Dear Members,

I wrote an article for the Herald and it was titled “The Irish Center: the seanchaí (storyteller) of San Francisco Irish.” I do hope you get a chance to read it. The final paragraph says:

How do we make the Irish Center the seanchaí of the San Francisco Irish story AND continue to promote Irish Culture? The answer is very simple: with your help. IF you believe that there is an opportunity for the Irish Center to be the seanchaí join us? We will be embarking on a massive capital campaign starting in 2020 and we will need your help. Reach out to www.irishcentersf.org and check back in the Irish Herald or our Facebook page.

I attended the San Francisco Bay Area Law Enforcement Emerald Society’s Award dinner where three wonderful community members were honored: Sue Rollovich, Sean Canniffe and Marty Halloran. They are a pure example of dedication to our community.

For the month of October, Oktoberfest was our big event and what an amazing evening. It was hosted by Mark and Molly Burke and board member Josephine Brogan. We had many many volunteers and board members that supported the evening – A big thank you to all! We have it on the books for October 17th, 2020 and we will get the Internationals Band to return. They played polkas and the Chicken dance and people danced all night long!

Irish language classes sponsored by Comhaltas have started once again on Saturday mornings. I met the new teacher Fintan, a nice young fellow. I believe the first class had 16 students.

We hired Peter Macomber – I hope I am spelling his name correctly, to assist with setting up and operational support. If you see a new face please give him a warm Irish member welcome.

The Connaught dinner dance was on the 18th of October. Ben, Kevin and Steve played a fun night of music and got the waltzers out on the dance floor. Have you ever done the Seige of Ennis? It is a great line dance and you start with rows of four people in each row. You move forward a couple of times and then you move to the side and then the person in front of you grabs your hands and waist and you swing in circles multiple times until you feel you are going to fall over like a three year old dizzy child. Great fun!

Lots of things to do here at the UICC in November and December. Hope you can attend a couple of events. A big thank you to those members who have made a contribution and or paid their dues. Every cent counts – big or small. Just a reminder as a 501c3 nonprofit your donation is tax deductible. It allows the Center to continue to thrive with the support of members. If you have not renewed your membership- please do. It is only $13 a month – best deal in town!

Happy Fall – Remember to check out the Library – there are always new treasures being showcased. We have an amazing library volunteer team and Jennifer is our official librarian.

Sláinte
Anne Cassidy Carew
President of the UICC