member of the local Cusack clan (her brother is actor John Cusack), will narrate the world premiere of Irish composer Patrick Cassidy’s “Deirdre of the Sorrows” and the Chicago premiere of Cassidy’s “Children of Lir.” Cassidy, considered Ireland’s most important young composer, premiered his orchestral suite, “A Famine Remembrance,” at the celebration last year. The Trinity Irish Dance Company will be part of this year’s tribute.
The area’s Irish pubs also do their part in contributing to Irish culture. Martyrs on Lincoln Avenue, Tommy Nevins in Evanston and, oldest of all, the Abbey Pub on Grace Street are just some of the spots that present regular “sessions” — impromptu gatherings where musicians meet to share a tune and enjoy the “craic,” the Irish term for good conversation and good company. Recently, these old reliables have been joined by a few newer pubs, including Celtic Crossings off Chicago Avenue and Fado at the corner of Clark Street and Grand.
With all this success, how long can the Celtic honeymoon last? Has it reached its peak?
“No, there are a lot of people who know nothing about (the culture),” insists Carlson. And those who do have some perfunctory knowledge, as Noel Rice, president of the Irish Music Foundation, points out, come to the tradition some two or three generations removed. They have a lot to learn, a lot of catching up to do.
Perhaps, though, there is a deeper reason behind the widespread appeal of “America’s favorite ethnic group.” Almost everyone likes a good story and a happy ending. The Irish story is the story of America writ large.
“It’s really the story of the underdog,” says Liz Keating of Old St. Patrick’s Church, “the story of the American dream. I think for a lot of other immigrant populations, which is what America really is, it’s a real success story. The time has come to celebrate that.”
10 REASONS WHY BEING CELTIC IS CHIC
Contrary to popular belief, the Irish are not the only Celts in town. The Chicago area is home to many Scots and even some Welsh and Cape Bretoners and, although there are precious few statistics available, one hopes that Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Brittany are also represented.
With that pan-Celtic approach in mind, we’ve put together a list of 10 reasons (in descending order) why it’s “cool” to be Celtic.
10. Ancient sounds that are surprisingly modern. Listen to Loreena McKennitt’s “The Book of Secrets” and its unlikely hit single “The Mummer’s Dance,” and you’ll begin to understand the Canadian artist’s cross-cultural appeal.
9. Great pubs. There’s a reason why so many Celts and non-Celts in Chicago give their pubs Irish or Scottish-sounding names. Among the best pubs are the Abbey, Celtic Crossings, the Duke of Perth on Clark Street and the recently opened Earl of Loch Ness, also on Clark Street.
8. Guinness, Harp and McEwen’s. Not necessarily in that order. The first is the Irish national drink, the second is a yuppie favorite (at least on this side of the ocean) and the third is still fairly hard to come by. Together, though, they represent a very particular form of pan-Celtic communication.
7. Shaved heads and bad teeth. Sinead O’Connor and Shane MacGowan (former front man of the Pogues) prove that even the formerly bald-pated and the orthodontically challenged can be cool.
6. Great sessions. If you still have doubts about the caliber of Irish musicians in the area, check out a local “session.” (See the clubs mentioned in the main story.) After a few minutes, all inhibitions should be dispelled.
5. Painted warriors. Looking his finest in blue war paint, Mel Gibson supplied ample evidence in “Braveheart” that you can be virile, courageous and still wear makeup.
4. Ashley MacIsaac. What could be more cool than a handsome young man — in this case, the astonishing Cape Breton fiddler Ashley MacIsaac, a frequent Chicago visitor — resplendent in kilt and combat boots and creating great, foot-stomping music in the process?
3. Gaelic rap. Who says the Celts don’t have soul? For a sampling of Celtic rap music (of sorts), check out fellow Cape Bretoner Mary Jane Lamond’s haunting guest vocal on MacIsaac’s “Sleepy Maggie,” the runaway hit from last year’s “Hi, How Are You Today?” CD.
2. Stepdancing. Who else but the Celts could turn an inherently conservative art form into an international dance craze? Michael Flatley may have captured the imagination and pocketbook of the world, but let’s give credit where credit is due. Mark Howard was busy laying the groundwork with the Trinity Irish Dance Company before “Riverdance” and “Lord of the Dance” hit it big. Trinity continues to shatter all preconceived notions of what constitutes Irish dance.
1. Andrew Greeley. To end on a local note, what other city can boast as its native son a man who’s a priest, ground-breaking sociologist and bestselling author of racy novels? Greeley recently celebrated his 70th birthday. Now that’s cool.
ADD A LILT TO YOUR LINGO
Irish is just one (but such an important one) of the Celtic languages on the Indo-European family tree (the others are Scots Gaelic, Manx, Welsh, Breton and Cornish).
This year, St. Patrick’s Day and the primary election fall on the same day, which should make for an interesting evening. In keeping with the spirit of the season, we have put together a brief selection of choice Irish phrases that may come in handy at the polls, or pols, or whatever.
They are accompanied by very approximate English translations and rather idiosyncratic phonetic spellings (courtesy of a Dublin native named, God save us, Catherine English).
“Beidh gloine beorach agam.” (Bay glin-na bear-ock a-gum) “I’ll have a glass of beer.”
“Tsg bog e.” (Toe-g gu bug aiy) “Take it easy.”
“Is milis an phsrtar ach is measa an mhiad (iss mil-ish on four-ter ock iss maa-sah on vayd). “It is sweet to drink but bitter to pay for.”
And for a strictly Chicago twist:
“Cad ata tu ag caint faoi? Nml mi abalta ach uair amhain?” (Cawd a-thaw too egg kyench fwee? Kneel may aw-bul-ta ock oor a-waan?) “Whaddaya mean, you can only vote once?” (Literally, “What are you talking about? I’m not able to spend a vote but one time?”)
“Slainte!” (Slaahntsha) “Cheers!”
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Check out St. Patrick’s Day events in the On the Go listings in this section. And for more St. Pat’s Day fun (including Gaelic audio), go to chicago.digitalcity.com/go/stpatrick/ or keyword: chicago on AOL.
