There are multifarious events with Irish connections
and connotations held weekly, monthly and annually. Some are major happenings
attracting hundreds of spectators and participants, others are small homely
affairs where strange faces are few but nonetheless welcome.
Coming Events
Celtic Knees-up in Mangonui
Next time your're up north, head to the Mangonui Hall for the monthly ceilidh. Held on the third Saturday of every month, these evenings of Celtic music, song and dance are guaranteed to involve the whole family. Steps are taught before each dance and someone in the band calls instructions. Music starts at 7pm and dances start at 7.30pm. Entry $2, plus a plate of finger-food. Contact (09) 406 0254 www.angelfire.com/planet/nzceilidh
GALFCUIG 2009 video and photos
Past Events
WINNER of the New Zealand Rose of Tralee 2009
Lisa Monaghan, the Southland Rose is the 2009 New Zealand Rose of Tralee. The National Final was held in Hutt Valley 12-13 June. Lisa travelled to Ireland to represent New Zealand at the International Final in Tralee, Co Kerry from 21-26 August 2009. The 2009 International Rose of Tralee winner is Charmaine Kenny, the London Rose Click the link below to see some photos of Lisa and the other Roses taken over the weekend to select the 2009 NZ Rose www.roseoftralee.co.nz/nzrose.html
2009 Auckland 4 Nations Rugby Tournament
Calling Irish rugby players! Ireland, England, Scotland & Wales will battle it out to become the 2009 champions. Now in it's 6th year this year's event will be held over 3 weekends - 12, 19 & 26 September. If you have patriality to one of the 4 home unions and would like to play, contact your coach below and get involved: IRELAND Bernie McCahill 027-233 3881 ENGLAND Campbell Perrin 029-445 5667 SCOTLAND Mark Winder 027-221 5572 or Mike Speck 021 686 660 WALES Derek Lewis 021-511 496 Matches will all take place at College Rifles Rugby Union Football & Sports Club grounds at 33 Haast St, Remuera, Auckland. Match details: SATURDAY 12 SEPTEMBER Ireland v Wales at 2.30pm Scotland v England at 2.30pm SATURDAY 19 SEPTEMBER Ireland v England at 4.15pm Scotland v Wales at 4.15pm SATURDAY 26 SEPTEMBER - FINALS DAY! Ireland v Scotland at 2.30pm Wales v England at 2.30pm
WINNER of the 2009 Rodney Walshe Ireland Essay Competition
The winner of the 2009 essay competition is Liam Winter of Rosmini College in Auckland PRESS RELEASE - 11 MAY 2009 ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE RODNEY WALSHE ANNUAL IRELAND ESSAY COMPETITION WINNER 2009 Liam Winter, a student at Rosmini College in Auckland has won first prize of an all expenses paid trip to Ireland for one month for his essay titled, “Michael Collins: The Myth and the Man – Irish History through film”. Jennifer Rose Matthews and Nicholas Cornwell, who are both students at Takapuna Grammar School in Auckland have won second and third prizes respectively and each receive a beautiful piece of Waterford crystal. Other prize winners, to receive Certificates of Merit and book tokens are: - Frances Duignan of Marian College, Christchurch - Emily Howard of St Cuthbert’s College, Auckland - Katherine Mowbray of Epsom Girls Grammar School, Auckland - Jack Parker of Takapuna Grammar School, Auckland - Emily Robertson of Epsom Girls Grammar School, Auckland - Telesia Tasele of Mt Mary’s College, Wellington - Jennifer Yeh of St Cuthbert’s College, Auckland The Honorary Consul General of Ireland, Rodney Walshe, will personally present the prizes to the top three winners at their school assembly. The Ireland Essay Competition was initiated in 1990 and entries are received from schools throughout New Zealand. The judges are: - Terry Dunleavy, Author - Gordon McLachlan, Author - Maurice Smyth, Journalist - Rodney Walshe, Honorary Consul General of Ireland (who personally sponsors the prizes)
Click here to read the winning 2009 essays
Photos of President McAleese at Auckland Town Hall
View photos of the President at Auckand Town Hall on Saturday 3 November 2007 Click here to view
Photos of President McAleese at the Ireland Fund event at the Hilton Auckland
This was a 'Lunch of Significance' organised by the Ireland Fund of New Zealand in association with the Antarctic Heritage Trust and supported by Tourism Ireland and Enterprise Ireland. The lunch raised funds to support the restoration and preservation of the expedition bases of the first explorers of the Antarctic continent. The lunch highlighted the heroic journey made by Sir Ernest Shackleton from Co Kildare, Tom Crean from Co Kerry and Frank Worsley from Akaroa, who crossed the savage terrain of South Georgia and raised the alarm to help their stranded colleagues. This was a unique Ireland / New Zealand achievement. Click here to view photos of the lunch
Rodney Walshe Ireland Essay Competition 2010
Registration is now open! Entry is restricted - for full details and to read the 2009 winning essays visit the Scholarships & Awards section of our website. Click here to download the 2010 registration form
Seamus Begley & Jim Murray
The musical duo direct from Dublin will be performing for one night only at the Cossie Club, Upper Hutt Sunday April 20th 7pm - FREE ENTRY!! Cossie Club 11 Logan Street Upper Hutt Phone 04 529 0009 for more details.
Seamus Begley 2009 poster.pdf
Auckland's Sky Tower lit up green for St. Patrick's Day!!
For the first time ever, Auckland's Sky Tower was lit up green in honour of St. Patrick's Day on March 17th 2009. See the pictures below:
Click here to view photos
Easter Sunday Food Bank Concert
When: Sunday 12 April 2009 Time: 2:00pm Where: Scottish Centre, Princess Street, Palmerston North Cost: Entry by gold coin donation or food items (non-perishable) With LIVE performances by: - Slate Row - Shenanigans - Shufti (who supported Ireland's Mary Coughan in her 2009 Esplande Concert) - Cailin Traditional School of Irish Dance For more information phone the Manawatu Irish Society, Kevin Reilly (06) 358 1030
Australasian Irish Studies Conference
Ireland and the Irish Antipodes: One World or Worlds Apart? 09-12 July 2009 Massey University Campus, Wellington, NZ Keynote Speakers Include: - Tom Bartlett (University of Aberdeen) - Peter Gray (Queen's University Belfast) - Dermot Keogh (University College, Cork) - Peter Kuch (University of Otago) - Perry McIntyre (University of Sydney) - Sir Tipene O'Regan (University of Canterbury) - Richard Reid (Auckland National Museum) Inquiries to: Irish-Scottish Studies Programme Stout Research Centre Victoria University of Wellington PO Box 600 Wellington 6140 PH: 04 463 5132 Fax: 04 463 5439 Email: brad.patterson@vuw.ac.nz Visit the website below: www.victoria.ac.nz/stout-centre/research-units/issp/conferences/conf-irish.aspx
Click here to view the conference poster
Michael Black and Jon Sanders in Concert
April 18th 7:30pm at St Martins Church Waimauku, SH 16 near Muriwai turnoff. Michael Black is an Irish Tenor who sings traditional and modern Irish songs and is also a great banjo player. Jon Sanders is a guitarist, bouzouki and ukelele player of rare talent. He will be accompanying Michael as well as taking the stage solo. Tickets cost: $15.00 Adults Children under 16 Free For more information phone (09) 411 8360
Gráda Irish Band
Internationally acclaimed Irish Band Gráda return to New Zealand! "Gráda is to Irish music what Arcade Fire is to the Indie scene - informal, prodigious and full of spirit." (The Washington Post) 14-31 May 2009 14th - Hamilton, Venue TBC 15th - Auckland, The Dogs Bollix 16th - New Plymouth, TSB Showplace Theatre 17th - Wellington, The Paramount Theatre 19th - Taupo, Call Becky or Rob on 376 8555 for details. Or email rob@tauharasunrise.com 21st - Gisborne, The Irish Rover 22nd - Hawkes Bay, The Playhouse Theatre 23rd - Blenheim, The Boathouse Theatre 24th - Christchurch, Bailie’s Bar Function Room 26th - Wanaka, The Paradiso Theatre 27th - Dunedin, The Otago Settlers Museum 29th - Nelson, School of Music For More Information have a look at the Official Website by following the link below. gradamusic.com/tour.html
The 10th Ceol Aneas Traditional Irish Music Festival
The 10th Ceol Aneas Traditional Irish Music Festival will be held in Nelson over Queens Birthday weekend (29 May - 1 June 2009). Top Irish band, ‘Gráda’, “with their fresh, jazzy tones and infectious modern take on Irish music” will be performing and teaching along with Australians Adrian Barker and John Meredith. They will be joined by New Zealand’s own Duncan and Alex Davidson. The festival weekend has two concerts with Gráda at 8pm on Friday and a combined tutors concert on Sunday evening, a Ceili on Saturday evening and two afternoon “meet the guests” workshops. You can attend each event separately or purchase a festival ticket for $50 to all these public events. Bookings can be made online at www.nsom.ac.nz or phone (03)5489477 The festival attracts musicians from around the world and top Traditional Irish Music sessions will be happening around town all weekend. Teaching workshops will be held each morning for three mornings. Two of these, “Singing with Nicola from Gráda” and an “Introduction to Irish Music” are open to people with no experience of Irish music. Instrument tuition workshops are available to players already experienced in playing Irish Music. Start the weekend with a welcome to Nelson session, beginning at 5 pm on Friday at Lambrettas in Hardy Street and continue on to the Gráda concert at 8pm and then till late at the House of Ales and The Vic at the top of Trafalgar Street. For more information about Ceol Aneas, tutors and to register visit the website below: www.ceolaneas.org
Christmas Card competition
Glór na nGael is organising a Christmas card competition - four prizes of €500 to be won Click here to read more
Margaret Keys in Concert
Irish Singing Sensation at the Bruce Mason Centre, Auckland Friday 31 July Irish singer, Margaret Keys, is heralded as ‘the greatest new singer to arrive on the music stage'. Click the link below for more information
www.bmcentre.co.nz/Concert/Margaret%20Keys%20in%20Concert/event-166.htm
Rhythms of Ireland Tour
Rhythms of Ireland Dance Troupe Fourteen Concerts running from October 14 - November 5 2009 in venues from Auckland to Invercargill. For more information check out their website. www.rhythmsofireland.com/main.html
Mairangi Players present: Shining City by Conor McPherson
1-10 October 2009 North Shore, Auckland Shining City the latest offering from Mairangi Players opened on Broadway in 2006 where it received two Tony Award nominations, including Best Play and prompted the London Telegraph to describe Conor McPherson as 'the finest dramatist of his generation...’. Set in present-day Dublin a man seeks help from a counselor, claiming to have seen the ghost of his recently deceased wife. However, what begins as just an unusual encounter becomes a struggle between the living and dead-a struggle that will shape and define both men for the rest of their lives. In this contemporary ghost story, Conor McPherson explores what it means to lose faith-in God, in relationships and in one's self. Director Des Smith is thrilled with the cast he has pulled together for this beautiful and haunting piece of theatre. “An all Irish cast was always the objective and to have achieved it with the quality of actors we managed to find is fantastic,” Des says. Des last directed The Weir, another McPherson play in 2007. The play won best production, best set as well as best lead male at the ACTT awards. Shining City runs from October 1st to October 10th at Mairangi Players, Recreation Drive, Birkenhead. To book tickets call 09-415 0415 Cast:- Billy Beggs, Jerry Miller, Michelle O'Neill, Mark Farrelly To read more click the link below: www.mairangiplayers.co.nz/upcoming.shtml
Click here to view poster
The Seven Irish Tenors
Touring throughout New Zealand in Jan/Feb 2010 with concerts in Auckland, Hamilton, Hastings, Palmerston North, Wanganui, Wellington, Invercargill, Dunedin, Timaru and Christchurch. Click the weblink below to read more: www.stetsongroup.com/home.htm
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